Why Intervene Professionally?

The tougher and better question is "Why NOT intervene professionally and do it now"? What is it that you are waiting for? Waiting is destructive and undesirable because:

• The disease progresses
• The disease becomes harder or impossible to treat
• Long-term recovery is less likely
• Relationship ruptures (family arguments, separation, divorce)
• Relationships are further damaged:
• Job loss or impairment (LWOP, professional license suspension)
• The costs, physically, psychologically and monetarily go up

Early diagnosis and treatment for all chronic progressive diseases increase the chances of successful recovery. Alcoholism and addiction are no different. Denial, the deadliest symptom of this disease, precludes loved ones from seeing their own illness or being able to help themselves. Waiting for him or her to do so is not only unreasonable, it is cruel. You would not stand by and watch as your loved one walked off a cliff hoping they would see it for themselves when you knew he or she was blinded by the sunlight and could not see the cliff at all. So, why wait?

How it Works

Putting together an intervention is a simple process. Here are the steps:

• Resolve obstacles to proceeding
• Determine who will participate
• Decide where to hold it
• Make preparation plans
• Review how people should be invited
• Review preliminary treatment options

The only thing to do right now is pick up the phone and call. By the end of this short telephone conversation you can decide to proceed further or not. If you decide to proceed, how to do so will be clearly laid out.