Piloting the Change

What is an intervention specialist? What part does a certified interventionist play in the process of intervening? Is a certified interventionist 100% necessary when staging an intervention?

                A certified interventionist is a medical professional who plays the lead-role during an initial intervention of a person addicted to drugs or alcohol. While an intervention can be staged without the presence of an interventionist, an interventionist’s duty is to lead the conversation and to ensure that the intervention is a successful occurrence.

                When an addicted individual is initially confronted with the possibility that his/her addiction is ruling their life, it is a dangerous time for that person. If done correctly, the intervention can become a moment of truth that saves the addict from further self-destruction; if done incorrectly, the experience could force one to spiral deeper into the problematic substance-abuse that originally sparked the intervention. Therefore, having a certified professional at the controls is the best option.

                Offering both medical and psychological benefits to the situation, an interventionist’s main duty is to let the intervention play-out between the addicted one and his/her family and friends; yet, act as counselor for problems that may arise during the process.

                The process of an intervention is an imperfect one, and a myriad of problems may surface during the course of an intervention. With the presence of an interventionist, the problems are greatly reduced, and/or dealt with safely.

                Emergencies within the process aren’t the only reason for employing an interventionist within a formal intervention; by hiring a certified professional, that individual can direct the emotions of family and friends in a positive way. Anger, hatred, loathing, regret, and sadness are emotions that may be present within the situation. When these emotions are resurrected, a volatile situation may occur. Interventionists are trained to deal with these occurrences and to safely return the intervention back to a cordial environment.

                Required to act as a referee, a doctor, a psychologist, a friend, and a leader; an interventionist is the integral pilot of the process of addict intervention.

People You Probably Didn't Know Were Addicts

1) Daniel Radcliffe | "There were a few years there when I was just so enamored with the idea of living some sort of famous person's lifestyle that really isn't suited to me," the now-22-year-old actor told GQ.

2) Alec Baldwin | "I went, 'I don't see any body else in their car with a plastic take out container filled with ice and wine. They're drinking coffee; they're drinking Diet Coke. They're not drinking wine,'" he wrote in the book, Moments of Clarity.

3) Oprah Winfrey | When the world's most powerful woman was in her 20s she had a relationship with a man who introduced her to crack cocaine. "I can't think of anything I wouldn't have done for that man," Oprah said as she spontaneously admitted her prior drug use during a 1995 episode of her show.

4) Benjamin Franklin | Benjamin Franklin battled health-issues for much of his life. When he needed relief from pain he turned to laudanum, a mixture of alcohol and opium that was used to treat just about every ailment there was in the late 18th century.

5) Pope Leo XIII | Leo, a Roman native, was a devoted drinker of the powerful Vin Mariani, a Bordeaux treated with copious coca leaves