How to Write an Intervention Letter
Most people know what interventions are, but writing an actual intervention letter can be difficult. An intervention letter is an expression of your feelings and thoughts towards someone you care about that is suffering from addiction, in it’s simplest form. These letters can be sent, read at an intervention, or simply be made to organize your thoughts and prepare to help someone overcome addiction. Holding an intervention can make or break someone’s decision on going to rehab, it is important to know how to write an intervention letter that draws emotion and will have an impact on the person you care about. Let’s look at a few key elements of an intervention letter and an example you can use to write your own.
Express your care and love
When writing an intervention letter, it’s important that you express how much you love and care about the person you are trying to help. This helps the recipient understand why you are doing what you’re doing and shows how important they are to you. No one wants to see their loved ones suffering from addiction and expressing how you feel about them helps immensely. In the end, care and love are what motivates the healing process, and expressing this gets to the heart of the matter and helps your loved one understand. Friends and family are bound together by love and expressing this is a healthy way to help overcome addiction.
Stay positive
No one wants to be looked down on, especially those suffering from difficult addiction issues. In your intervention letter, remember to stay positive and avoid disparaging criticism or harsh words. Even if you feel angry or frustrated about your loved one’s addiction, staying positive helps your message get across and helps to share the hope you have for their recovery. If you are judgmental or negative, the recipient may not want to listen, or it may motivate them to fall deeper into their addiction. This may seem obvious but writing about your frustration or disappointment can have an overtly negative effect on the whole situation.
Offer Treatment and Support
An important part of an intervention is offering to your loved one the option of addiction treatment. There is a great variety of rehabilitation centers, outpatient programs, counseling, support groups, and personal support you can offer to someone suffering from addiction. You can write will change on your side of things if they refuse treatment. Be careful with this, as you don’t want to come off as manipulative or worsen the situation. Some see the offer of treatment as a gift.
Stay Calm and Collected
It can be difficult to stay calm and collected while writing an intervention letter, and even more difficult during an intervention. However, keeping a calm and collected tone in your intervention letter will help get your message across clearly and efficiently. Feelings of positivity and support will show through and your letter will be more effective. If you do have an intervention, reading the letter will help you stay calm and get your point across. In the same way, when writing a letter, you have more time to organize and refine your thoughts than in a conversation during an intervention. Keep the letter short and to the point. Writing an intervention letter can be a very cathartic experience, and helps you organize your thoughts.
Here is an example of an intervention letter written from the perspective of a friend that you can use to help write your own. This letter focuses specifically on alcohol addiction, but it can apply to any sort of addiction.
Example of How to Write an Intervention Letter
Dear <insert name>,
As long as we’ve known each other you have been a great friend. We’ve spent so much time together and I wouldn’t trade you for anything in the world. The memories we’ve made together and all the crazy things we’ve gotten up to are more valuable than any material thing I could ever have. I write this with a heavy heart, but I also want you to know how much I care.
I’ve heard you’ve been spending all of your time drinking by yourself, and it makes me concerned. You’re a wonderful friend and I wouldn’t want to see you miss out on life or end up in the hospital over a drink. It’s affecting all of us deeply, but I want you to know that I care about you and I want to see you get better. I love you like a brother, and it hurts to see you like this. I know you’re a strong person, and I know you can beat it if you tried.
In fact, we all love you and we all want to see you do well. I’m not going to say it will be easy, but all of us will be right behind you every step of the way. You’re too important to go out like this, and we all want to see you get back on the wagon.
Your friend,
<insert name>
As you can see, this letter is short and to the point. It stays positive, offers support, is calm, and expresses care/love. When you know how to write an intervention letter you will be better prepared to get your loved one to accept treatment. Don’t underestimate how effective an intervention letter can be, writing one today could change the life of the person you care so deeply about.
Written: Brandon
