In many offices, individuals are more than just coworkers; they’re also friends. When one of these individuals develops a drug addiction or alcohol problem, the team feels a shared responsibility to get them some help. Getting help for that person might also be vital for the safety of the team since substance abuse might play a role in workplace accidents. Being under the influence at work can be emotionally damaging, but it might also translate into real injury to coworkers. Hosting a workplace intervention can be a good first step in helping someone get the support they need.
Michael’s House in Palm Springs, California, offers addiction intervention services to those who need it. Trying to host an intervention on your own can be intimidating, but an experienced interventionist can help provide important cues, conversation guides, and other tools to help the person in need start addiction treatment. Learn more by calling 760.548.4032 today.
The Need for Workplace Addiction Intervention
Recognizing a substance use problem is vital, but coworkers might need to do more than just listen. In fact, they might need to confront the person about the addiction in a structured and supportive conversation known as an intervention. Here, the coworkers discuss the issue openly with the person in need, and they press that person to accept the help a treatment program can provide. The goal of the workplace intervention is to help the individual to admit to the problem and enroll in a treatment program that will support them during the early stages of recovery.
How to Hold an Intervention at Work
There are a few major steps in holding an intervention for a coworker. These are:
Contact an Interventionist
While coworkers might feel comfortable discussing almost anything, a talk about addiction is just a little more sensitive as it might involve issues regarding the following:
- Physical health – Is the individual’s physical health being compromised by addiction?
- Mental health – Are there signs of mental illness that might be associated with substance abuse?
- Financial stability – Does addiction have an impact on financial well-being?
- Parental duties – If the individual is a parent, is addiction preventing them from fulfilling parental responsibilities?
- Work responsibilities – Has addiction affected the individual’s ability to perform job duties?
These aren’t the sorts of topics that can come up around the water cooler, but they’re vital in an intervention. Hiring a professional can help coworkers to put together a talk that hits all the important points of addiction, without delving into any language that isn’t considered helpful. An intervention professional helps make sure the environment is a safe one and that the right dialogue will transpire during the process.
Develop a Plan of Action
For an intervention to run smoothly, everyone needs to know their roles and what they plan to say. Certain statements sound better coming from certain people, and nobody wants to do more harm than good by being overly confrontational.
A plan lays out everything that must be addressed in order to move the individual toward drug rehab. It’s common for people to write letters that explain the changes they’ve seen as a result of the addiction as well as a plea for the person to get treatment. Letters shouldn’t be combative, but they should be complete and detailed, providing an unflinching view of how the addiction is impacting the person in question.
Practice for the Workplace Intervention
Rehearsals allow everyone to come together to outline what they’re planning to say. The meeting also gives everyone a chance to review their roles and make sure that members of the team are all on the same page. An interventionist might also provide guidance in this meeting, providing information on how addictions progress and how the talk might go down.
Hold the Intervention
At the appointed time, the group comes together with the person living with addiction to share all of the information they’ve gathered during their practice sessions. Ideally, as the talk progresses, coworkers help the individual see how their drug or alcohol use has affected everyone in the office and at home. The meeting generally takes one to two hours and features a non-judgmental dialogue but urges the individual to seek help.
Help Them Get Treatment
If the individual admits that they have a problem, things move fast from this point. Members of the group should personally escort the individual to a predetermined treatment center and help them enroll in the program. If the individual is resistant to treatment, you must have consequences ready that you are willing to follow through. If you aren’t willing to be firm about the consequences, it is another form of enabling the person and their addiction.
Michael’s House Offers Addiction Intervention and Treatment Services
Michael’s House in Palm Springs, California, offers professional treatment for a range of addictions, including cocaine, heroin, prescription painkillers, marijuana, alcohol, and more. The Michael’s House team can also expedite the enrollment process so the intervention ends smoothly with no long blocks of time devoted to paperwork. Please contact us at our 24-hour, toll-free helpline 760.548.4032 to find out more.
