How To Write Powerful Letters For Alcoholic Intervention And Alcohol Abuse Help

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Key to the success of your alcoholic intervention is preventing this alcohol abuse help from becoming emotionally charged with anger and resentment. The alcoholic feels defensive and edgy and is poised to start arguments, so if someone takes the bait to argue, anger will flare. The fight will dominate the session and destroy its purpose. In prevention, only one person will speak with the addict, answering concerns and objections. Everyone else reads from their intervention letter.

A good intervention letter is an important tool, ensuring that your love and concern for the addict is expressed, the purpose of the session is clear and there is no anger, blame or recrimination. Each person reads from their letter, committing to avoid adding anything else in the alcoholic intervention. This will prevent team members from exploding into impetuous arguments, keeping this event on target.

Begin your letter with authentic expressions of your love for this person. Speak generously from your heart. Detail what you love and cherish about the individual. Identify events when he or she was especially helpful to you, made a difference to you and the times when you have been proud of the person. List the persons beautiful qualities and what you miss about him or her.

The addict will anticipate recriminations at the start of the alcoholic intervention. Hearing about how much he or she is loved and the contribution that he or she has been to you can raise the alcoholics willingness to accept alcohol abuse help.

Next, remove morality - right and wrong - from the situation, shifting it into the medical realm. Express that alcoholism is a disease which requires medical treatment. Acknowledge that it is not about the addicts will power or strength, but a matter of getting treatment for a serious illness. Request the addict to receive professional alcohol abuse help immediately following the alcoholic intervention.

Then list factual examples which illustrate the alcohol problem. These must be your own experiences, not what you heard from others. For example:

Mum, I visited you three times this week to see how you are, and each time, you were drunk by 7pm. Your speech was slurred and anything I did seem to anger you. You yelled and swore at me, calling me offensive names and it hurts me so much! Then the next day, when I brought it up, you have no memory of my visit. I know you love me and dont want to hurt me, but when youve been drinking, how you treat me is intensely painful and shatters me.

Eliminate all blame, recriminations and anger. These sabotage the goal of the addict accepting specialized help during the alcoholic intervention. Address how the addicts behavior makes you feel about yourself rather than blaming the person for your feelings. For example:

Youre nasty, always hurting me when youre drunk will increase the addicts defensiveness. Whereas, When youve been drinking, how you treat me hurts me deeply and makes me feel unwanted addresses the behavior without blaming.

Conclude your letter with love and concern. Express your support of alcoholism recovery, requesting the alcoholic to enter a specific in-patient clinic.

In an alcoholic intervention, when this simple letter format and strong request for receiving alcohol abuse help is repeated by every team member, it has a powerful influence on the alcoholic saying yes.