Alcohol Intervention | How to Stage One & What to Expect

Why are they needed?

The role of a brief intervention is to help the individual struggling with their alcohol consumption to recognise that they are dealing with an addiction. This is a very essential part of the recovery journey. Addiction leads to significant changes in the ways that we think, feel, and make connections. An addiction to a substance, for example, means that our perspective on drugs will be inherently skewed. This means that we can naturally become defensive over our addictive substance (or behaviour). If someone starts to tell us that we have a drinking problem, we are likely to struggle to accept that. To an extent, this means that addiction involves a level of denial. And to overcome that denial, we often need to contend with the reality of the situation.

But in such a high intensity situation, these kinds of conversations can be difficult to have. When they are not conducted appropriately they can lead to feelings of resentment, anger, and even leave to fracturing of the family unit. This is where a brief intervention comes in.

Screening

A screening typically needs to happen first for a brief intervention to take place. A screening is a type of assessment, and it is used to get a picture of the potential risk level associated with an individual’s drinking habits. During a screening, you may be asked to answer some of the following questions:

• Do you drink alcoholic drinks?
• How many days a week do you drink alcohol?
• How many drinks do you tend to drink at a time?

You may also be asked additional questions that focus on identifying the presence of alcohol dependency. These are:

• Do you ever feel guilty about the amount you drink?
• Do you get defensive or annoyed when people comment on your drinking?
• Have you tried to cut down on drinking in the past, and have you been able to?
• Do you drink early in the morning to help you get through the day?

If you answer yes to one or more of these questions, then this is believed to ‘delineate present or past alcohol problems’ and would indicate the need for a brief intervention.

The key aim of a brief intervention is always to remain non-judgemental. Having a clinical professional present can be useful here. This is because it is often easier to have complicated conversations when we are slightly detached from a situation. When difficult things are happening to someone that we love, it can be tricky to stop our own emotions from colouring our perspective. By implementing the support of a brief interventionist, you can reduce the risk of your feelings running away with you. This can help to keep tensions from rising and eliminate potential perceptions of blame that either party could identify.

An appropriate time to stage an alcohol intervention would be if:

• Your loved one’s drinking is causing them to be unpredictable
• You fear for your loved one’s safety due to their drinking
• You fear for the safety of you or others due to your loved one’s drinking
• Your loved one appears to ‘change’ when they drink
• Your loved one is not receptive to conversations around potential drinking issues

If you are planning on staging an alcohol intervention, you can contact us for advice and support on how to do this safely.

Things to Do:

• Be honest
• Be respectful
• Be ready to listen to your loved ones
• Be open to hearing professional advice
• Practise active listening
• Do not make assumptions
• Try to let your guard down
• Reflect on what may be leading you to drink