Intervention preparation and rehearsal
There are many things that are done to prepare for a drug or alcohol intervention so that nothing is left up to chance. The group is assembled together, usually less than 10 people consisting of family members and close friends. The group discusses ways that they have possibly been enabling the drug or alcohol user's addiction. Also discussed are ways that the addiction has negatively impacted the group.
Each group member writes a letter to the individual, and the letters are read aloud. The rest of the group helps each person edit their letter to remove blame and anger. The group members decide what they will remove from the individual if things continue the way they are. These can be as simple as vowing to stop loaning money to the addict, or as severe as denying parental custody of a child. Objections and statements of denial that the addict or alcoholic may make are predicted so that rebuttals can be predetermined.
Other preparation steps include finding a rehabilitation center and making reservations and arrangements for the day of the intervention. The more preparation that is done beforehand, the more likely the drug or alcohol intervention is to succeed.