Professional Addiction Intervention

A professional intervention is considered when alcohol or drug use is causing serious harm but ordinary conversations are no longer producing meaningful change.

The work starts before the intervention itself. We prepare the family, establish what treatment may be required and put a practical next-step plan in place so that if treatment is accepted, the opportunity is not lost.

Call 082 747 3422 to discuss the situation confidentially.

Fast Facts

When should a family consider an intervention?

An intervention may be appropriate when somebody continues drinking or using drugs despite significant harm and repeatedly refuses meaningful help.

• repeated relapse
• escalating substance use
• deteriorating physical health
• worsening psychiatric symptoms
• dangerous behaviour
• work or financial collapse
• family conflict
• children being affected
• previous treatment followed by rapid relapse
• repeated promises to stop
• persistent refusal to consider treatment

You do not need to wait until every part of the person’s life has collapsed.

The intervention begins with the family

The first conversation is normally with the family or organisation, not the addicted person.

We need to understand what has actually been happening. This can include substances being used, recent incidents, medical and psychiatric history, previous treatment, withdrawal or overdose history, aggression or flight risk, family relationships, work and financial consequences, previous attempts to discuss treatment, and available medical aid or private funding.

The purpose is to determine whether an intervention is appropriate and what needs to be prepared.

Preparing the family

The intervention day is only one part of the process. Preparation matters.

Participants need to understand what the intervention is trying to achieve, what they will say, what they will not argue about, what treatment is being offered, what boundaries they are prepared to maintain, and what happens if treatment is refused.

The aim is not humiliation. It is not a courtroom. It is not an opportunity for years of resentment to be discharged in one room.

The objective is a clear, organised opportunity for change.

Who should participate?

More people do not necessarily make a stronger intervention.

Participants should normally have a meaningful relationship with the individual and be capable of remaining focused on the purpose of the intervention. Depending on the case, participants may include parents, partners, adult children, siblings, close friends, employers, colleagues or another significant person.

People whose presence is likely to cause unnecessary chaos or derail the process may not be appropriate participants.

Treatment is prepared first

If the person says yes, time matters. The treatment pathway should therefore usually be considered before the intervention takes place.

• Is medical detoxification required?
• Are psychiatric symptoms present?
• Is inpatient treatment appropriate?
• Is dual-diagnosis treatment required?
• Has short treatment already failed?
• Is longer-term care likely to be needed?
• Is medical aid available?
• What admission requirements must be met?
• How will the person get there?

Where medical aid is used, the treating clinic’s admissions team handles the formal clinical motivation and pre-authorisation. This is routine work for them. The family does not need to understand diagnosis codes or scheme administration before asking for help.

The intervention should not end with “Good. Now let’s find a rehab.” The practical next step should already be understood.

What happens on the day?

The intervention is structured. Participants describe what they have seen and how it has affected them. The person is offered a concrete treatment option and an opportunity to accept help.

The conversation is kept focused on three questions: what is happening, what help is available, and what happens next.

If treatment is accepted

The move into care should happen with as little unnecessary delay as possible.

WeDoRecover can help coordinate admission, communication with the treatment provider, required documentation, treatment transport, chaperoning, travel arrangements and practical family arrangements. Sober companionship can also be arranged where appropriate.

If treatment is refused

Not every intervention results in immediate treatment. That does not make the preparation useless.

The family can still leave with clarity about what it will continue supporting, what it will stop supporting, what treatment remains available, what consequences it will no longer remove, and what happens if the person later asks for help.

Some people accept help later. The family should not return to exactly the same pattern that existed before the intervention.

Transport, chaperoning and sober companionship

Getting agreement to treatment is sometimes only half the problem. A person may change their mind, disappear, become frightened, use substances before departure, need assistance with travel or require support between locations.

Professional transport or chaperoning can reduce the practical gaps between accepting treatment and reaching care. WeDoRecover can arrange these services in South Africa and internationally where appropriate.

Corporate and EAP interventions

Addiction can also become a workplace issue. Employers and employee-assistance programmes may require support where substance use affects attendance, performance, workplace safety, professional conduct or employee wellbeing.

The process must take account of the employment context as well as the treatment need.

Gareth Carter, CCMI-M

Gareth Carter has worked in addiction treatment and recovery since 1995. He is a Certified Case Manager Interventionist, CCMI-M, and has conducted more than 200 professional addiction interventions.

He has been in continuous personal recovery since 4 January 1993. His intervention work focuses on moving families from repeated crisis management towards a structured treatment and recovery plan.

Talk to us first

You do not need the addicted person to agree before the family asks for professional guidance.

Call 082 747 3422
Available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.