Alcohol Abuse Interventions

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In alcohol abuse interventions, individuals who are alcohol abusers are confronted by family members and friends pertaining to their drinking behavior and how their abusive, unhealthy, and excessive drinking has affected virtually everyone around them.

Alcohol abuse interventions should be carefully planned and undertaken by proficient substance abuse intervention professionals who are experienced in these procedures. The most fundamental purpose of alcohol abuse interventions is to get the alcohol abuser to seek quality alcohol treatment as soon as possible.

Alcohol Abuse Interventions: An Extended Outline

Scientific examination demonstrates that one way of coping with alcohol abuse is to conduct an intervention. What, exactly, is an alcohol abuse intervention?

image: male college student pround of his pitcher of beer To a large extent, an alcohol abuse intervention can be seen as a step in the alcohol treatment process in which the alcohol abuser is confronted concerning his or her drinking behavior and how his or her unhealthy, abusive, and damaging drinking behavior has negatively affected family members, friends, co-workers, and neighbors.

Stated more specifically, an alcohol abuse intervention is a meeting involving the alcohol abuser, friends, family members, perhaps an employer, along with a substance abuse intervention specialist.

In this meeting, the family members and friends, under the administration and supervision of the intervention professional, express their concern about the alcohol abuser’s hazardous and excessive drinking behavior and strongly "encourage" the individual to get competent alcohol rehabilitation.

Usually in an alcohol abuse intervention, family members and friends tell the problem drinker in their own words how they are concerned about the drinker and how his or her irresponsible and heavy drinking has created aggravation, fear, anxiety, and other obstacles in their lives.

The objective of alcohol abuse interventions centers on the alcohol abuser listening to what has been said and then accepting the reality that he or she needs immediate professional alcohol treatment.

It is vital to state that alcohol abuse interventions are characteristically resorted to when all other approaches have been exhausted in an attempt to help an individual prevail over a dangerous and unhealthy drinking problem.

Alcohol Abuse Interventions Can Fail

image: male in self pity while drinking at a bar Substance abuse scientific inquiry reveals the fact that not an insignificant number of substance abuse and alcoholism rehab facilities have stopped doing alcohol abuse interventions because they sometimes fail.

Stated differently, when alcohol abuse interventions are not productive, a fact that has to be taken into account, the family can actually be torn apart even further due to the volatile and disruptive feelings regarding the failed intervention.

It must be underlined that this is not an insignificant circumstance for a family already on the brink of destruction due to the alcohol abuse of a family member.

The chance for failure concerning alcohol abuse interventions highlights the need to employ a substance abuse intervention expert who has a confirmed track record of success.

Why Do Alcohol Abuse Interventions Fail?

image: male teenager looking depressed while drinking What are the key reasons that alcohol abuse interventions fail? First, the intervention may fail if the alcohol abuser doesn't follow the treatment protocol both during and after formal rehabilitation.

Second, since his or her reasoning and thinking abilities and emotional stability may be inhibited due to long-term alcohol abuse, the problem drinker may simply leave the intervention session.

Essentially this means that the well-intentioned family members will have to respond to the failed intervention in addition to the rest of their alcohol-related problems and issues.

Alcohol is the drug of choice among youth. Many young people are experiencing the consequences of drinking too much, at too early an age. As a result, underage drinking is a leading public health problem in this country.

image: teenage femal in frenzy from alcohol abuse The third reason that alcohol abuse interventions may prove to be unsuccessful is the fact that the alcohol abuser may not be ready for counseling or rehab at this time.

Stated in a different way, some therapists strongly advocate that numerous alcohol abuse interventions lack a proven and persistent track record due to the fact that many alcohol abusers are unable to receive treatment until they get to the point in their lives when they themselves can make this decision.

In brief, according to this view, people who are alcohol abusers can't be helped until they seek counseling on their own.

Paradoxically, even if the intervention helps put problem drinkers in a more receptive frame of mind and actually helps them decide that they require rehab, the mere fact that the intervention took place may result in umbrage, mistrust, and ill feelings down the road.

And fourth, alcohol abuse interventions can fail when a family either chooses to undertake an alcohol abuse intervention without the guidance and support of an intervention professional or if the intervention consultant is ineffectual.

A Canadian study has found that mailing a simple information pamphlet to drinkers in the general public can reduce binge drinking as much as 10 percent. Researchers at the University of Alberta say the mail approach could significantly reduce health and social problems associated with heavy drinking.

When Do Alcohol Abuse Interventions Succeed?

Scientific investigation has determined that the most advantageous time for alcohol abuse interventions is following a major event, like an arrest for a DWI, when the problem drinker is caught lying about something of consequence, or when an alcohol abuser has been caught stealing something of value.

In these circumstances, the problem drinker is more likely to be remorseful or to feel guilt—thus possibly more receptive to getting professional help. Though this may seem obvious, it also needs to be stated that the alcohol abuser needs to be alcohol-free at the time of the intervention.

Alcohol use among adolescents has also been associated with considering, planning, attempting, and completing suicide. Research does not indicate whether drinking causes suicidal behavior, only that the two behaviors are correlated.

image: woman pleading with alcoholic husband to get help It is interesting to underscore the fact, nevertheless, that according to substance abuse scientific examination, men are more likely to remain in alcohol rehab if they are there due to "suggestions" or threats from their employers.

This finding appears to illustrate the fact that intervention that includes participation by employers can be effectual in some circumstances.

Indeed, according to one study, employees who were chronic alcohol abusers displayed considerable improvement in their drinking behavior and in their job performance during the months immediately following an intervention that was undertaken to confront their problem drinking that was negatively affecting their work.

To be brief, it can be articulated that some alcohol abuse interventions have been productive and have helped alcohol abusers accept treatment for their drinking problem. And if alcohol abuse interventions are done with careful planning and under the guidance of an addiction intervention professional, the chances of success are greatly enhanced.

Individuals who are betweeen the ages of 18 and 24 and who increase their binge drinking and those who consistently binge drink at least once a week during this time frame may have problems attaining the goals typical of the transition from adolescence to young adulthood (e.g. educational attainment, marriage, financial independence, and employment).

Alcohol Abuse Interventions: Conclusion

image: young man showing pain from too much drinking An alcohol abuse intervention is a form of confrontation in which a group of concerned individuals, such as family members and friends along with a substance abuse intervention specialist, have a meeting with an alcohol abuser.

In these meetings, the family members and friends, under the direction and leadership of the intervention professional, communicate their concern over the problem drinker’s damaging and abusive drinking behavior and strongly "encourage" the alcoholic to get professional treatment as soon as possible.

Although alcohol abuse interventions should be undertaken as a "last resort" and have been known to boomerang and lead to anger, mistrust, and resentment, if done with careful planning and with the guidance of a substance abuse intervention expert, the chances of a effective alcohol abuse intervention are extensively enhanced.

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Studies show that young adults who are drinking in ways that are harmful or risky may respond better to brief, intensive interventions than to traditional long-term treatments, which originally were designed for adults with longer histories of alcohol use and alcohol-related problems. Brief interventions typically consist of one to four sessions with a trained interventionist (e.g., physician, psychologist, counselor), with each session ranging from several minutes to up to an hour in length. These interventions are especially useful for people who do not have severe drinking problems, which require more intensive treatment.

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