Surprise vs invitation interventions
While the intention of a drug or alcohol intervention is to be as effective as possible at getting through to the addicted individual, there are possible negative outcomes that can arise depending on how the intervention is conducted. There are two main types of drug and alcohol interventions: surprise interventions and invitation interventions.
When the person with the drug or alcohol problem is surprised and confronted by a small or large group of people, they can often become defensive. They can sometimes feel betrayed by their friends or family due to the amount of deception that is required to get them to the location of the intervention. They sometimes then deny that they have a problem, or refuse to listen to what the group has to say. This doesn't always happen, but it is a possible outcome.
With an invitation based intervention, the addict is told beforehand that a group of their friends and family want to talk about their problem. The interaction between the group and the individual with the problem is less confrontational. The family as a whole is required to commit to making a change, not just the drug or alcohol user.