Season 2 Episode 19
Sylvia
Age: 49
Location: North Carolina
Addiction: Alcohol
What’s Memorable: Sylvia has a truly powerful and memorable story. The crying for her babies, the drinking out of little liquor bottles in her car during work, the drinking at work, the stealing wine in her mother’s kitchen and getting too drunk to go to the game she had wanted so badly to be sober for. She’s also a very inspiring story. She ended up being an addiction counselor and joined the show as an Interventionist a few years ago.
Legacy Update: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lImvGjHP7K4
Official synopsis: Sylvia had four wonderful kids, a strong marriage, and a successful business. But when family tragedies struck, Sylvia looked for solace in the bottle, and today she is a frail, vulnerable, alcoholic. An intervention is her only hope.
Original Air Date: December 2006
Interventionist: Jeff
I think Syliva’s story is the reason why I watch the show, I felt her pain and wonder often how she’s doing today. I wish her well.
I think this was the first episode I ever saw of this show. Despite the fact that I have little in common with Sylvia, I somehow felt like I could “feel” her pain. I still don’t feel like I have that much in common with her, but I totally understand her feelings of inadequacy and hopelessness and how she had to find some way to deal with them. I was so happy when it announced she recovered, and I hope she’s still doing well today. I also hope that [other] viewers who share her feelings or her addictions found some inspiration in this episode.
My very favorite Intervention of all time. Her pain in losing her kids was palpable. I rooted for her more than anyone.
Sylvia’s story moved me ……….. I felt for her and it was the first episode where I really felt alcoholism as a disease. I am proud of her and her recovery and her decision to help others. You Go Girl!
her brother’s letter was the most compelling of any show i think
I 100% agree. I cried when he read it. It is the best thing you could say to someone in her situation.
The fact that he said “you don’t have to go back” to being the old Sylvia, wow that was priceless. I wish others would steal that and use it in their interventions. Whenever I hear someone at an intervention say “I want the old you back” I get uncomfortable and scared. The old them became an addict, so they obviously weren’t doing THAT great. Let them move on!
I wish her well. I was once in her shoes a very smart, beautiful, hardworking woman. And I had some huge loss in my family and the man I was with at the time was stealing my money from me for his drug habit and in the end he dragged me in until one day I was like I am not me anymore. And I left his sorry ass and never looked back. I have been sober 15 years and he is just a pathetic junkie.
I’m sorry that happened to you. My daughter’s father is not a good guy at all – but the word “junkie” is a very derogatory word. It is relative to “Honky” or the N word. I’ve heard several recovering addicts say that is one of the worst things to be called. I know your ex did you wrong, as mine did, but he is an addict. I’m just sharing some info with you, not trying to be a jerk.
I’m watching this episode now. My mother lost custody of me due to her alcoholism when I was four. She was dead a month after I turned six years old, because she continued to drink to drown her sorrows. She died of liver cirrhosis. I’m just crying so hard watching Sylvia finally understanding the sort of pain my mother went through after my father took me away from her care. I wish intervention could have been there for my mom, but Sylvia’s kids get her back, and that’s the best we could ever hope for, that she stays sober and stays good to herself for herself and for her kids. I wouldn’t wish the pain I’ve gone through losing my mother so early on my worst enemy. I really hope Sylvia stays away from alcohol so her kids can keep her there alive in their lives as long as possible.
I’ve seen recent new episodes and Sylvia has been the Interventionist so she has stayed sober 10 years and is helping others. I cried watching her show originally and never got her out of my mind. So she is fine. I am sorry for your pain and childhood with your mom. Had to be very tough for you.
My grandson was 5 when he lost his mother (my daughter) to alcoholism in February of 2020. We were totally unaware of the extent of her drinking as she never drank outside of her home. We are left with tremendous guilt for not being very observant but honestly her appearance never changed and she continued to work full-time. She hid her drinking very well. She was admitted to the hospital with a GI bleed on a Sunday night and was gone by Tuesday morning. Her son has so many questions and will start counseling soon. Asher parents, we are devastated and know that he is too. I watch Intervention now and wonder how people much older than my daughter (she was 35) are still alone be after drinking heavily for many, many years.
Just watched the follow up (2015) during Samantha’s episode. I’m happy to hear she’s stayed clean, is an interventionist, and is getting her masters!
This episode truly touched my heart because I really felt for her. She reminds me a lot of some of my own family members. I think her success story is one of the shows most amazing!
Sylvia is one if the sweetest and most inspirational women I have ever seen. I cried for her multiple times during the episode and strive to someday be as strong and loving as she is. Intervention should offer contact or mentoring from recovered addicts to those who find strength through watching the show. I can only pray for Sylvia and her 4 beautiful children. What a wonderful woman.
She’s the intervention counselor for tonight’s episode
Hey Sylvia. Or, any other addict.
I’m from NC and have lived there for 22 years. I have a really amazing opportunity and future that I’m about to destroy because of being an alcoholic and DXM addict.
Your appearance on intervention as an interventionist was amazing.
Please, contact me.
Hey Doc. Are you okay?
She did a really good job as an interventionist! Looks great too.
do you know what episode she was an interventionist?!
She has been the interventionist on several recent episodes. I’ve seen her at least 3 or 4 times, and I expect we’ll see a lot more of her soon! I love her sweet, understanding, yet firm method. She is phenominal.
Sturgill, season 16
I think this is my most favorite episode ever. I just wanted to reach inside the TV and give her a big hug because of how much pain she was experienced. Now, I know that she is in recovery and working as an interventionist – I am thrilled for her! She is such a beautiful lady, inside and out. Way to go, Sylvia!
She was Sturgills interventionist in season 16!
Sylvia is 12 years sober today! She’ll be on next weeks interventions Jackie episode.
Somehow I knew she would straighten up. I’ve seen maybe 15 episodes. This is the first one that I looked up afterwards..oh yeah..looked up Chucky..Three Dog Night..but mainly about the band. When Sylvia was acting like she was talking to another mother at the game..she was really funny..and made good sense. Thats what people expected from her. Any lady as attractive as she was..and still is..that had accomplished as much..and still had so much potential..was bound to wake up. I feel like even without the intervention..something would have happened to get her back going. I had my battle with alcohol. Just like Sylvia..Im very lucky that I never hurt anyone while driving drunk. I think one..maybe two DUIs..or somthing to get her jail time enough to dry out completely..she wouldnt have fooled with alcohol again. Even when she was drinking..she knew she could do better. Of course everyone expects her to do well at everything..including me. Thats who she is. She rises to the top with little effort. Just like her coming out of this with a tv role. Wouldn’t surprise me to see her with her own talk show..if she wanted it. She might have run off track for a while but no one holds it against her. There is no telling how many people she will help by experiencing what addiction really does to a person. Now she knows both sides. I wish her luck..but she dont need it. She wont get like that again. I’ve been quit for 20yr. I learned. I never want to feel drunk again. Dont crave it. It was fun for a long time..then it wasnt fun. Keeping it real..recovering alcoholics shouldnt set a goal to be like Sylvia. Most would never make it. Shes amazing. A combination of intelligence and a killer personality. Very funny..a born leader..winner. She could start with nothing and still get to where she is. So..they need to set goals that suit who they are. There’s nothing wrong with that.
I love you Sylvia even if I’ve never met you.
This is my favorite episode of the show. I think I relate more to some others on the show but there is something about her.
Also when I tried to “cut back” I would buy the minis and sneak them at work as well. The last year was rough due to no job and COVID and I spun out of control. As of today I 68 days sober for first time in my life. Her staying sober makes my heart smile.
Congratulations, Katie! Keep it up!
I remember watching this episode when it 1st aired & it was so hard to watch. Now knowing that she’s an interventionist, I finally got around to rewatching this & wow, I have so much more respect for her than I did before. & it was already a lot!
As a child of an alcoholic who was also removed from my mother’s care, watching Sylvia breaks my heart. As a child I was educated heavily on alcoholism in an effort to help me understand why I couldn’t see my mom sometimes and why I didn’t live with her. The alcohol addictions are the hardest for me to watch because of my background, but I’m so elated to know that not only has Sylvia overcome her addiction, she turned it around and became an interventionist herself. Of all the tremendous success stories of the show, this one tops them all.
Wishing you well Sylvia.
Re-watching this episode as it’s really my favourite for so many reasons. Sylvia’s pure kind nature, the success story, and her brother’s unbelievably heartfelt and poetic letter. So much love to that family. I hope they are all doing well.
She was BEAUTIFUL in those pictures of her from her 20s, omg. If anyone’s curious, her stage name as an actress was Carla Dragoni. Some people on a soap opera forum figured it out back when the episode aired
The first time I watched this episode was before I got sober from my alcoholism, and it scared me to death because I saw so much of myself in her. I remember crying when she said her whole life had been a performance because I related to that so much myself. Now I have a year sober and rewatched the episode for the first time since then – it still makes me very emotional but I am so happy she found the sunlight of spirit:) Neither Sylvia or I have to be perfect anymore. We can just be ourselves and that is enough. I wish her and everyone here the best of luck!
She is the perfect example of how alcoholics can and do recover! I’m 2 years clean myself, and I’m in grad school studying addiction counseling 🙂 My counselor in treatment became a counselor because of the great counselor she had in treatment lol…. it’s a cycle. Sylvia is doing amazing work, and I hope to be 25% as good as an LADC as I’m sure she is. 🙂
Wow! Wow! Wow! My first introduction to Sylvia was an update episode that was kind of like a Q&A thing and even without seeing her episode, it was wonderful to see how much she had turned around and was taking care of herself. I caught about half of this episode today, and she blew me away. The part where she was going to go to the game and was drunk and was going through the things she’d have to say to people “What are plans for summer? How are you?” etc. was just stunning to me. And that intervention! What a wonderful woman. I’m so glad that Sylvia realized how much her family cared about her and went to treatment.
Sylvia’s self awareness and self loathing were so breaking. She is just a sweetheart with so much love to give that she never received from her overly critical mother. I don’t think her family members really understood just how traumatized she was from that. Not all abuse is physical and not all abuse leaves visual scars. For what it’s worth I don’t think her mother realized how badly she fucked Sylvia up. And then to have her children taken away from her when she finally cracked under pressure, it must have felt like her mother had been right all along and losing her children was her fault for not always being perfect. I mean of course she started drinking and asking God to take her. I’m tearing up thinking about this, when I was at my lowest point during six months of clinical depression I forgot a vet appointment for my little Shit-zhu. Nothing was wrong with her but I felt like I was a monster and I didn’t deserve her or my other two dogs.
she was a service animal, my service animal to help me with my PTSD and I let her down. I cried for an entire weekend and called my sister to come take my dogs because they deserved better. I am fortunate that her and my mother decided that day to force me to get help. because I had no intention of remaining alive once I made sure they had a good loving home. I felt so awful for Sylvia because she seemed to be a very sensitive empath like myself. every misstep is like a knife in the chest every emotion and every failure sends you reeling
I have never been an addict or an alcoholic but Sylvia’s story made me realize that I could easily end up as one without treating my depression appropriately. God bless her, I hope that she and her children have many more decades of time with each other.
I know this episode, I watched this episode in Health class in 7th grade in middle school. I truly felt her pain in every way, and her brother’s letter was probably the most powerful thing I ever heard in any of the interventions I watched…