A Gambling Intervention is a process where family, friends, and co-workers confront an individual about their compulsive gambling behavior, with the ultimate goal of the person to seek immediate treatment for their behavior. Usually an intervention works best when it is properly planned and executed with a professional, who has a background in compulsive gambling. It is vital that a treatment program be set up for the individual before the intervention takes place. Without a treatment program set up, the intervention will fail. You cannot intervene with a sick individual and give them no hope when the intervention is completed, without treatment the person is destined to return to their addiction of compulsive gambling.

The goal for a member of the intervention team is to calmly tell the person how his or her destructive behavior has personally affected the member. The team member may also point to specific incidents that suggest the need for treatment. In some cases, each team member may issue an ultimatum requiring the person's consent to be treated or withholding future contact.

A team member like a boss might make future employment conditional on the individual seeking treatment. Parents or friends may make future contact conditional on treatment. These ultimatums are delivered in the kindest way possible, since an intervention can be a very emotional experience for the confronted person. Sometimes, the interventionists delivers an ultimatum that explains the members' ultimatums, instead of having each person deliver their own ultimatum.

Interventions may be very intense, and may cause violent or extremely upset reactions from the confronted person. It is considered highly inadvisable to make young children part of an intervention, unless their contribution or presence might help the compulsive gambler. Teenagers may be present, but parents should think carefully about this before allowing a child of any age to participate in an intervention.

Because nothing else has worked.

Most people attempt to change a person or situation through reason and discussion, usually one-on-one. When this fails, frustration may lead to anger. This can go on for years.

Appeals to reason and one-on-one discussions rarely produce change in someone engaged in self-destructive behaviors.

On the other hand, an intervention that includes several people meaningful to the person, that is executed in a controlled and logical way, that focuses on changing everyone's behavior at least for the moment, is highly effective.

In order to prepare for an intervention, family members and friends gather to discuss the details with the interventionist. They jointly decide what form the intervention will take, identify who should be included in the intervention, develop education and treatment plans, develop an intervention plan and schedule, and then execute the plans.

Family and friends often enter this process with apprehension and frequently with a high level of frustration and anger. They often feel betrayed, confused, guilty, and defensive. They sometimes blame each other as well as themselves and the addicted person for their difficulties.

All can expect these feelings tempered or resolved during an intervention.

Sharing and expressing feelings gives purpose to the rehashing of old pains, and allows the family and friends to receive comfort and to begin to resolve the built up rage and hurt that has influenced many of their relationships and interactions.

These intervention meetings transform the family in ways necessary for lasting change to occur.

And this cohesive group approaching the addict offers something much better than a confrontation. The group creates a different world for everybody to live in.

Of course, but be very careful.

Interventions are difficult and delicate matters and it is important that they be done properly. Nearly all interventions can benefit from the advice and counsel of a professional experienced in the intervention process.

Many families waste a great deal of time and effort trying to organize an intervention by themselves and often it is so difficult that the intervention never takes place at all. Sometimes, unfortunately, it does take place and at best nothing happens at all and at worst a great deal of harm is done.

The first thing to do is to seek out the advice and council of an interventionist. At least make the call and talk a little. You dont have to commit to anything until you are ready.

The relief of suffering is the underlying agenda of any intervention. Changing the self- destructive behavior at the root of suffering is always the focus regardless of the fonu an intervention may take.

Nearly all families begin the intervention process in the same basic stance:

A person in my family is gambling too much. I want him or her to stop gambling so he or she will be happy and the rest of us can stop worrying. Nothing we have done so far has done any good. An intervention is our last hope. Will it work???

An immediate objective of most interventions is to have the Gambler accept help of some sort -, residential treatment, outpatient treatment, GA, therapy or some combination of these. The classical model often defmes treatment for the gambler as its primary objective.

Sometimes a family can readily understand how changes in their own attitudes and behaviors can be a powerful influence on the Gambler and are willing and able to invest time in their own education and treatment. When this happens the objective of the intervention is broadened into having everyone in the family (including the Gambler) accept help of some sort -- education, self-help groups, therapy and other forms of appropriate treatment.

During the initial stages family members often use the mail, phone and email to communicate with each other and with the interventionist. Sometimes they can only come together for a day at most and preparation work by phone or fax is the only option. Other times they can come together for a long weekend (3-4 days) and can take advantage of all the benefits of face to face communication.

Sometimes a family member can not participate fully due to schedule commitments, cost of travel or for other reasons. These situations can be accommodated also. People who cannot be present sometimes write letters that can be used quite effectively.

The minimum time investment usually involves one or two sessions with the interventionist, the time spent on intervention day, and a follow up session. Sometimes this can be reduced even further.

As a practical matter, however, interventions should be viewed as a long term process requiring a rather large time commitment. Discuss this with your interventionist.

Families often use the intervention process as an opportunity to educate themselves about the illness, to develop an understanding of their role in the Gamblers problems, and to formulate and execute treatment plans for themselves. These families may have several sessions with an interventionist before and after the actual intervention. They may also decide to participate in a support program such as Gamanon. Occasionally a family will decide that they want the support of extensive family therapy for the educational and emotional support they need to make the changes in all their lives.

A normal time period is in the range of two to three days to several weeks preparation time prior to intervention day, and as much time as necessary after that. This can vary considerably.

Meetings among the family members, with or without the Gambler, can take place anywhere that makes sense including the Gamblers home, the interventionist's office, a friends home, a friend's office, a church, a hotel room, anywhere at all.

Relief.

At least at this point the addiction is in the open and the gambler can let the feeling of embarrassment go. There will be no more reason for the lies and manipulations to take place, and the gambler will feel free, and be willing to seek help. The ultimate goal is to get the gambler in residential treatment , but in some cases this is not always the true result. But now the family and friends can work together to help the individual get in recovery through outpatient therapy , GA, of other self help support groups.

The best way to start treatment for a compulsive gambler is to remove them from the environment that they have been living in. This would include a treatment center that specializes in dealing with compulsive gambling. A treatment facility who takes a one on one approach to help the gambler dig deep and explore the inner feelings.

At least at this point the lies and deception can stop. The family and friends have now confronted the gambler about his or her doings, and now they can no longer hide behind each lie. Sooner or later the gamblers rock bottom will surface and a plea for help will be heard.