What Are the Goals of Brief Interventions in Substance Abuse?

Substance abuse is destructive to the person who has become dependent on mind-altering substances; and it is destructive to those who care about or depend on the substance abuser. One characteristic of substance abuse is that the abuser does not know how to start the process of stopping the abuse. Intervention happens when a group of people who care confront the abuser to overcome his denial, reassure him, provide hope and promise support.

Overcoming Denial

• Substance abusers who seem to be out of control are in the grip of a disorder that is often characterized by the abuser's denial of any problem. He "manages" his drug or alcohol use in ways that support that denial, and he can become oblivious to the effect that his dependency has on his life and the lives of others. It is important during an intervention to point out to this person all the ways that his disorder is causing problems for him and for those with whom he has relationships.

Reassurance of Love

• Preparation is necessary for a successful intervention if you want to be successful in getting the person to begin to stop substance abuse. Confronting him as a jury of his angry accusers only reinforces the idea -- common among addicts -- that people are against him. Those who intervene must discipline themselves in advance to avoid giving the impression of attack. They may point out the ways in which his behavior has been hurtful, but it is very important that they remind him that they are intervening because they love and care about him.

Provision of Hope

• Intervention is designed to start the process of stopping substance abuse; it does not cause that process to continue. An intervention must have a specific plan or suggestion for the person being confronted to get help. If there is no follow-up, the intervention will have been for nothing. A suggestion may be as simple as asking him to attend 12-step meetings and having someone in recovery who will attend with him. Or, it may be an offer to check him into a recovery facility. But there has to be a follow-up for the person to believe there is hope he can recover.

Promise of Support

• Intervention is supposed to start a process of change. Change for an addict is not merely abstinence. It may require in-patient treatment; it might require assistance in getting a job; it may even require legal assistance. The people involved in the intervention need to anticipate as well as they can what new needs will emerge when the addict makes the necessary changes. They also must let the substance abuser know exactly how they can commit to support him.