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About Dizzy

I’m writing this because it occurred to me that you might like to who I am and why I’m so into this Intervention show that I made a friggin website about it. Here’s my story.

My mother was a heroin addict until she was 8 months pregnant with me. I was born a baby addicted to heroin. I’ve been told that if I ever do the drug I will be immediately addicted. This has adequately scared me away from ever doing heroin and I consider myself lucky.

After I was born my mom switched to alcohol and cocaine until she found meth in the late 1980’s, which she continues to use today at age 72.

A few years ago I watched my father die of liver cancer from alcoholism.  I moved to his town to take care of him for 6 of the last months of his life. I watched him continue to drink about a case of beer everyday, even when he was yellow with jaundice and acted more like someone with advanced dementia than cancer, and I watched him snort line after line of morphine to deal with the pain. I was with him when he died.

Parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents. Addiction is literally in my blood. I was raised deep in it, I understand it more than I understand most things, and I experience it myself every day of my life.  There is no one thing that has affected my relationships and the choices I have made more than addiction has.

I come from a small town in Washington State that has experienced a very sad and dramatic de-population due to meth.  I could call my hometown dead, and a quick drive through downtown would make that point, but it’s not really. It may be populated seemingly exclusively by meth (and now heroin) addicts, but those people are alive and they’re my people. They’re addicts who need help. They are my family and old friends and the family and friends of all the people I know there.

I left there 30 years ago, when the meth epidemic was just starting to take hold. Since then, I’ve faced my own addiction battles. In my mid-20’s as a nomadic hard partying Gen-Xer I developed a solid case of functional alcoholism. I drank more than any person should ever drink while still making it to work most days. I thought that drunk me was the real me, that my identity was contingent upon being drunk. One especially hungover Saturday morning I had the epiphany that all the pain I was experiencing was simply the cost of drinking. I deserved it. This was the price I had to pay for drinking the way I did. And I wondered if what I got from drinking was worth the cost.

I voluntarily went into treatment on Christmas Eve in 2000 because my plan was to drink myself into complete oblivion for my 2-week Christmas vacation.  Just sit in front of the TV chain smoking and drinking cheap vodka out of the bottle. I realized this was my plan and decided in a rare moment of clarity that rehab would probably be a better idea than drinking myself to death. It was a good decision.

I was sober for almost 7 years. I was fully in the program, had a great sponsor, started meetings for women new to recovery, followed the steps to a tee.  I went back to school and finally got my degree, with honors. I wrote essays that won awards and got published. I made art. I had solid, meaningful friendships. I knew that I didn’t need alcohol to be the best me.  I became that productive, creative me that I always wanted to be but didn’t know how. I was so far removed from who I thought I was when I was drinking and my identity was no longer contingent on being a drinker.  I had found a way, and I was happy.

But then my mother told me she wanted to get clean from meth. I went up there to help her through withdrawals. It was a rough time, to put to put it mildly, but we got through it. As soon as we got through to the other side, she immediately started using again.

For whatever reason, as soon I got home from that trip I had the thought that drinking a cider would be no big deal, I could probably drink like a regular person now right? The thought wouldn’t leave me alone this time. I couldn’t seem to ignore it, so I entertained it. Eventually I convinced myself that since I hadn’t drank in almost 7 years, I could have one drink and it wouldn’t change anything. I would still be in recovery, it would just be a short relapse. I would totally stop after one or two and get right back on track. And if not, well I wouldn’t drink the next day. And even if I did drink all 6 and drank more the next day too, I knew it would never ever drink like I did before. I would NEVER be that person again. I had conquered my old alcoholism. This would not affect me. I get to be a regular person now. I deserved to be a regular person. I deserved to drink like everyone else. I worked so hard for it.

So I walked into the grocery store and stood in front of the cooler, waiting for a sign. I stood there for a really long time, nervous and weird, just staring at the cooler and expecting something, someone to stop me. But nothing happened. No sign ever came. Finally I bought a 6-pack of cider, took it home and drank the whole thing alone. That was more than 10 years ago. I haven’t stopped drinking since.

Now in my late 40’s, I’m much better at being an alcoholic than I was before, most of time, but I certainly can’t deny the grip alcohol has on me still.

I’ve been on most sides of addiction.  There’s a reason why I watch  Intervention, there’s a reason why I feel the need to document it.  It’s not because I want to see people at their worst, exploited, semi-consciously performing for the reality cameras.  It’s because the addicts and the families on Intervention are people I strongly relate to in ways that I can’t even explain. It’s because Intervention is a show that actually saves those peoples’ lives.

I know that I’m not the only one with a complicated relationship to addiction that obsessively watches Intervention. That’s why this site exists.


UPDATE:
It’s February 2021 and I’m sober now, again, since last Spring when Covid shutdowns and quarantines started. I decided then that I really didn’t want to spend however many months being alone and absolutely miserable in that vicious drunk/hungover/drunk cycle and that I should probably take the opportunity to get my shit together. Start some new hobbies, complete some home projects, figure some things out – whatever I needed to do so that I didn’t turn this strange and scary time into a long blur of drunken Facebook posts and pathetic texts to ex-boyfriends and just general self-loathing all around. So I did, and now I’m doing pretty great. I read a lot of books, baked a lot of bread, landscaped my backyard to turn it into a little oasis for me and my dog/life partner, redesigned this website, and got really into podcasts about cults. I mean I can’t say I’m LOVING that 1 year in I’m still stuck in my house having full-on conversations with my pets, honestly might be going a little batty at this point, but it could be much, much worse. I’m alive, my home survived the Almeda Fire that ravaged my town, I didn’t get sick, I didn’t lose anyone close to me, and I was sober for all of it. Feeling very grateful about that. Thanks for the support and advice everyone, I really do appreciate it.

UPDATE: June 2022. Still sober. Happier than I’ve ever been in my life.

Comments
All comments.
Comments

  1. Cheryl

    That was brave as hell of you, Dizzy. I hope someday you’re able to get the best of your demons. I have major respect for your courage.

  2. Samantha

    Wow, Dizzy. Hats off to you and thanks so much for sharing. Your story is incredibly touching, and I truly hope that one day you can find your way back to happiness. I have only been sober 3 1/2 years, and I know that voice will always be in the back of my head, telling me I can drink like a normal person. We are only human. YOU are only human. Thanks for all that you do. I truly believe that this site has helped many, and could be part of why Intervention was revived. You are a wonderful person 🙂

  3. Wilson

    Dear Dizzy,

    Talk about courage and success – You are amazing. With all the CRAP you got, you’ve made it this far by giving, giving, giving.

    You’ve been a care-taker to (probably) everyone in your life. It wasn’t your choice, it was put on you by people that only thought about themselves and you are so smart and energetic and GOOD, you were able to do it.

    I think that starting to drink again was a way to say, you cannot take care of everyone anymore. You must take care of yourself. Time to woman-up and put yourself first.

    Love is a verb. Only people in your life who love you are ones willing to do things for you. Cut out everyone who doesn’t and focus on yourself.

    You definitely deserve it.

    Sending you prayers,

  4. Jenn

    It sounds to me that you may be starting the road to recovery again, someday. I too, have addiction deep in my family blood. I was lucky enough to make it to a therapist to deal with PTSD before addiction ruined my life. Please know you are not alone in this. No matter the path you take, you have helped people by simply being honest and brave. Thank you.

  5. Ash

    Awesome Dizzy! Your story is very similar to my own

  6. chelle

    Dizzy,
    thank you for sharing your story with us. I have to admit, I wondered if you were just a big fan of the show or if you had a deeper connection with intervention, like most of us do. You are very brave for telling us about your addiction, and I hope that you can be okay again, and leave the alcohol behind when you are ready. I, too, struggle with addiction, as did my mother…in fact she is from and lives in Pt. Townsend, WA…which is also getting hit with the meth epidemic. I woke up in 2007 to my boyfriend,dead, of an overdose. I overdosed on oxycontin and xanax the next day, which landed me in the hospital. The fact that I used more than him, made me feel unbarably guilty-and still does. And since then I have just been trying to piece my life together. I now attend college, have a job, boyfriend of 4 years, and bought my grandpa’s house (he passed away from alcoholism related illness), but am still using. Like you, I am good at being a functional user. I don’t do the drugs I used to because everyone would be onto me.. and now I have no choice but to be responsible with money, so it’s a lot of weed and some pills, sometimes cocaine, but even after all this time…I still feel guilty everyday for not learning my lesson when he died. I hope that people like you and i can and will make it one day. Watching intervention and connecting with this community really helps, but I know one day I’ll have to get my shit together. Thank you again Dizzy for talking about your addiction, just know you inspired me to share my story…one that i haven’t spoken of since 2007. Sending you warm vibes and love, from Michelle. Stay strong girl.

    1. Dizzy

      Thank you so much for sharing your story, and for your support. I really appreciate knowing there are people like you out there who relate.

    2. Ice

      Dizzy & Chelle

      You both are brave as hell sharing your story of addiction hats off to you both, and everyone else. Does it really matter how long you’ve been sober? NO its the hard work you put into it that makes the world of difference. We all have a path in life we all have bumps in the road; Get back on that bike, get into the drivers seat and TRY again what’s the harm in all that? NOTHING!!!! Anyone that has an addiction can overcome this, I just prey that you all realize your worth it. You all have a choice and that choice is to never stop trying. I wish you all the very best I hope you all find your angel to guide and watch over you.

  7. chelle

    Ps. If you ever need someone to chat with or rant to, clearly you have my email. Feel free to use it. Thanks again Dizzy for all the work you have put into this site! We all appreciate it.

  8. Kat R.

    I was completely breathless, reading this. I just don’t know what to say. Dizzy you are amazing, resilient, self-aware, kind-hearted, and intelligent. Your story broke my heart but I have to say also that your writing is really compelling. Thank you for doing what you do…thank you for creating this space. Will be praying for you and all those here who have opened up and shared their stories.

  9. Christina Cowell

    It restores my faith in humanity to see that all of the comments to your story are positive. Thank you for this site and thank you for sharing your story. I never wondered why you ran this site – I thought like me you connected to the show and cared about what happened to people afterwards. I grew up with a violent alcoholic and speed addicted mother who, unbeknownst to me, continued to take speed until shortly before she died at the age of 82. She was a stellar AA member for 37 years – everyones sponsor and nobody’s sponsee. When she was dying I found out that in 37 years of sitting in AA meetings she never told anyone about the horrible abuse that she inflicted upon me and allowed her boyfriends and friends to inflict upon me. I started this comment to talk about you and I see now that its all about my situation. I was scared straight at an early age when I became a black-out drinker. I cut myself off from addicts and the one criteria I had for a spouse was that they not be an addict. I will suffer from PTSD until the day I die (I’m 56) – I used to call it depression and anxiety and then I thought – “what the hell, I grew up in a war zone”. I think all children of active alcoholics grow up in a war zone and it sounds like you did too. I am always amazed when people are blissful after 90 days of treatment. Perhaps they feel this way because they are in a safe supportive environment. Life is hard and God knows you know that the hard way. All of this rambling comes straight from the heart. I don’t know why I am saying it but I am. I guess I want you to know that you are not alone and that you are not “bad” because you have relapsed. I pray that you love yourself enough to get off the addiction roller coaster. In the meantime, its obvious that the people who read your site love you and support you. Thank you for your honesty and your contribution to all of us who watch this show because it confirms the reality that we grew up in and live with. Blessings, metta and prayers – all good things to you. We are you and you are us. Thank you.

    1. dan

      christina, thx for the engaging story. One thing I wasn’t clear about – was your mother using meth the whole 37 years she was an AA member, or did she have periods of sobriety?

      1. Christina Cowell

        Thank you for the question Dan. I felt like the world’s biggest narcissist writing part of my own story when the focus is on Dizzy. After my mother gave birth to me in 1958, she wanted to lose her “baby weight”. Her OB, who was very well-respected throughout her career, put her on speed. My mother loved it and stayed on it @50 years. Back in the day there was no meth in Greenwich Village. We were an affluent family and my mother was a lawyer – a criminal lawyer. She would take whatever drugs she could get from her clients – black beauties and “turn-arounds” (named for truckers who would take the drug to drive across country and then had the energy to turn around and drive back because they were on speed for 6,000 miles) were big then. My mother was a rage-acholoic in addition to being an alcoholic. I think she was crawling out of her skin most of the time between the booze and the speed and since I was an only child I got the brunt of her constant abuse. So the drugs have changed but the carnage of families has continued. Sorry for the long answer – I haven’t had my second cup of coffee (my drug of choice:)

  10. dan

    Such an “honest” story, Dizzy. I battled “functional alcholism” for 25 and have 8 years of sobriety, as of 2 days ago.. We could all fall back into old patterns and I take nothing for granted. Thanks for your story. Wishing you the best!

  11. dan

    ah, thanks for clarifying Christina. And don’t feel like a narcissist lol. We all have our tales of woe.
    I was born in ’58, as well, and started dabbling in amphetamines when i was about 20, so i remember Black Beauties, as well. They were given out pretty frequently back then.
    Glad that you’ve come out of that abusive childhood and are able to share it with us. And i hear ya on the coffee!!!

  12. Christina Cowell

    🙂

    Happy Holiday to one and all!

  13. Ellen

    Thank you for sharing your incredible story, Dizzy. I hope you will again find sobriety and some peace in your life.

  14. Crystal

    Dizzy – thank you for sharing your story. It takes courage to put yourself out there like that. I admire your willingness to do so.

  15. Rhiannon

    Thank u so so much Dizzy for sharing your story and producing this awesome awesome website!!! I believe in you and I myself am a recovering heroin addict but can never get more than 6 months together but knowing I’m not alone and there are others like me gives me hope and courage!! All thanks to you love!!! Never give up & You are in my prayers and i hope u find peace and happiness!!

  16. Just A Girl

    Your story is super real! Just wondering if you have a Facebook as well so that people can reach out to you? There is no where on the page to private message you and don’t take this wrong but some addicts don’t like to go so public but want to reach out to inspire you or for help of themselves maybe adding a way to private message or a link to a Facebook so other addicts can be supportive of what you battle daily

    1. Dizzy

      Thank you so much. I appreciate the thought. Anyone who would like to contact me privately can send an email to [email protected]

  17. diane miller

    Hi Dizzy, I could relate to your story. Here it goes. My brother was in the US Air Force, many decades ago, where he was landed in the Phillipines. He met & fell in love with a Melanie. Later, they had a daughter. To make a long story short, he caught Melanie in bed with another guy. This was my brother’s very first love & he fell HARD. Well, when he finally came home, though I was very young, I knew there was something “not right” with Teddy. Come to me real fast bec. (he wasn’t a drinker) he was drinking if not drunk whenever I would see him. To make an even longer story shorter, he died @ 56 yrs old due to alcoholizum. To lose a loved one from addiction SUCKS!!!

  18. COMMENTER

    Dizzy, thank you for sharing your story. I have been following this site for some time, and deeply appreciate both your writing skill and compassion towards both addicts and families. Good luck on your own journey.

  19. chris

    you need to stop drinking. quit fooling around. my only child, my daughter died last august. she was going to work every day also. But her body just quit. 2 months in intensive care. horrible way to die. horrible to watch. I have maintained my sobriety during and since. It would be dis- honorable to her to drink or drug.

    1. Lhamo55

      I just read this. My very deepest condolences.

  20. Christopher

    Dizzy the exact same thing happened to me I relapsed after 13 years of sobriety was out for two years and have come back in the sobriety and now I have almost 12 years a sobriety. It was insanely difficult to come back and get sober. The easier, softer way is always sobriety. I appreciate your work on this website very very much! I love this show intervention and I’ve seen just about every episode. I’m so glad it came back. I pray that you find the best solution for you that makes you happy and free.

  21. lisa

    Is it bad if I get messed up then binge intervention? Almost like well at least I’m not that bad…but not really I sympathize with each and every one of them.

    1. Dizzy

      I hear ya. I think lots of us watch to 1) feel better about ourselves because we’re not where they are AND 2) to see ourselves and our addictions being played out by someone else. It’s like a way of keeping ourselves in check while convincing ourselves that we’re not that bad. I think the psychology of Intervention fans is a fascinating topic for research, someone should do totally that.

      1. lisa

        Just curious if your a Gemini . me and me other Gemini friend totally read into everything and psychoanalyse everyone. Not in a a judging condensing type way. We are just curious and always thinking!

      2. Halley

        I completely agree with what Dizzy wrote, and yeah I agree I’d love someone to research it.

        & re: Lisa I am also definitely like that but I am a Capricorn.

  22. lisa

    But seriously this is close to me. Both my parents are alcoholics. My mom (who is truly evil I have no trespassings and all that) would only drink on the weekends. The courts tried to tell me she was such a witch all week cuz she was waiting for her weekend fix. My dad on the other hand drinks all day and all night. Nice guy, never gets loud or sloppy like my mom but seriously is always drinking. I am scared for his health. He also smokes like 2 packs a day. His job made him get his z card physical and hes supposed to get a scan of the lungs, but he won’t. He lives in his parents house which is paid off so he’s got no rent no bills in general but spends all his money at the bar. Its ridiculous . I have 2 kids youd think he would be helping us ( he’s got a great steady job for 27 years) but no he not needs to borrow money from me. Its like I got rent, electric, propane, 2 kids one who needs to go Boston a lot for checkups from meningitis which living on an hour island is $60 just to get out of here. I did think at one point maybe he was doing some kind of drug but working on the boats they test. Found out at the bar he plays $26 a game keno! I just wish he could get it together for grand kids . he lost his liscense the same time as me 10 years ago and has done nothing to get it back. He just walks and buses to the bars. I know my kids would love for grandpa to take them for a ride! And how about cleaning your house? My sons 4 and just saw his grandpas house for the first time last week, he lives right down the street. Any who then me I’ve drank beer mostly, vodka a few times put me in hospital and handcuffed etc blacked out mad. I tried weed made me feel really weird and paranoid think I’m allergic to it. Then when I was 17 someone introduced to me to cocaine. That was it. It made me feel normal talkative and great. I never needed to find another drug. And now still 10 years later still struggling with binge episodes of drinking and doing coke. I take coke cuz I really don’t like being drunk and it sobers me up

    1. Nic

      Hang in there Lisa, thanks for sharing you’re story I’m the same way with weed too not a big fan. I’m struggling as well with booze.

  23. Kat R.

    It took me a while to decide to share what makes Intervention so special to me. I am the grandchild of a verbally abusive alcoholic. I grew up seeing and being babysat by my grandparents several times a week so this was a person I spent a lot of time with. Even though I was living in it, it wasn’t something we ever talked about and rarely acknowledged. I actually didn’t know what alcoholism was until I was a teenager.

    I had been watching Intervention for many years before it dawned on me last year and maybe even because of this site…every episode, I felt in some way so intimately familiar with the pain of the addicts’ families. Not just sympathy for them but I actually could feel those feelings of hurt and things unsaid. I finally realized that it was cathartic for me to see the family read their letters and put the secrets out in the open. I let myself remember how angry and sad and alone I felt growing up. This person in my life passed away many years ago, and they died in their addiction. Maybe things would have been different if we, as a family, stopped feeling ashamed and just dealt with it. Maybe not. But either way, I’ve forgiven and moved on and as cheesy as it is, Intervention is a big part of that.

  24. Sonya York

    Im wondering how you all find out the last names of them. Im curious bc people are friends with them on facebook and stuff. Theres a few im wanting to check on and this site is not giving any updates on them
    thank you

  25. Lola

    Prayers to you Dizzy and to everyone going through it. I”m not there, but I feel I am walking a fine line.

  26. jami

    There was a girl on one episode… she was young, pretty, dark hair addicted to meth and her name started with a K. it was a different name. One I’ve never heard before. There was a clip of her crying as she was smoking her pipe because she didn’t want to be a tweeker…. do you remember that one? What’s her name?

  27. jami

    Please email me if you know her name… I forgot to click the notify me option for follow up comments. Thanks!

  28. lolly

    Me too, lola. walking the line.

    Dizzy, thanks for the time and effort you put into this site. You are appreciated.

  29. Dhalia

    Wow, amazing. It hurts to think that you are still drinking albeit not some raging alcoholic still you’re not living to your spiritual potential… Not that you don’t know this or anything, just expressing my sadness. I hope you can be sober again some day soon. You have created. Wonderful website. Thank you. Despite your current alcohol use you are still extremely productive, imagine what you could do without the alcohol? Alcohol sucks, it truly is. Disease. You are a beautiful person, good luck to you. Are you a web designer btw? Or did you have the help of someone else to set up this website? Take care.

    1. Laura

      Do you have any idea how insulting and judgmental this post sounds?…Why does every compliment have to be followed up with an opinionated reference to Dizzy’s disclosure of drinking (which, btw, was not an invitation for your commentary), and the demeaning suggestion that she couldn’t have possibly created/still maintain this website on her own?…A “thank you” would have been enough. PS, Thank you, Dizzy.

  30. Lisa

    This was an amazing story. Im 9 months sober of alcohol, and I stopped using meth over three years ago. I have this huge amount of confidence because (i thought) 9 months/3 years was enough time to mean I was over my addictions. Your story has made me think twice, even though I dont want to loose my confidence, it can happen. I copied and saved the whole thing to bring me confidence when maybe I wont have any, to bring me truth when I tell myself i can just have one drink, and for inspiration. Dizzy, if you want help, I hope you get it, and if you don’t then I hope one day you do – because no matter what you’re doing now im sure you could do it 10x better sober.

    Lisa

  31. Jordy

    Dizzy, thank you for these posts. I have read every inch of this site. I appreciate the time and effort you put into it, and while you didn’t need to explain yourself, your brave and poignant “about me” is incredible. Keep on truckin’.

  32. jacinda godwin

    Dizzy! ur site is amazing.. i love it, and don’t understand why A&E wouldnt pay to keep ur site up and running.. anyway i was wondering if you ever thought about adding before and after pics of the people featured on the show- some of the guest have had dramatic transformations. just a thought 🙂

    1. Dizzy

      Yeah a lot of the transformations, even after 90 days, have been pretty incredible. I feel like it’s one of those satisfying things that happens at the end of the episode and if I had them posted here it would be kind of a spoiler, know what I mean? I don’t know, I’ll think about it though. Thanks for your comment!

  33. Suzon Wildridge

    Just thank you! I haven’t ever gone back but I sometimes feel I haven’t moved forward…then I breathe life! Forget the rest and be blessed! I’m still sober and like the site! Very interesting. I so wish that people could really see all the rest and the harder work after the show. It saved my life and I am so grateful but can’t get a job and feel sold out literally to outlet after outlet and have been out of work 5’months but, I am SOBER! I have my babies and all is well with the world! Anyone may see my life, LOL and tons of pics on Facebook at Suzon sanford-Wildridge. I don’t take a ton of requests bc of problems in past with mean butt face peeps but if you would like u may always message me and if appropriate I will gladly talk. Also help with locating services and organizing interventions! Thanks again for the site
    Suzon Wildridge

    1. Suzon

      And you have an amazing talent with writing and sharing! Awesomeness at its core dizzy, thank you for you

      1. Dizzy

        Thanks for commenting Suzon! And congratulations on your sobriety. I’m so glad to hear you’re doing well.

  34. Carol Rogers

    Dizzy, I too have a fascination/over-whelming interest in Intervention for several reasons. Mostly, I have a cousin I love very much who, over the past 15 years, has thrown away her life on meth. It makes me very sad. I keep hoping to get family support and try to arrange an intervention for her one day before I have to identify her body. Your openness and eloquence shines through. Keep the site up and care for yourself!

  35. Blarney Candor

    Hey, Dizzy:

    Thanks for this site. It’s magnificent, and proof positive, through your comments and those of others, of how deeply meaningful this show has been to people, especially to addicts like myself and people who have been affected by addiction.

    I’ve actually written a blog post about the show that links to your site: https://blarneycandor.com/2016/07/28/aes-intervention-how-guilty-is-my-pleasure/

    Maybe you’ll like it, I dunno.

    Anyway, best wishes to you and yours.

    1. Dizzy

      Wow, thank you. Great post. I’d like to put it on the ‘Intervention Articles’ page if that’s ok.

      1. Blarney Candor

        I’d love that! Thank you!

  36. Rachel Evans

    Thank you for sharing your story, Dizzy. It’s truly awful to hear that you’re still drinking – because I am, too.

    I’m also a woman from Washington State, and I checked myself into rehab about five years ago. I only managed to put together a year (to the day!) of sobriety. I had a celebration drink in 2012 when the presidential election results came back in… and I haven’t stopped drinking since then.

    I’m rapidly giving up hope that I’ll ever be able to drink like a normal human being. My drinking is slowly costing me my health, my friends, and my career. I hate it, and I fear it. I worry that I don’t want to quit yet. What’s it going to take?

    Anyway, I wanted to say thank you for your share. And you’re not alone.

  37. Christina

    Dizzy, thank you so much for telling us about yourself and your own journey. Your honesty is deeply respected and appreciated.

  38. Victoria

    If you’re still hooked today, December 11, 2016, I want you to know that I believe in you.

  39. Megan Modes

    Dizzy, thanks for sharing your story! I love intervention for similar reasons. How are you doing today? Hang in there. Thanks for making this awesome website.

  40. A.S.

    Thank you, I completely understand what you’re going through and how hard it is.

  41. Cat B.

    Just happened upon your site after watching an Intervention marathon. It’s very impressive, what you’ve done here. So comprehensive and the summaries are wonderful. Keep up the good work!

  42. Susie

    Hi Dizzy,
    I too am a struggling addict. I have been addicted to many things throughout my life so I understand what kind of damage the soul feels when living this way. I feel a deep connection to people who struggle with addictions and mental & emotional disorders like the ones portrayed on Intervention. Like you I have watched the show from the start and I am obsessed with it. I prided myself in seeing every episode until an old rerun came across the tv yesterday. It was season 13 episode 158 with Gina. This one hit me like a ton of bricks and I am legitimately worried about Gina, as the episode ended without a visual follow up, just a brief message that she completed treatment and moved to a sober house. Do you have any new info on her?
    I LOVE what you are doing here!!! Thank you! Stay hopeful and insightful!!

  43. Laura

    Dizzy,
    Thank you for your website and your brutually candid admissions. I drank and did drugs socially through high school & college…it was fun- never a NEED. I went through a depressive episode and things were never the same again.
    I went through long periods of sobriety- which I traded for anorexia. I had an abscess, in 2014, which I had to take heavy meds…that lead me to drinking again.
    I’ve started & stopped so many times. I just want it to end.

    Thank you for your site❤

  44. Antoinette martonez

    Where do i want to say thank u to the intetvention show. A couple who was had a intervention and was on the show are now religious leaders at our church. Thank You Jesus. Thank You intervention show

  45. Lisa

    Dizzy, Thank you for sharing your story. It is parallel to mine. My addictions include opiates, actually any pill that comes in a bottle and alcohol. I’ve been using for 27 years. The very first pill I took was the beginning of a long battle. The battle continues today. Nothing else matters unless I have something in my system. The doses that I take in one day would supply a normal person a really really long time. At the very least I am up to 60-80 pills a day, combining them with alcohol. At the very most 140 pills a day if I have them. Anyone who abuses pills know that if you don’t have them all you want to do is die. For the last 3 to 4 months I have been watching video after video about addiction and alcohol abuse. Just like you, I grew up with a mom and dad who are chronic alcoholics and abusers themselves. I swore I would never be like them. Here I am. This is the first time I’ve ever posted anything, and I’m actually shaking. It’s such a dirty little secret. I’ve been married for 16 years and my husband doesn’t have a clue. It’s lonely and terrifying and I just want for the first time say that I am so screwed up and I need help. You always think there’s nobody worse than you. I’ve never lived sober so I don’t know how to comprehend that it’s possible. After a while you start telling yourself that this is your Life and this is how it will always be. I don’t want this life anymore but I can’t tell anyone. I don’t know what to do

    1. Artemiseast

      Lisa…I am a therapist and I have a client whose story is similar to yours. When she came to me she was taking dozens of pills a day. She came to me weekly for about six months and eventually felt strong enough to seek an addictions specialist. Forming an open and non-judgmental therapeutic relationship helped her open her mind to the possibility of getting well. As far as I know, she is still doing well 1 year later. Maybe that could be a starting point for you too. Carrying such a huge secret for years is exhausting and so very painful. Just food for thought. All best to you.

  46. Artemiseast

    HI, Dizzy — In browsing AandE’s site I found an episode I had never seen. His name is Phillip and he is a musician with a severe alcohol problem. I read your site obsessively and cannot find him. According to AandE it is Season 4, episode 21. Have you heard of this fellow? Thanks, for the site, its great.

    1. Dizzy

      Yeah this is another that inexplicably didn’t make it on to this site. No idea why. I will note it and do my best to find the episode to write about.

  47. Rae

    I’ve been watching intervention since the former radio star ran it before he himself OD’d, and many of the episodes hit home for me as well.
    My mother has been addicted to druids for as long as i can remember and is currently an alcoholic. She went from being able to build airplane engines in the airforce and working for the US Mint to smoking crystal meth.
    Her addiction caused her to withhold visitations from my father multiple times while i was a toddler, she’d forget me in the bathtub, I’d gotten sick many times, she even hid her paraphanelia in my dresser drawers.
    When i was 4 and a half, my mother’s boyfriend at the time and several of his friends broke into our house. I ran straight to my room. For a few hours i heard screaming, yelling, snagging, things getting thrown, my mom’s cries, duct tape, and i recall two men at separate times asking if I had a phone in my room, which i didn’t. I was not physically harmed, but my offer sister and my mother was. My older sister did not live with us but was staying over. She got a concussion and some inflicted injury and bleeding from a marble ashtray being slammed on her head. I still see my mother sometimes being cut up so bad that i thought the duct tape was all that held her together. Furniture over thrown, broken, things being strewn throughout the house.
    After being in foster care for two days, my father gained custody and picked me up. Since then, the worst thing I’ve done is smoked pot. I refuse to allow any type of drug or alcohol consume my life, i even hate taking prescription medications that may lead to dependency. There’s not a day that goes by when that night doesn’t haunt me after 20yrs. I watch these, and somehow find a little bit of closure, even if it’s not much. I root for certain people, and im glad there’s a way to keep up to date on some of these fighters.

    I hope that more people can see that you can come from a broken family, and still learn from your parents mistakes.

  48. Beth Razz

    Thank you so much for making this website. It was very helpful in looking up and remembering the episodes. Also I just took a WordPress class so it was neat to see someone use WordPress in real life in which your website is bad ass btw. <3 P.S. I am on suboxone and have been off pills and on subs for 3 years now. <3

  49. Janelle

    Dizzy, I’ve been visiting this site for a while and it took me until just now to read the “About Dizzy” page. Shame on me!

    I hope you decide to give rehab and recovery another go very soon. You may be “functional,” but you’re still drinking too much and eventually your body will decide it’s had enough booze and begin to give you serious health problems that no one deserves to go through.

    I’m not an addict of any sort, but I grew up near Liverpool, England, which has a notorious drinking culture brought on by years of poverty, unemployment and lack of opportunity. I left Liverpool at 11 and moved to the USA with my family, but many of my friends from back home have struggled with drink and drugs and two have died of drink-related accidents.

  50. Mia Basqua

    Where’s episode 2 with Gabe the Gambler? Did he make you take him down by threatening to sue you or something?

    1. Dizzy

      LOL. No, I just refuse to give him any attention.

      1. Janelle

        Dizzy, I think you absolutely should put Gamblin’ Gabe back on the episode list. He’s a vile human being, but he did appear on the show and he can be held up as a good example of one of the very small number of addicts that can’t be treated. I also think Jeff did a great job on that arsehole’s intervention, even though it turned out to be unsuccessful.

  51. Andy Kayne

    Yeah… I second this comment by janelle on gabe. It’s your site, dizzy, do what you want. But please be mindful of what censorship does to the community who visits your site and your credibility. Addiction doesn’t descriminate, and neither should you.

    1. Dizzy

      Censorship: I do not think it means what you think it means.

      I encourage you both to go start your own more credible, non-discriminatory websites.

    2. Janelle

      Andy Kayne, censorship is shutting down discussion, not choosing to omit one addict out of over 200. “Censorship” is a loaded, emotionally charged, and quite frankly overused word these days. Dizzy has chosen to omit Gamblin’ Gabe because he pissed Dizzy off to the point where he chooses not to give him anymore attention. I personally think this is a mistake because the episode (as are all episodes) was about loads more than just the addict, and I really do think Gabe’s episode was one of Jeff’s finest moments, but it’s Dizzy’s site and he gets to do what he wants with it.

      1. Dizzy

        Quick correction, just so you know, I’m a ‘she’.

      2. Janelle

        My apologies, Ms. Dizzy.

        Also, Gamblin’ Gabe’s follow-up episode (S1 E14) is another example of Jeff at the top of his game taking interest in helping an addict that he probably knows in the back of his mind cannot be rehabilitated.

      3. Elizabeth K.

        I’m pretty sure there was a follow-up with Gabe at some point – he claimed to be somewhat better but didn’t really seem to be. His parents were still completely supporting him financially and Jeff offered him a second round of treatment, which I think he refused.

        I was most impressed with Jeff’s incredible patience, not just with Gabe but with his parents. I get that this work requires a high degree of tolerance for bullshit but honestly, if I’d been Jeff in this situation, my head would have exploded.

  52. Galusha

    DIZZY: I have a poll suggestion: best episode by interventionist. Pick each interventionist’s 5 top episodes and let the reader decide which is their best. I’d recommend doing it only for Ken, Jeff, Candy and Donna as the others did too few episodes.

    My list would be as follows:

    KEN: Katherine C (S17E1), Linda (S8E1), Diana (S16E7), Samantha C (S14E3), Fabian (S4E2)

    JEFF: Gabe (S1E2), Donna & Josh (S9E1), Zeinah (S12E7), Sylvia (S2E19), Darick (S10E2)

    CANDY: Rocky (S8E14), Leslie (S3E11), Elena (S13E2), Penny Lee (S11E6), Tressa (S4E7)

    DONNA: Sierra (S15E2), Jonel (S15E15), Sandi (S13E15), Nichole (S13E1), Todd (S16E8)

  53. jacqueline a

    I once posted a comment on here somewhere but can’t find it! Anyway, I just want to join the voices thanking Dizzy for her incredible work running this site. Just wow. But I am not necessarily a fan of the Intervention show. I do believe the people are addicts, but I do not believe they are not aware they’re going to be on the show from the start. There is too much obvious staging…. really, we’re supposed to believe all these folks think they’re going to be on a documentary? Who is supposed to be producing this so-called documentary? What possible incentive would there be for hundreds of people over the years to volunteer for this, including numerous videos of shooting up, inhaling, stealing and drug purchases… all things that addicts typically try very hard to hide, for obvious reasons. The only incentive (other than money) would be the promise of treatment in very nice treatment facilities that they wouldn’t otherwise have access to, especially in resort towns like CA and AZ. Anyway, I do appreciate your forums, Dizzy, and would love to hear your response and responses from others.

  54. judy

    i do not know if you help, but 17 seasons and im watching the same episodes as last week

  55. Galusha

    Dizzy, will you ever put up summaries of Episode 70 (Mike & Jenny)? I believe Mike has since died.

    1. Dizzy

      Since that episode isn’t available anywhere and I don’t remember enough from when I watched it years ago, I wouldn’t be able to do a proper write-up. So for now, no, but if it ever becomes available then yes.

  56. Timothy Chen

    Just a personal question for you Dizzy: Does Linda ever comment on her intervention page?

    And if so, what type of comments does she make that would lead to those not getting approved if she has commented before?

    I’m just curious. 🙂

    1. Dizzy

      If an addict from the show comments here I’m going to publish it. As far as I know Linda hasn’t commented, unless she’s done so under a different name.

  57. Timothy Chen

    Thank you Dizzy! Although, she makes very outrageous comments about her episodes, how her EDS is real, and a lot of Sam bashing. She sometimes go by linkizzy77 just an FYI, but you don’t have to approve her outrageous comments though. Thank you again, I was just curious.

  58. foreverfuzzy

    Dizzy, you are an amazing person for creating this website, I have been on and off it for years and never seen this page so thank you for your story!

    I am still drinking heavily and working so I guess functioning although the fuzz in my head gets thicker every day.

    I am in the UK and am finding it so hard to find episodes to watch. I managed to buy series 1-4 off iTunes but they don’t have any more and the youtube ones are terrible, missing bits out and on a really small screen. Any idea how I can view more recent series in the UK?

    Thanks in advance and keep up the amazing work xxx

  59. Frank

    Hey Dizzy, I found two 2 episodes of the lost episodes you haven’t covered on your website. Do you want me to share a link?

    1. Dizzy

      Depends, are the links safe? Maybe send to my email – [email protected]

      1. Frank

        Here are the links for people who want to see this.

        https://putlocker.sk/watch/intervention-1.zlo6l/6z1oqp
        Gabe and Vanessa is the first one.

        https://putlocker.sk/watch/intervention-5.m207p/n895wj
        Mike and Jenny is the second one.

  60. Vicky

    DIZZY!! I can’t thank you enough for all the hard work and research you put into the show. I love to get lost for hours on your website! Sometimes i go back through each season and read and remember why I loved a certain episode so much. I feel like your site is the unofficial fan club for intervention. I also love how you have comment sections for each episode so we can see (if any) updates on the person and in some cases read an update from the person from the show! Thank you for sharing your personal story and know that we all need you here! You are strong and smart and can conquer whatever comes your way! We all have our reasons for watching but I watch them for the same 2 reasons you mentioned above.

  61. Jennifer

    Dizzy, thank you so much for this website!!! Your sobriety is awesome!!! Keep up the good work!!!! I have faith in you.

  62. thesoberheretic

    Hi, Dizzy. Like some of the other people who have responded to you, I’m also a woman from Washington State, not an active addict at the moment, but I’ve had similar struggles to yours. I visited your site because I was looking for info on INTERVENTION, and I have certainly found the site extraordinarily useful–and beautifully designed, too. I’m writing in response to your personal story because I’ve come to believe that the way our culture presents addiction and recovery–including the ideas promoted by INTERVENTION–contributed to my addictions. For a long time, like you, I knew perfectly well what was wrong with me but just couldn’t get sober until I walked away from everything I had learned on the “recovery scene.” Reading your story, I can’t help wondering if something similar might be going on with you, because, if anyone in the world has been helped by INTERVENTION, it should be you! In other words, maybe it’s time to look somewhere really different for help: to meditation or the Sinclair Method or Refuge Recovery, which is a Buddhist alternative to 12-step. Whatever you do, I wish you the very best. If I can do anything to help you, please ask.

    1. Dizzy

      I can’t really disagree with you. Sometimes I think that the things I had to tell myself when I was in the program are the things that kept me from being able to quit again. I’ve now been sober for 3 1/2 months and have been doing a lot of reading about alternate types of treatments/tactics, which I think has helped a great deal.

  63. Palindrome Princess

    Dizzy, you’ve touched my life in many ways, with this site and your posts. I feel like I’m in the beginnings of an addiction/dependency. During the day time I am completely functioning, sober, working 9 hours a day. As soon as I get home, I overindulge in booze and my prescriptions/weed. I try to escape the days stress and try to numb out my multiple mental illnesses (dysthymia, adhd, agoraphobia). Hell, most of the time I’m watching intervention while I’m completely obliterated. I’m only 22 years old on a terrible path of polydrug and alcohol abuse. I’m scared and don’t know what to do. But here I’ve learned I’m not alone, I feel for every one of these people, and hurt right along with them. I’m rambling at this point, I’ve been trying to write a comment somewhere on here expressing love and hope, I just hope enough people see this. I’m here to talk to any one who needs it, just ask for my email.

    1. Dizzy

      Thanks so much for commenting. I’m really glad this site has been a source of comfort for you, that means a lot to me.

      You are definitely not alone. I feel ya, and I know a lot of Intervention watchers understand what you’re going through too. It’s SO HARD to break out of that routine once you’re so deep in it, but it’s not impossible. I just spent an entire decade always being drunk, hungover, or powerfully craving a drink, until I finally had enough of hating myself and made a quiet but stern commitment to myself each day to just not drink that day. It wasn’t the easiest thing I’ve ever done, there were some pretty sketchy moments of almost giving up, but I soldiered through the cravings and the angst and now it’s been 6 months and I don’t hate myself or my life anymore, and I’m more hopeful about my future than I have been in a long long time. So yeah, just remember it’s not impossible to break out of the routine you’re in. It takes a major conscious effort and it can be painful at times, but it’s totally do-able and not nearly as painful as being chained to an addiction, I can say that for sure. Best of luck to you.

    2. Elizabeth

      Hang in there Palindrome Princess! It sounds like you have a lot going for you including some pretty good insight. You said you didn’t know what to do so I have a few suggestions. I know you didn’t ask so apologies if I am crossing a line. First – do you have a close friend or family member that you can talk to who won’t judge and will help you get help? Second – can you access a therapist? If your work has health insurance, you can start there. Many communities also have sliding scale therapists available so that cost is not prohibitive. Try visiting https://www.nami.org/ for more resources. If your employer has an employee assistance program (EAP), they can also link you to resources. And while AA isn’t for everyone, going to even one meeting might help you in some way, including helping you see that you are not alone in this. And it’s free.

      Best of luck and do hang in there. There is definitely hope.

      1. jacinda godwin

        yes Princess! everything that Elizabeth said!! great advice- hang in there girl.. keep pushing

    3. Kitty Katt

      Hi Palindrome Princess,
      I just wanted to say that I know how you feel. Been there, done that. Functioning all day but popping pills at night. Please know that there are plenty of people here you can talk to. Just ask for my email and I’ll be more than happy to give it to you.
      Hang in there….you can and will conquer this!

    1. Dizzy

      Oof, yeah they did. There are a few pages and youtube videos like that out there, all the content obviously taken directly from here, no credit given. That one’s interesting because they actually credit A&E with the photos. A&E most definitely did NOT provide those photos! Anyway, it’s a bummer but not much I can do about it.

  64. Jenny

    Dizzy-

    I don’t know if you have seen this but Vanessa Marquez from ER has died. Police were sent to do a wellness check and she had a B.B. that she pulled in them. They had to shoot as they thought she was coming for them with a real gun. I believe she was in Season 1 in one of the missing episodes.

  65. Alice Schmid

    Hi Dizzy! Thank you for your story! You are amazing!!!!

    Two questions: First, where can I find the intervention Canada episodes online? I haven’t seen Ramoin adding them. Are they available somewhere else?

    Second, I was wondering why there are no episodes on Adderall? I mean it is a prescription drug, schedule 2, and people are becoming addicted to it. Do you have any insights here?

    1. SUDP

      Most people who become addicted to Adderall can hide it until they switch to crystal meth, which is when their life becomes unmanageable. A regular Adderall addict is probably either in denial thinking they are just treating their ADHD, or too paranoid that their prescription will get taken away. But because it can only be snorted and swallowed, not injected or smoked, and it comes from the doctor / doesn’t last quite as long, it’s safer than meth even though the chemicals are nearly identical (think percocets vs heroin).

  66. Kris Sorenson

    I love the honesty you put out there. I am 51 yrs old and after my husband was killed by our local sheriff department, my best friend for the next 10 years was my bottle of vodka. I am 5 months sober now and your story will stick with me. I hope one day you will find your peace.

  67. Brian

    Hi Dizzy,

    I just wanted to say thank you so very much for all of your effort in creating and managing this great website.

    I don’t post here much but I visit often and like many others that do I’m sure, I feel an emotional connection to those who appear on the show.

    I can’t imagine the work that goes in to keeping up with it all and all of the pressure and stress that it puts on you to keep all of this up-to-date but I know it has to be high and I just wanted to take a moment to thank you for all of your hard work and to let you know that I really appreciate it, as I am sure so many others do.

    Thanks for all you do, Dizzy! You’re the best!

    Keep up the great work, my friend.

    1. Dizzy

      Thank you Brian! I appreciate the appreciation 🙂

  68. Rehab helper

    I’m a recovering anorexic and some days I just want to restrict just one day but we all know if I do it ome day it will turn to many years. I hope you get help dizzy. I’m here if you need me. I used to work at a rehab and know all the things to keep on track.

  69. ARGIRL

    DIZZY! This site is a Godsend! I have been watching Intervention forever and stumbled across this site awhile ago but new to posting. Your story is very much like mine. Family of alcoholics and there’s me following right along. I am an opiate and alcohol addict. No more opiates here, I turned to vodka after my husband stumbled upon my vast Rx collection. Tried The Program too, had a sponsor, shared, whole nine yards. Honestly it wasn’t for me. I wanted to drink even more when I was in AA. Don’t get me wrong, if it works for some I’m so glad!!

    If you’re still sober, yippee!! I hope so!! If not, I’m right there. I am a weekend drinker but haven’t been stoopid drunk in years. Functional drinker. I will take what I am over what I was any day of the week!

    I say all that to get my story out. More than that I wanted to tell you what a fantastic job you do!! You have made me feel less alone and I praise and support you.

    1. Michelle

      ArGirl, being honest is one step towards beating your addiction. You checked that block when you replied to this blog. You can DO IT GIRL! Not that you aren’t aware, but weekend drinking/functional drinking can still lead to cirrhosis of the liver amongst other life threatening illnesses. You are headed in the right direction and I wish you much love and strength to beat this demon. You DESERVE to be healthy and live a sober free life. You deserve it!!!

  70. Rachel M

    That’s so strange that you started back with Cider. Every time my Dad has relapsed it is always been with Cider. I wonder why alcoholics seem to think that is a safe drink. Interesting thing to look at psychologically.

    1. pete

      Probably because it tastes so much like apple juice. I have been sober for 3 years and now the slightest smell of beer or liquor makes me dry heave, and I don’t plan on testing my resolve but if I did I think cider or champagne would be the only thing I could stomach.

  71. Halimah muhammad

    Hello dizzy I hope
    is well. My ex fiancé was on intervention Ivan Gonzalez. I was on the show with him Halimah Muhammad.
    Just was commenting thank you for keeping everyone updated on people’s development that was getting help in rehab,

  72. Ginger

    I’m hoping you can help me remember a young man on intervention! All I can remember is him feeling ashamed to meet up with his family because he had been on the streets and he was washing up in the bathroom for them. I wanted to jar my brain about the rest of the episode and find out any updates.

    1. Stefan

      Maybe Charles?

    2. Rob

      Ohhh I remember this one. They met at a breakfast restaurant (his sisters were present) and he washed up in the bathroom there before joining them. He was mortified 🙁

      I think it was an Intervention Canada episode as the breakfast place looks like a “Cora” (Canadian chain). I’m going to have a look online to see if I can figure it out.

    3. Rob

      Hey again – I’ve been checking online and I think you’re referring to Season 16, episode 13. The addict’s name is Robert and halfway thru, he meets his whole family for lunch at a Vietnamese place and washes up in the bathroom.

      Honestly, his backstory is horrific – it’s one of those episodes that you watch and say “I can totally see why someone would need to numb that pain”. It broke my heart into a million pieces.

  73. Q

    Hi Dizzy,

    I haven’t seen anything from you recently. I’m not sure if I’m just overlooking it but I hope you’re ok. I have a loved one who is an alcoholic so when I read your story, it touched me. I try my best to be a shoulder and ear for anyone who needs to vent and just be heard. I don’t know if you can see my email address but please feel free to reach out to me should you need someone to talk to or just want to be heard.

    1. Dizzy

      You’re sweet, thank you. I’m doing great. Sober and happy. I appreciate the concern very much, but all is well in my world at the moment.

  74. Aloisia Schmid (Alice)

    Dear Dizzy,

    There is an error in the directory. Diana of Buena Park, CA is from 2017, season 17, not season 16.

    1. Dizzy

      That’s not correct. I double checked and even the A&E site has that episode as Season 16.

  75. Elizabeth Valentine

    Such an amazing website. Thank you for creating this. ❤️👍

    1. Elizabeth Valentine

      And if anyone wants to talk my page is below. Thanks!

  76. Kris M

    Hi Dizzy,
    I’ve been watching Intervention for years–it’s one of the shows I binge when I’m stressed. Sort of a “work sucks and I’ve watched 23 hours of Intervention today, but I’m not addicted to crack so it’ll be okay” situation. I don’t even know how many hours over the last few years I’ve spent on your website, but it wasn’t until today I read your story. When COVID started spiking again at the beginning of the year, I started watching more and more Intervention and eventually found my way back to your site, and the redesign (which looks great, btw) helped me find your “About” page and your recent 2021 update. Quarantine has been hard, and you have all my respect for recognizing what lock-down with a drinking problem would entail and doing what you needed to make this whole pandemic thing suck just a little less. Your website is a gift to anyone like me who gets a little too into the show from time to time and I wanted to let you know you’ve helped me stay sane both during the pandemic and in the before times. Thank you for creating/maintaining this site. I look forward to coming back here again when I’m in the middle of an Intervention-binge that isn’t because of COVID stress. You’re a freaking champ and I’m happy you’re doing well.

    1. Dizzy

      Thank you so much for commenting Kris. I’m so glad this place was a source of comfort for you over the last few months. Same here. I’ll be honest, doing the redesign of this site actually ended up helping me tremendously with the staying sober thing, so it was a Win-Win. 🙂 Apparently having big projects and concrete goals is a key element to my ability to stay off the booze, which I feel like is a really good thing for me to know! Hope I can keep it going, it sure is nice to have a clear head and a To Do list where things actually get checked off.

  77. PJ

    Dear Dizzy,
    Your personal testimony is incredibly powerful. It is truly astounding how much care, attention and grace you have provided over many years, in your diligent documentation of this long running series. It is my understanding that you maintain this website as a gift of service to the recovery community. In any case, it is a most magnificent archive of Intervention. Beautifully done. Thank you so much.
    Respectfully, PJ

    1. Dizzy

      THANK YOU PJ! I know who you are and you made my day with this comment. This site was started a few years after I relapsed and left the program so I can’t honestly say that it was intended as a gift of service to the recovery community, although I wish I could because that’s a lovely thought. No, I was just REALLY into Intervention. It has turned into something quite a bit more meaningful and interesting than anything I was aiming for though, which gives me much pride.

      1. PJ

        The show has been a life changing experience for many of us. I won’t go into the details here, but I believe you’ve seen “I Was There”, so you have a sense of what I am referring to.. Many of us are big fans of your site and truly appreciate your handling of the material. As for your new polls- brilliant idea! I’m delighted to see how many fans love the classic model. It’s my favorite too. Hopefully we’ll see more of it in the years to come. Be well.

  78. April

    I wish you nothing but peace and love. Thank you for sharing your story. And I’m so happy you did ok after the fire. It sounds like you’ve seen a lot. And done a lot. And I’m thankful you’ve made this site for us. And that you are sober again. Here’s to the next chapter. Good luck!

  79. Dr Shitzengiggles

    Kinda freaked me out reading that. So much of it parallels my own experience, timeframe, even location. Never trust a humanoid without a dog. Or a guitar, or both. Glad you’re well. Rehab? Mama didn’t raise
    No quitter. That’s my people’s motto, well, many of them. Is it possible to msg you directly?

  80. Daisy

    Damn, I wish we could be galpals. Love your cutting honesty mixed with sweetness. I can relate to your story in a big ole way. I am super lonely and still using booze and it is soooo lame. Good on you for beating back at it. <3

  81. Taryn Jaye

    You’re sober again? Congratulations. That’s huge. Thank you for this site.

  82. Melissity

    Proud of you, Dizzy!!! Also — had NO idea you were in Oregon 🙂 I was born and raised in Portland, but now I live in the original OC (no, not Orange County) LOL

  83. Shari

    Whoa — you sure have been through the ringer, Dizzy. It was bad enough that I had an alcoholic father, but both of your parents were/are addicts. You are definitely a survivor! So glad to hear that you are sober and have really gotten your life together. Keep up the good work! We are all pulling for you.

  84. Grace Wolfe

    Thank you for telling your story, Dizzy. I too have reached for one drink after many years, thinking that I could be a social drinker and that I deserved it and so many other reasons. I fell off the wagon so hard that I am still pulling sand out of my crack. Anyway, I am sober today and that is all that matters, TODAY. Tomorrow is another day. So proud of you, Dizzy!

  85. Janis

    Hello Dizzy,
    Your post made me cry, smile, more tears, and more smiles. I hope you’re still doing well. You’ve had to deal with so much crap in your life and I am so sorry for that. It is now your time to shine and live your life to the fullest, along with your furry family members. Thank you for being so honest and candid and sharing your truth. Never, ever forget you matter and are a real inspiration to all. Take care and be happy.
    Jan.i.am

  86. Pang

    Hi Dizzy, Thanks for the background info on yourself and for keeping the site running. The site really contributes to my enjoyment of the show. Your comment about fear of heroin and instant addiction struck a cord with me: I’ve never been sure why I connect so much with Intervention because drug or alcohol addiction has never been a part of my life or my community/family. However I do have a binge eating disorder which I have been to treatment for but continue to struggle with. It got much better after having gastric bypass surgery, but I still struggle with making good food choices. I feel like I have an “addictive personality” and if I were to try drugs, I would be one of those hooked on the first try. I think watching Intervention keeps me the downsides of addiction forefront in my brain so I don’t take little steps that could lead down that pathway. But watching people be real also makes me feel more real myself to see people struggle like I do because most everyone in my life seems so much more put together.

  87. Regina

    You are a rockstar Dizzy!

  88. Tati

    Thank you for maintaining this website and giving so much dignity to those featured in the episodes. I’ve been coming here for years and also feel that same pull and understanding that you described. It takes one of us to know one of us.

  89. JPG

    I just read your update and I am happy to hear that you are doing well Dizzy.

  90. A.

    I‘m so happy for you that you could somehow get something good out of this shitty pandemic.
    I myself was not sure, as an alcoholic‘s daughter, that I might be also crossing that line from party to addiction. but also during the pandemic I stopped drinking that much, even when I‘m partying it’s not that hard anymore.
    Thanks for hosting that side, intervention and reading about it seems to kind of help me to find peace with my childhood.

  91. Sammy

    Thank you Dizzy, for sharing your story. We as a nation have a crisis on our hands and we need to help those addicted. To watch the struggles of those dancing with the devil, my heart breaks. I Cannot imagine. I will pray for you and those struggling to break free and who are free to find and stay the Course. God bless you Dizzy and thank you for updating is on those on Intervention.

  92. Shay

    I am so proud of you. I believe in you. I have faith in you. I love you. You ARE worth it. You ARE enough. You ARE capable.

  93. Ray

    Hey dizzy. Hope you are doing well. I appreciate this story of yours and can relate too. Happy anniversary of getting sober.

  94. Em just em

    You are an inspiration. My parents are alcoholics and they have lost me. I refuse to speak to them until they get better. They refuse. I hope one day I can report they get sober until then I will try to watch intervention and see the mind of an addict. I was an anorexic for years but broke free from it 12 years ago. However an alcoholic and drug addict always fascinates me the most. I hope you are still well and keep on pushing through. Thank you for everything.

  95. Lexy

    I’ve been on this site continually over the years, but saw a really cool connection this morning. We survived the Almeda Fire too, so we’re neighbors somewhere in this valley! Thank you so much for your contribution to the show/franchise and your continual dedication. Best wishes on your ongoing journey, maybe we will cross paths without even knowing!

    1. Dizzy

      No way! Small world. Glad to know there are Intervention people around me even when I don’t know it 🙂

  96. Koj

    Thank you so much for sharing this with us. You’re so brave and it’s nice to see the face behind the curtain. Praying for you and rooting for you so much.

  97. Lee

    Andrew from Texas! It is so so hard to release from your mind and connect this to your behavior, I can relate. Mind started at age 12 when I was bullied at school 1968 when my parents divorced. At that my father saw me as a”What can you do with a damn girl”, don’t get fat or people won’t love you!!! I began restricting calories. In 1980 I felt I needed to up my game so I began exercising all day teaching classes then other classes and running. Then began to add purging. By the age of 36 when I woke up in the mornings I had to crawl to my shoes so I could stand up. I also went to eating disorder clinic and there for 4months. I now have injuries from that will never heal.

  98. Taffy

    Holy shit. I have been obsessively visiting your site for a solid 5+ years and never clicked this section to read your story! Currently trying to crawl out of a 25 year alcohol binge and I’ve been having a couple of clear, introspective weeks for this first time maybe ever. My first act of self control is to restrain myself from writing my life story on your goddamn comment.
    I’ve always used this show (and your blog as my reference tool) to either:
    A) comfort and entertain myself while binge drinking that I’m not as bad as *those* guys because I stopped doing Real Drugs, I only take pills, smoke weed 24/7, and drink myself into oblivion as soon as I can recover from each hangover as long as I’m not naked and violent and spitting chicken bones at people
    B) remind myself of old family and friends and habits I grew up with because I miss them
    C) punish myself when I’m hungover and suicidal
    Every time I repeat an episode, I see more of myself in them and see other things I never noticed before. And then today I was feeling like a bad mom, so I decided I needed some Sylvia so I watched and opened your blog and noticed the redesign on desktop. I clicked here and read your story, and it was almost my life story. I know people say that and what trauma bonding feels like, but this is eerie shit.
    It’s always such a relief to read your own worries and fears written neatly by someone else. Scary, but a relief.

  99. KCB

    Love that June 2022 update, Dizzy! I’ve got 1 yr and 5 months 🙂

  100. AnonymousNKS

    Thank you for this website and sharing your story with us. You are not the only person who struggles with substances and becomes deeply invested in Intervention. This forum is very special to me!

  101. Garyn

    Such a wonderful update, Dizzy! Thank you so much for this website and for sharing your story. Hoping to be as happy as you are one day. ❤️

  102. Taryn

    Thank you for the update, Dizzy! I hope to be as happy as you are one day.

  103. Steph

    Wow your story is incredible, and I see your latest update. CONGRATS!!!! That’s incredible🎉 sending so much love you way! I also love this site🫶🏻

  104. Katie

    Wow. Just wow, wow, wow. I have been watching intervention like a fiend for the past several months, and relying heavily on this site for updates, which I loyally read after each episode I complete. I never saw this that you wrote until today. Now it’s all making sense. It’s not just the helpful updates that make this site what it is. It’s really the overall tone. The empathy and compassion comes through your work on this site, and it is clearly why this site has attracted so many followers who feel the same way you/we do about the show. This show is a slice of life. It’s not always the slice you wanted, but it’s real and the people are relatable and really stick with you.

    “It’s not because I want to see people at their worst, exploited, semi-consciously performing for the reality cameras. It’s because the addicts and the families on Intervention are people I strongly relate to in ways that I can’t even explain. It’s because Intervention is a show that actually saves those peoples’ lives.” YES. So, so, so much. Thank you.

    1. Dizzy

      🙂 Thank you for this Katie. I’m so glad you found the site, and the show.

  105. shifty

    Long time lurker. just wanted to say how much I appreciate all your hard work on this site. also I managed to find 1 or 2 of those episodes that are out of circulation (the OCD ex cop who passed) if you’d like them emailed to you let me know!

    1. Stefan

      I hope you saw that Betsy’s episode is now on Internet Archive 🙂

      1. shifty

        Thank you! 🙂

  106. Jennifer

    Read your about you section. I was drawn to the show for similar reasons you were. Just now in my second sobriety stint after the first one that lasted 2ish years. I’m about a month in. I like that you updated your section. It’s important to communicate the process. Really appreciate the site. It’s funny how one thing you do can impact people you don’t know. Rooting for you.

  107. Opal

    Really glad to hear you’re still sober. Not many people accomplish what you have. I hope your mother is doing alright and receiving the help she needs. In any case, it must not have been easy coming from a family of addiction. But I seriously believe that you can overcome this cycle and hope that you do.

  108. Tiffany

    So proud of you!