Although alcohol is technically a drug, it is generally placed in a separate category with regards to methodologies involved in staging an intervention. Unlike an alcohol intervention, where individuals often make counterarguments like, “Everyone drinks” or, “I can stop whenever I want”, a drug intervention generally requires working through layers of rationalizations, excuses and dishonesty that have developed through years of use and abuse.

There are generally two types of people with substance use disorder who require drug intervention. They are binge drug users and daily drug users. While there is some overlap in intervention methodologies, there are subtle differences in the type of intervention support provided.

A person who binge uses drugs may not use or abuse drugs every day, and in fact may go days, weeks, months, or even years without abusing drugs, but once they do, they do so with reckless abandon. Because people are often more willing to give binge users multiple second chances because of the extended periods of abstinence, binge users are often at greater risk of doing harm to themselves or others compared to daily abusers. This is why it is important to stage an intervention with a binge abuser within a short time after an activating event. When staging a successful intervention, timing is everything.

If your loved one uses drugs daily, and especially if their abuse of the drug has begun to impact their physical and mental health, the importance of timing can come down to minutes or hours. For example, if an intervention is staged first thing in the morning before your loved one has used their drug, they may be too agitated and distracted to truly engage with the intervention.

On the other hand, if the intervention occurs too late in the day, your loved one may be too intoxicated to engage properly during the intervention. Our clinically trained and fully licensed professionals will work collaboratively to determine an optimal time with you and your loved ones to maximize the likelihood of a successful intervention.