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For families and friends of alcoholics and drug addicts, there comes a time when all hope seems to be lost and exhaustion sets in. Parents get tired of the lies, spouses get tired of missing funds, and friends get tired of broken promises to get together. Mainly, they eventually get tired of watching their loved one slowly wither away by the use of alcohol, cocaine, heroin, prescription or other drugs.

When the atmosphere surrounding an alcoholic or addict becomes this negative, desperate measures are justified. Interventions are effective at this point, and will succeed in either getting a loved one into treatment or relieving friends and family members of emotional pain.

Initially, it seems cruel to place people in a situation where they offer their loved one an ultimatum to seek alcohol or drug detox and treatment, or to be cut off. It is important to note that the underlying theme of an intervention is loving confrontation. This confrontation could save the alcoholic's or drug addict's life, which is the most loving act a person can perform.

Interventions can still be successful even when they don't result in alcohol or drug detox and treatment. Loved ones are prepared for the possibility of a rejection of their ultimatum. While the goal is alcohol or drug treatment, interventions can release loved ones from the emotional prison they've been confined to.

Alcoholism and drug addiction transforms people physically and as deeply as their core values. They are entirely different people to family and friends. Still, loved ones make futile efforts to maintain a relationship with someone who is no longer available. The emotional tie is as
strong, if not stronger, for the substance-altered loved one.

After countless pleas to quit, promises that it will happen, and a continuing downward spiral, families and friends begin to blame themselves. The act of loving confrontation can empower them to return to a life that does not depend on the well-being of someone else. And, at the very least, cause enough of a shock to their loved one that causes a brief emergence of the "true
self".

What happens after the intervention is entirely up to the individuals involved. The substance dependent have choices to return to normal lives or continue with self-destructive behavior alone. Loved ones have the chance to regain control of their lives whether the substance dependent seeks treatment or not. In either case, it can be said thatintervention was a success.