If you have a friend who may need drug intervention help, these intervention tips will help. There are things you can do to prepare for your talk with the friend as well as specific practices to carry out when you talk to them. Remember, you are the friend and the first step to recovery is getting your friend to admit they have a problem, and getting them into a drug treatment program. Here is some basic drug intervention guidance that has been proven to be effective with others in the past.

Intervention Tips for Before you Talk with the Friend

It is important to be prepared for your encounter with the friend. You want to be informed, supportive and committed to helping. These tips will help.

• Learn about drug abuse to have a better understanding of what your friend is dealing with.
• Jot down a list of issues you believe have been a result of the person’s drug use. This could be times the person missed an appointment, relationship issues, unusual behavior you’ve noticed such as losing interest in hobbies, no longer paying attention to hygiene or dress or antisocial or argumentative behavior.
• Plan to meet the person in a location that will be private, neutral and void of distractions. It should be a place where you believe you’ll have their attention.
• Choose a time when the person is not under the influence of drugs, if at all possible. They might be more open to listening.
• Be informed about steps the person can take to get help. Contact your local community health office for information.

Confronting a Friend about Drug Addiction

These intervention tips will help you be most effective when talking to the friend about your concerns.

• Let the friend know that your friendship is important and that they mean a lot to you – that your concern grows out of the fact you care about them.
• Be straightforward. Share what you’ve seen and why you think it’s a problem. Be rational rather than emotional. The more specific you can be the better.
• Be supportive rather than condemning or condescending.
• Point out, again, without condemnation, the differences you see in the person when they are sober and when they are under the influence.
• Don’t argue with the person. Just state your facts and perceptions and let them sink in. Repeat them if necessary, but not in an argumentative tone.
• Make a distinction between the person and their behavior. Say, “you’re a great person, but when you’re on drugs, you don’t seem to care about your life, your goals or your friends.”
• Encourage the person to seek help, and encourage them that effective treatment is readily available to those who want to overcome drug addiction.
• Share with them the pertinent information about where to seek this help.
• Assure them that you’ll be supportive of them if they seek help. Let them know you’ll stand beside them.

Use this drug intervention help to tell your friend what you see. He or she probably knows that their drug use is out of control, and hearing it from someone who shows care and concern as well as offers help. The encounter could be a turning point in their life. You may not be able to force someone into rehab, but helping them discover the truth about themselves may help them do it on their own.