What Is an Intervention?

Do you have a loved one who is addicted to drugs, alcohol, gambling, or smoking? An intervention program could help your loved one escape the grips of denial, rationalization, and projection.

An intervention is an orchestrated attempt by family and friends to get a family member, friend, or loved one to seek help for an addiction or other similar problems. When one has tried everything possible to inspire or convince their loved one that they need help, but they will not admit into a program, an addiction intervention program is a successful tool in helping you help your loved one escape from the grips of denial, rationalization and projection.

By approaching them from a place of love and compassion, with help facilitated by a addiction interventionist, you will be helping them understand the problem that they have and that a treatment program is needed. Using a professional interventionist will not only ensure that you have taken the appropriate approach, but will also give you peace of mind knowing that you have expressed your love and concern in a professional, impacting, and very effective manner.

Addiction Intervention Process

An intervention is a very strategic process that must be facilitated and properly executed by an addiction intervention specialist to ensure desired results. In order to effectively perform a substance intervention, an intervention team will be established and then thoroughly prepared with the information required for attaining success. All parties involved will understand the purpose, process and techniques of the intervention.


  • Alcohol and Substance Abuse: A Deadly DuoAlcohol and substance abuse is a dangerous combination. You need professional help in order to treat both addictions.
  • User, Abuser, and Dependent: What's the Difference?User, abuser, and dependent. You've heard these words before in the context of alcohol addiction, drug addiction, or gambling addiction. What are their differences?
  • Addiction DefinitionAddiction is also classified as a progressive disease. This means that the habit will only intensify as time goes on if nothing or nobody intervenes with the addiction.
  • Intervention FAQsHere are some of the most common questions that families often ask about an intervention, whether for drug, alcohol, or substance addiction.

563 thoughts on “What Is an Intervention?”

  1. Hi my name is Alyson and I’m really concerned about my 23 year old brother and 53year old father. My brother had been addicted to cocaine for 6 years now and my father has been and is addicted to basically every drug for 20 + years. My brother had a 6 year old son and a child on the way. I don’t want to lose either of them.

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  2. I need advise. I just reunited with a childhood friend to find out she has been addicted to crystal for over 20 years and has been she has Pulminary heart disease and had about 6 months to live. Her boyfriend of 19 years is also addicted. She had lost both her sister and her mother to this drug and now she’s about to meet the same fate. She wants to live, she’s wants to get clean, but is it too late? She could maybe prolong her life but she’d have to get clean first to take the medication. She probably would not get on a doner list because she caused it by doing drugs. My question to everyone is, “if she had been told she’s going to die either way, should she get sober? ” What can I do to help her. I want her to leave this earth with a clean mind and spirit. It’s so tragic. Please pray for her salvation. Any advise out there?

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  3. I have a 16 yr old sister who has done some drugs and alcohol and she has been tearing our family apart my mom is currently sick with cancer and I wish my sister would get help so my mom can breathe and relax so she can get better today she told me I’m not her sister and won’t be it just kills me that she’s like this I wish she’d change and get help so she could become a better person because I’m tired and families tired she doesn’t care about anything she does and leaves as she pleases I hope she gets help because me and my family need it i know my mom needs it to get better to

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  4. Hi my name is Lisa and im writing cause I have big concerns about my sister Melanie!! She is a heroin Addict and just recently lost her sons father due to a car accident!! I don’t by any menas want to loose my sister nor have her son loose his mom!! He has already lost a parent and does not need to go threw loosing another!! Can u help me!!

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  5. My son Brandon is an addict he has tried and abused many drugs. Brandon is 19 his drug now is heroin. Brandon has been to detox 3 times and rehab once. Both rehab and Brandon failed, the Rehab was not staffed or really prepared to treat addicts when he went there. Brandon has been arrested and his drug use is killing his mother and I ! We wait for the day we recieve the call come id the body. Brandon has been and I hope he can again be the most loving caring son anyone could have I beg you for help

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  6. Hi, Im wondering if this show is still helping, My daughter Tiffani is a intravenous drug user, and has been drugging for 6 yrs, she is now gone to the lowest of lows, she stole 7000 $ from her boyfriends mom, after she spend her 69,000 she got from a accident settlement, she has NOTHING to show for this money because it was spent on drugs, Our family is just at our wits end, I cry every night in, strain on my marriage is extreme, she is now homeless and staying in her car, she could come here but then she knows no drugs, so of course she chooses the car, I have a baddddddddddddddddddddddddd, feeling Im going to lose her if she doesn’t get help, of course I cant afford to put her omewhere that can really help, she wont go to meetings, I NEED HELP PLEASE,, my family is hurting, and aging us,, Thank you so much.

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  7. I am desperate needing help with my brother he is going to kill himself or be killed.he has been struggling with drugs since he was 16 an now he is 28 and has lost everything important to him including his children to cps. He is someone called a Polly substance abuser. I have watch him get so bad all I do is cry at night wondering when I will get that call that he is dead. If anyone can help me with getting him into treatment I’m having problems getting it paid for. My email is kimberlyrandle36@yahoo

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  8. I was directed here from a prevention tv program. Every-time I see such a program it brings me to tears reflecting on my own experience. I see the one addicted, the pain they and the ones affected by it all. I watch in hopes he/she is moved enough to get help and again watch in hopes the outcome is good. The ones in that persons life can either enable them to continue or find help to stop it. If it keeps going it can continue until tragedy. Im posting this to give praise and approval for interventions that can change lives and as hard as the process is the alternatives can be awful. I was a lucky one, I performed my own intervention. I studied the process that the drugs I used effected my body and mind. I found that the high I was getting was the effect of my heart expanding and my brain losing oxygen, I finally found out after many times that the withdrawal was worth ending the cycle and that not even the slightest return to the drug was worth repeating the whole thing again and again. I have been free from crack for over 4 years now and know the tiniest sample of the drug can return me to ruin. Any one who recovers as I have can know the blessing and freedom from addiction and recovery often means the desire to help others. I urge anyone who is addicted to find the relief I have found, any one around you who is addicted often can not do it alone as I have, We need to sponsor these programs and help each other with additions. The longer we wait, the longer the cycle continues until disaster.

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    • TY Gene. I have 3 to deal with. Programs are so costly for one person, let alone three. I am going to have them do the research like you did and maybe this will get them to snap back to reality!

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