Interventions are something that every drug addict or alcoholic must have at some point. To understand when a professional, organized intervention is necessary one must understand what that means. Living life with active addiction creates various sorts of interventions to occur; whether it be by the cops, a significant other, a boss, or maybe even a failure to uphold one’s own convictions. Whatever it may look like, it’s an event that shakes the addicted person to reality. Addiction is a disease of deception, not only does the addict lie to those around them, but they are constantly lying to themselves. They may continually tell themselves that “I don’t have a problem”, “I could stop if I wanted to”, and “it isn’t affecting anyone but myself”. Interventions are an opportunity for the truth to be told.
A loved one’s addiction doesn’t have to get so severe that they lose everything. They don’t have to be under a bridge, they don’t have to be using “the hard stuff”, they just need to be in a place where drug or alcohol use is negatively impacting their life. A professional intervention is appropriate when the individual’s life is becoming impacted negatively, but they are resistant to treatment.
Oftentimes, families are reluctant to hire an interventionist when their loved one needs it. The family fears that the individual’s resistance is too much of a barrier. Resistance is normal, even in one who has decided to get help. Remember, addiction is a disease of deception it will constantly be pulling the individual back into the depths of this insidious illness. A professional intervention is designed to break through the resistance, regardless of how much, to motivate the individual to seek help. The interventionist’s training and techniques, the families’ boundaries, and the experience as a whole is a wake-up call to suffer. The intervention brings reality to the addicted individual, and the experience is powerful enough to break through all barriers and bring truth and motivation to get well.
Katie Barr has been working in the addiction treatment industry for 6 years and has been an interventionist for 5. Katie has completed the BRI (Board Registered Interventionist) training, and the CIP (Certified Intervention Professional). She is also trained on the Johnson, surprise, model as well as invitational approach. Katie believes we don’t have to manipulate in order to get someone into treatment, and that by teaching the addict with compassion, love, and respect their overall intervention and treatment experience can be positive and not feel forced. The person is not the disease, and raising the bottom and cutting out the enabling can motivate the addict to want to get well.
Katie is a recovered meth addict and has been sober for 7 years. Her own recovery has motivated Katie to work in this industry and says that watching and having experienced the families not knowing what to do when their loved one is killing themselves has made her passionate to be a resource, and guide through this troubling, chaotic time. Katie has worked and continues to work with The Levenson Foundation, a nonprofit organization that offers training and support globally for substance abuse and mental health care.
