DriGuy

This was big a few years ago. It always seemed to be happening in movies and sitcoms. There was even a business called Community Intervention that charged hefty sums for putting on week long seminars in corporations and communities.

Now, it's like the intervention thing is no longer in the spotlight, and for all the years I've spent in AA, reading about alcoholism, and talking to other alcoholics, I can't remember ever hearing anyone even mention that they were helped by an intervention. Nor have I heard anyone say they knew a guy who told them about some other guy that had come to recovery through an intervention. And in my reading, I don't recall interventions even mentioned in relation to recovery.

I will admit that I was always somewhat skeptical about interventions. On two occasions, parents who knew I had quit drinking asked if I would talk to their sons and try to get through to them. In one case, it was with a young man that I had watched grow up and had become very fond of. I made contact with both of them, but I felt entirely useless as an agent of change. I lost touch with both, and I have no idea how they are doing now, or if I did anything remotely helpful.

DriGuy

I found this after I posted. It's a short interesting article. It emphasizes that that the outcomes (either good or bad) are unpredictable. It may lead an alcoholic to treatment, but seems to have little effect on the outcome of treatment. In the worst case scenario, it can destroy family relationships. It's the first article I've read about the subject:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/b...s-do-they-work

Numblady

Interesting. I will say the new season of the show Intervention just started so there is definitely someone still doing it!

FreeOwl

My family is moving toward planning an intervention for another family member.

I had sort of a 'mini-intervention' directed at me during the later stages of my journey with alcohol.

It didn't directly lead to my sobriety... but it was one of the 'milestone moments' that brought me to the point of acceptance.

I think that's the value of interventions. I'm not sure, but I believe that for the most part very few interventions are the causal catalyst for someone's sobriety - but that they become a powerful anchor in their eventual journey to sobriety.

We who delude ourselves that 'we don't have a problem' often need a hell of a lot of convincing to become willing to accept that perhaps we actually do.

Interventions are probably just one more tool that can be employed to help us come to our own - eventual - conclusion.

entropy1964

I know my brothers did an intervention with one of my other brothers and it caused a two year rift between them. Personally I think that's because the brother they were intervening for is an azzhat. So there's that. He is sober now but not because of the intervention....although that had to have played into it.

I was always jealous of that. I thought, wow, if they did an intervention with me that would have meant they actually cared. Ha! Wah poor me.

But I have no idea if interventions really do anything for the addict. Personally I think its more for the family....its that last ditch effort before they cut the person off. I think it allows them to be able to close the door knowing they tried everything.

August252015

I have been involved in three. One, with my sponsor as an observer/listener- it was with a chronic relapser. It was terrifying to see her- and it was in her apt, she was hiding in her bed, etc. She did go to detox but I don't believe got sober.

I was involved in one recently where the mother of a guy in my restaurant recovery group called me.That's not an AA group so i had to seek advice on how to navigate that - he did agree to go to rehab and is currently in the process of early recovery.

Last week, a friend and his sponsor did one on a mutual friend. Long story short, the relapse our friend had was a bad one, and he is in a life-storm of crap and I don't know if he is still drinking (hopefully not spiraled into his past coke cycle etc). In the past wk, I have continued to "engage" in his situation on a limited basis- like offering to Lyft him to a meeting. I cannot be a "primary" in his deal right now, for my own emotional sobriety. I'm always here if he needs me in his hopeful journey back to sobriety.

They are emotional, sometimes necessary- and boundary-reinforcing because we can only do so much to "intervene." I imagine I will be involved in plenty more over the years as i stay a consistent presence in AA- and have a pretty public "face" of the industry group.

None of this stuff was much like the TV show, save the emotional investment of the interveners and the desperation and (non) willingness of the addicts

DriGuy

It might be one of those things that can't be measured directly. We may try to help someone, but get rejected, but we can't know if we made an impression that may come into play a few years down the road. An alcoholic that storms out of the room during an intervention may be angry or maybe just embarrassed. The consequences of either may never be known. The consequences may be good or bad.

If it's a last ditch effort by the family, where the alcoholic sobers up or the partner leaves, there is probably less to lose. You just hate to see an alcoholic abandoned to his own devices, but this happens and it's hard to blame anyone in particular. If both alcoholic and partner are adults, each is responsible first to himself. There is help out there, and always available if one wants it. If they don't want it, that's their choice. But I choke recognizing that.

Callas

I must say no intervention of whatever nature would have worked with me. The only person who could intervene in my situation was me and thank heavens eventually I did it.

kinzoku

I feel like the point of interventions is to shame and shock someone into treatment. In most cases that seems to be a terrible idea.

Jim1958

My friend had one. He had a problem for years, his family did an intervention and he went to 30 day treatment. However, it did not work. He went to about 3 meetings after treatment, started drinking wine with dinner, and the last time I saw him, about a year ago, he was drinking all day. So I think it can work if the person works the program seriously, but my friend did not.

SoberCAH

I have known plenty of people who attribute their recovery to an intervention.

I assume that interventions still go on today.

I was always taught that the purpose of an intervention is to help raise someone's bottom.

As for the results of people who are intervened on, i would add that the results of anyone who seeks (or is presented with) recovery are fairly modest.

It's been a while since I have participated in any interventions, but I am always happy to do so when asked.