In 2023, the National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics reported over 1.86 million adolescents aged 17 and under admitting to substance abuse. About 1.7 million of these individuals are positively confirmed to be struggling with Substance Use Disorder (SUD).
That same year, nearly 6,000 teens and young adults died from overdosing during illicit drug use. This accounts for 5.67% of all overdose fatalities nationwide.
Alcohol use is similarly rampant among young people, with 757,000 teens aged 12 to 17 years old meeting the criteria for Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD).
Interrupting alcohol or drug abuse early on is essential to preventing long-term dependency and its debilitating impact on a teen’s physical and mental health. To this end, family members can arrange an intervention to encourage them to receive help.
What is teen intervention, and when and how should you intervene? Here’s everything every parent should know.
Table of Contents
What Is Intervention For Addiction?
An intervention is a planned conversation between someone who is struggling with addiction and their concerned loved ones. It’s often done with the help of an interventionist or a mental health professional.
The goal is to motivate the person to seek or accept help before addiction spirals further and becomes more severe.
Staging an intervention is important for breaking denial—a common barrier to SUD treatment. This is because individuals engaging in problematic behaviors typically fail to recognize the severity of the situation.
An intervention program:
- Provide examples of how the destructive behaviors affect the person and the people around them
- Address and potentially resolve family dynamics that may have caused or reinforced someone’s alcohol or drug use
- Establish boundaries and immediate consequences if the individual refuses treatment after the intervention
Close friends and family members are usually the ones who facilitate an intervention.
By making the person understand that their drinking and drug misuse is impacting themselves and their loved ones, they’re more likely to agree to going to rehab.
In addition to resolving ambivalence, effective early intervention offers a structured path to treatment. These are clear, measurable steps and guidelines that they can follow to achieve sobriety.
It’s worth remembering that intervention isn’t about blaming the one struggling with addiction for causing harm. The conversation should focus on identifying the problem and presenting the solution.
There are various types of substance abuse interventions. Examples include crisis intervention, brief intervention, the Johnson model, ARISE, and SMART.
For the younger population, Teen Intervene is an evidence-based early intervention and prevention program. This is an easily administered plan for adolescents living with mild to moderate addiction.
Signs It’s Time to Stage an Intervention For Your Teenage Child
Approaching someone to get help with their SUD can be daunting, especially for those who share a close relationship with them.
It’s even more difficult to know exactly when to step in when it comes to addiction.
People who engage in alcohol or drug abuse typically go through a “point of no return.” This is when they know they have an issue and need help, but continue to drink or use illicit drugs anyway.
When this happens, it indicates the SUD has become severe and that an intervention is most needed.
That said, chronic addiction can show multiple warning signs. If you’re a parent, SUD in teenagers can manifest in complex ways, such as:
- Your teen’s behavior has drastically changed, such as opting to spend time alone and away from friends and family
- Secrecy and deliberately hiding what they’re doing or where they’re doing it
- Loss of interest in activities they once enjoyed, such as sports, hobbies, or hanging out with close friends
- To afford their alcohol or drug use, they may steal or borrow money without paying them back
- A noticeable change or deterioration in physical appearance, either due to drug abuse or self-harm
- Unreasonable aggression, mood swings, and irritability when questioned about their actions
- Forgetfulness or reduced decision-making can be attributed to the mental fog caused by drug misuse
- Constantly preoccupied with the substance in question, there could be a sudden drop in performance at school or work
Besides stunting their cognitive development, a teenager misusing alcohol or drugs can experience physical and mental problems. They become at-risk of numerous mental health issues, such as depression, anxiety, and psychosis.
Teenagers experiment with alcohol and drugs for a variety of reasons. Common drivers are curiosity, peer pressure, media and culture, and preexisting mental health conditions.
Staging an Alcohol or Drug Abuse Intervention Right
Convincing someone they need help can be scary. But with sufficient preparation and support, you can increase your chances of getting through.
Step 1: Seek Expert Help
While you can certainly hold an intervention on your own, working with an intervention specialist can make the process safer and smoother.
Social workers and doctors with experience in addiction treatment can also assume the role of an interventionist.
Attempting an intervention solo can also increase the risk of miscommunication, which can exacerbate the situation. Interventionists are trained in de-escalation and are skilled in managing aggression.
Step 2: Work With Friends and Loved Ones
An intervention team can be composed of friends, relatives, or colleagues. Together with the qualified professional, the group collaborates to ensure the intervention is safe and productive.
Someone who is struggling with a substance use disorder of their own must not be included in an intervention team. Don’t let the person in question learn about the intervention plan as well.
Step 3: Gather Information
The next step is to gather information. Learn about the nature of the SUD, what type of drugs are being misused, and how long it’s been going on.
Talk to professionals about the situation. Research treatment options and the most suitable programs matching the level of care your teen needs.
Whether or not they’re suffering from a co-occurring disorder is a crucial consideration.
This is important to present a compelling and clear path to recovery for the individual suffering from addiction. Once that’s done, the group should decide the time and place of the intervention.
Step 4: Rehearse the Scenario
It’s not uncommon for emotions to run high and heated during an intervention. To avoid these common pitfalls, rehearse the conversation beforehand to keep the discussion focused and constructive.
Make notes on the most important topics.
Write down impact statements, detailing the impact of the addictive behavior on the entire family as a unit. These statements must be honest and spoken from a place of charity—not to vent frustrations.
Step 5: Hold the Conversation
Ask the person to come to the agreed-upon location. The place must be familiar, neutral, and non-threatening. Invite them without hinting at anything, and at a time when they’re sober.
Each member must have a chance to voice their concerns. Explain that help is available, discuss the available treatment options, and convey that you’re all willing to go through recovery together.
Managing Your Expectations and Following Up
There’s no way to tell how someone will react to a confrontation. While you can hope that they’ll willingly accept help, there’s a chance it won’t go as easily.
It may take multiple attempts and conversations before the individual becomes open to attending rehab.
This is also why setting boundaries and consequences is necessary. If they refuse treatment, each team member must be prepared to change aspects of their relationship with the person.
A parent can choose to withhold allowances or limit their child’s privileges at home if they decline help. They can set reasonable boundaries, such as prohibiting drinking or drug use inside their house.
On the flip side, key team members can also use positive reinforcement to reward behaviors that support recovery.
Be sure to uphold statements made during the intervention. Otherwise, you’ll be risking slowing down someone’s recovery.
What Should You Avoid During an Intervention?
There are several things to avoid during an intervention. This includes discriminatory labels that seemingly define the individual by their condition, such as “junkies,” “addicts,” and “alcoholics.”
Additionally, it’s important to avoid accusatory language that may push the individual further into substance abuse.
Manage your personal feelings during the conversation. Being upset during the meeting can derail the dialogue away from the problem. When that happens, connecting with the person in a meaningful way becomes difficult.
Treatment Options For Teens With SUD
Addiction treatment programs provide structured, evidence-based, age-appropriate care tailored to their specific needs and challenges.
Teens going through serious SUD can benefit from supervised detoxification.
Depending on the severity of their symptoms, healthcare providers can recommend either residential or outpatient care. Both of these employ evidence-based therapies and medication.
Bottom Line: Find Professional Help For Teen Intervention In Long Island
Teen addiction is a serious health issue that must be addressed early on. Otherwise, there’s a high risk that the disease can progress into long-term dependency, which can extend well into adulthood.
If you’re a parent who thinks your adolescent children are abusing alcohol or illicit drugs in Long Island, staging an intervention with an expert can make all the difference.
Talk to Long Island Interventions and work with experienced counselors and intervention professionals!
Written by: The Long Island Interventions Editorial Team
Editor: Isaac Adams-Hands
Medically Reviewed by: MedicallyReviewed.com
Published on: March 25, 2026
Updated on: March 25, 2026
