Originally Posted by
dragonfly1531 
I was wondering if anyone has tried an intervention and if it seems effective? I have been attending al-anon and seeing a co-dependency counselor for a few months and my counselor suggested an intervention for my boyfriend. I have stayed away from this cause i'm not very familiar with it, but she explained it to me. She told me where to go to get a professional to arrange everything and generally what its about. My boyfriends sister had suggested it a few years ago, but nothing ever came about.
Does anyone have an opinion on interventions? I'm very nervous and unsure about it. He's done rehab a few times and it never sticks and everyone keeps saying you can't make him get help, and isn't an intervention forcing him into help?
Thank you
Hi Drgaonfly,
My experience is with drug addiction and not alcoholism, but I think it is very similar. I don’t think my husband would have entered rehab if I ( and my parents ) had not been proactive with the process, and basically led him into it. I think he would have continued to try on his own, fail, maybe try again later – all while continuing to progress in his disease. We did not do a formal intervention per say, but I had gathered all the information for the rehabs, talked to the doctors and set it all up. All he had to do was say yes. And he did. So far for him it has been successful. He has 14+ months clean and is doing well.
Even if your BF has had multiple rehabs, keep in mind that we are all in a constant state of change. We learn and grow, face new challenges, see things in new ways. Yes, even those with addiction. So what didn’t work at one point, might work down the road. We can never truly know.
I worked with a therapist at his rehab, and she told me this is often how people end up in treatment. Some may be professional interventions, while others are family support, encouragement, or leading them into it. I have no regrets on it. My therapist who was actually a PhD also had me study about CRAFT (Community Reinforcement and Family Training). It is based on medical science, understanding what is proven effective in treatment of addiction, it is supported by the National Institute of Drug Abuse, and many professionals advocate this program now. I used it to learn techniques to support my husbands recovery, while also making sure to take care of myself ( & my son).
Talking about tv addiction shows. HBO partnered with National Institute of Drug Abuse to create the show: Addiction. HBO has a great website and they talk about CRAFT if you are interested (or maybe share with BF family). The thing about this process is that it has an approximate 70% success rate at getting people into treatment. Doesn’t happen quickly all the time, can take up to a year, but it is proven to work if done right. The link below also references a book that can help you learn the techniques; this is one of the books my therapist had me read, and I found it quite helpful: Get Your Loved One Sober: Alternatives to Nagging, Pleading, and Threatening by Robert J. Meyers and Brenda L. Wolfe
HBO: Addiction: Treatment: Getting Someone into Treatment
Good luck to all of you.