For the past ten years Natalie has been a registered nurse at a urban hospital. As a professional nurse, she evidently knew what to tell her patients concerning their health difficulties but in her off-duty life, nevertheless, she clearly didn’t practice what she preached. As an example, she normally drank in an irresponsible and excessive manner, she never got into physical exercise, she smoked roughly two packs of cigarettes everyday, and she was more or less forty-four pounds overweight.

Natalie Gets Into A Vehicle Accident, Fails A Breathalyzer Test, and Goes to The Local Jail

One evening on her way to the hospital, Natalie got into a car accident. Due to the fact that the accident was her fault and since her speech was jumbled when she spoke, the arresting officer had her take a breathalyzer test. In accord with standard law enforcement operating procedures, when a person is involved in a car accident and tests positive for a breathalyzer test, the individual has to spend at least two hours in jail.

Actually, Natalie should have known better than to drive after she was drinking because she recently attended an “alcohol abuse awareness” class at the hospital that centered on statistics, issues, and information about alcohol facts such as the following: alcohol poisoning, binge drinking, DUIs, and the primary differences between alcohol abuse and alcohol addiction.

Natalie is Feeling Quite a Bit of Shame About Her Automobile Accident

It almost goes without saying that Natalie experienced more than a little shame about her vehicle accident. Furthermore, she experienced quite a bit of shame about the fact that the accident was her fault. And perhaps worst of all, she was quite embarrassed about the fact that she was driving after she had been drinking. As Natalie thought about this event, however, she perceived that it could have been far worse because at work, when a alcohol blood test is given and failed, the individual has to go to mandatory alcohol counseling and is placed on non-pay status. This was merely one of the alcohol facts that was a reality at the hospital and not much could be expected to change this fact.

Natalie’s Shame and Depression About Her Traffic Accident Encourages Her To Go Over Her Life and Make Some Substantial and Healthy Modifications

At any rate, Natalie’s disgrace about her automobile accident motivated her to reexamine her life and make some significant and beneficial alterations. First, she was going to stop drinking in an excessive and irresponsible manner. Second, she was going to quit smoking. Third, she was going to lose some weight. And fourth, she was going to start exercising.

As disconcerted and depressed as Natalie was about the entire car accident situation, she used this awful experience as a catalyst for positive change. In addition, she used her negative experience as a real source of revelation that she had been neglecting her own health while she openly told other individuals how to live a more healthy life. At last, she finally saw the two-facedness in her behavior and made up her mind that she would live her life as a constructive source of motivation for other individuals.

What are the significant factors in an effective alcohol intervention? Why do some addiction interventions succeed while more than a few fail?

The Need for a Well-Known History of Intervention Attainment

Scientific examination shows that a “winning” alcoholism intervention needs to be administered by an intervention specialist who has a celebrated track record of intervention success.

In effect this means that rather than choosing an “average” alcohol dependency healthcare professional or psychologist for an alcohol abuse intervention, the individual who is chosen to administer the intervention needs to be instructed in alcohol addiction intervention procedures and needs to possess a record of “winning” addiction interventions.

A Few Essential Examples of The Best Time For an Alcohol Dependency Intervention

Scientific exploration and alcoholism facts about interventions has also shown that the most fruitful time for an alcoholism intervention is following a special occasion in the life of the alcohol addicted person or abusive drinker. The following represents a few illustrations of these types of noteworthy incidents:

• The alcohol-dependent person or abusive drinker has been caught stealing something of value.
• The abusive drinker or alcohol-dependent person has been caught lying about something of consequence.
• The alcohol-dependent person or abusive drinker has been placed behind bars for driving under the influence.

In events such as these, the alcohol dependent individual or alcohol abuser is more likely to be remorseful or to feel ashamed, thereby making him or her more willing to get the professional alcohol rehabilitation that is needed.

At this time, moreover, it is also important to underscore the fact that the alcohol abuser or alcoholic needs to be free of alcohol during the alcohol addiction intervention. In sum, if the abusive drinker or alcoholic is drunk during an alcohol dependency intervention, the lack of success is almost certain.

In the same way, scientific study has also made evident the fact that the alcohol abuser or alcohol dependent individual has to at least try to listen to what is stated in an alcoholism intervention. That is, during an alcoholism intervention, the hazardous drinker or alcohol-dependent person needs to listen to what his or her drinking behavior has done to those who care for him or her the most.

The Magnitude of Alcohol Counseling For the Irresponsible Drinker

And lastly, scientific research demonstrates that the major reason for an alcohol abuse intervention in the first place is to convince the alcohol abuser or alcohol addicted individual to get the quality alcohol therapy that is required. Stated more clearly, even if the individual who monitors the intervention has an outstanding reputation of effective interventions and even if the hazardous drinker or alcohol dependent individual frankly listens to every word that is said during the course of an intervention, if the hazardous drinker or alcohol-dependent person is not moved to request quality alcohol dependency counseling after the alcohol dependency intervention, then the intervention will be a debacle.

Without a doubt all of these factors are needed for a successful alcohol addiction intervention. If, nonetheless, the hazardous drinker or alcohol addicted person is not inspired to get alcohol therapy after listening to his or her family members articulate the hurt, anger, and dissatisfaction they feel about the hazardous drinker’s or alcohol addicted person’s irresponsible drinking behavior and the concern they feel for the problem drinker, then everything else that is part of an alcoholism intervention will in the main be futile.

Even Effective Alcohol Dependency Interventions Can Flop Down the Road

It also needs to be noted that despite the fact that the alcohol dependency intervention can be identified as fruitful in that it helped put the abusive drinker or alcoholic in a more amenable mentality and honestly helped the alcohol addicted person or abusive drinker come to a decision that he or she needed alcohol therapy or professional help for alcoholism or alcohol abuse, the simple reality that the intervention took place might result in resentment, irritation, and doubt in the future.

In a nutshell, even when alcohol addiction interventions are seen as effective in the short run, in the long term, to the contrary, they may backfire and, as a consequence, may make the family and/or the alcoholic’s situation even worse than it was before the alcohol intervention took place.

No matter how inequitable or ironic this seems, try to keep in mind that it is basically one of the fundamental alcohol facts that has to be faced when engaging in an alcohol intervention.

A Reason For Happiness and Joy

Also keep in mind how thrilling and gratifying it can be when an alcohol intervention is successful. Why? When an alcohol addiction intervention is successful, this means that the person with a drinking problem understands what he or she has been doing to those who care the most about him or her and is now willing and ready to get rehabilitation and start on the road to recovery.