Executive Intervention is a special form of intervention that is different than more common forms of interventions that most people are usually familiar with. Most interventions usually involve family members and friends who are seeking help for their loved one who has failed to recognize that they need help for their alcohol or drug problem.

While an Executive Intervention may have family or friends present as well, it is usually requested by an employer for one of their valued employees rather than by a family member or loved one as in a conventional intervention. Employers will request an Executive Intervention when they have reason to believe one of their executives has developed some type of substance abuse problem (alcohol and/or drugs) and this problem has begun to interfere with their ability to do their job successfully.

When people first hear about employers who use Executive Interventions for their valued employees, they may be surprised to learn that a company would want to keep an executive who has some type of substance abuse problem. They may also be interested to discover that the company may be willing to spend money on the Executive Intervention process and not just fire the employee. Many believe the primary reason companies have Executive Interventions are purely for legal concerns.

However, statistics demonstrate a very different reason why most companies have Executive Interventions. In the majority of cases, when we ask a company why they want to have an Executive Intervention to save their employee, they tell us it actually takes them a lot more time and money to train someone new as a replacement and to bring them up to speed. Frequently, companies prefer trying to help an existing executive who previously demonstrated a proven track record of positive performance before they developed their alcohol or drug problem.

Families are usually the core of a conventional intervention process. However, when the professional family has a strong and longstanding relationship with the addicted person, the professional family can also have an important role to play in the process of guiding the addict toward recovery. In many cases, it is often the professional associates, especially those who work closely and frequently with the person, who note the early signs of addiction. For example, signs of addiction can include changes in spending patterns, checks made out to unfamiliar people, or a loss of attention or enthusiasm about business matters.

If you suspect that a professional associate has an addiction problem, share the facts you have noticed with the family in a non-emotional way to help them become aware of the problem and the consequences the addiction is having from your perspective. If you are concerned about financial and/or professional ramifications from the addiction, explain those concerns and any possible legal measures that should be considered to protect the family or corporation from the financial problems and liabilities the addiction could cause.

Recognizing the signs of addiction

While the symptoms of addiction vary from person to person, these are some of the most common signs to watch for with an employee who may have developed an alcohol or drug problem:

• Secretiveness: Alcohol or drug-addicted people may “disappear” for extended periods of time and are unwilling to say where they are going when they go out. They may hide their purchase and use of alcohol, carefully disposing of bottles and refusing a drink in public social situations. They may receive phone calls at unusual times of day or night and be unwilling to say who is calling. There may be drug paraphernalia hidden in the car, back of the closet or other out of the way places. They may start making large and frequent withdrawals of cash to fund their addiction.
•  
• Behavioral Changes: People with addiction problems may be more temperamental, become angry more easily, experience mood swings, seem significantly more energetic than before, be agitated, be unusually calm or unresponsive, express paranoid concerns, be excessively emotional, and sleep significantly more or less than usual.
•  
• Withdrawal from Family, Friends and Business Associates: This sign of addiction is more difficult to outline in concrete terms. It is essentially something those close to the person with the addiction say they “just feel.” The person may be less engaged with family and friends, less affectionate or open, less able to make a positive emotional connection with the people who care about him or her. Addicted people may also distance themselves from close business associates, becoming more formal and less communicative.

Behavioral Health of the Palm Beaches employs only experienced licensed professionals for your employee’s Executive Intervention and can help save your employee and restore their once promising career.

Call us anytime 24/7 Toll-Free or fill out our contact form to request more information and help for your company’s Executive Intervention.