When a close friend or family member is out of control with drugs or alcohol, then you might consider doing an intervention in order to help the person. Mainstream media has popularized the idea and also shown that they are by no means a magic bullet in getting someone to stop abusing their body with chemicals. At best they can show an addict or alcoholic that the family really cares and that help is available if they are willing to take it.

But in most situations there are issues of codependency and love addiction, so an intervention may not always be the best choice. For example, sometimes the loved one of an addict is an enabler and is actually hurting the addict by supporting them in their need to continue to get high and slowly self destruct.

In other cases an intervention might be a mistake because it could further isolate the alcoholic and push them further away from the family. The most typical response to an intervention is fear, based on the resistance that an alcoholic has to change. The alcoholic is comfortable with their method of self medicating and the thought of facing life without the crutch of alcohol is a scary one indeed. Do not be surprised if the alcoholic reacts with anger based on these underlying fears and refuses to comply with the intervention requests. In most cases it will take them time to warm up to the idea of surrendering and asking for real help in their life.