Why Some Alcohol Interventions Fail

If you or someone you know is in the grips of alcoholism, you may wonder why some alcohol interventions fail. The initial reason why an intervention may be unsuccessful is the addict's refusal to follow through on the suggested course of treatment. That is, the alcoholic may turn down the offer of help at a rehabilitation facility, or he may fail to attend follow-up treatment.

Another reason that interventions don't always succeed is that the alcoholic may choose to disrupt the process and abandon the intervention session. Remember that the addict is operating with less than optimal faculties since he is in the throes of this debilitating illness. If this happens, the well-meaning loved ones are left to finish up the intervention session without the presence of the person for whom the treatment was intended. What's more, they are left to deal with the carnage that the alcoholic has wrought, both on himself and on everyone else in his life.

Then too, the intervention may fail if the alcoholic isn't ready to receive help. That is, the alcoholic may not have reached the point where he believes that he even needs help, or that he wants to change and surrender this harmful habit. This brings up the danger involved in staging an alcoholic intervention.

One unfortunate outcome of an intervention may be the alcoholic's further withdrawal from those who want to offer support and a way out from the self-imposed hell of addiction. The alcoholic may view the intervention, which is after all a kind of confrontation, as a betrayal. He may feel as if he has been trapped, and like a trapped animal, his instinct is often fight or flight. So he will respond with anger and remove himself from the people who are offering help. Finally, an intervention staged to help an alcoholic toward recovery may fail without proper guidance. That is, if loved ones elect to stage an intervention without the help of a professional trained in the process, the odds of success are significantly diminished.