That we, as human beings, would not be so harshly judged once sober and rebuilding our lives! 5 years later and still paying consequences mainly due to judgment but I still wouldn’t ever pick up again!!! God bless all giving their best and prayers for the people who still struggle daily
Been off opiates since 2009 myself, and just like you, I still get sh!t from people who don’t (probably never will) trust me again. When do the repercussions end? Do they ever end? I guess with some people, “Once you’re an addict, you’re a junkie for life, no matter what”. If they only understood the true and encompassing definition of DISEASE. I pray for the addicts I see on this show all the time.
I used to love the old music. The plaintive sound of the string instrument (violin or cello) that played during the airplane ride segment….heartbreakingly beautiful.
Stop showing so much of the shooting up process. It makes me physically ill watching them dig needles into their bodies. Growing up my father was a heroin addict, and I used to find his needles all over the place as a young child. I even got stuck by one when I was disposing of it. We used to wra them in foil and smash them with a hammer, and one time the needle popped through and stuck my finger. Very scary. It has made it sickening to me to see them jamming needles into their bodies. And not of them are so bad at it, it makes it even more disgusting. That’s just my opinion, and I’m perfectly capable of fast forwarding or looking away during those scenes.
I agree. We get it after seeing it the first time. We don’t need to see it twenty times in one episode. Yeah, you can scan/look away during those scenes, but there have been episodes where they’re showing extreme close ups of people shooting up multiple times, so sometimes you have to look away for a good portion of the episode. I understand it’s important to show the good, bad, ugly and downright hideous to educate the viewers, but seriously, one or two injections is all that’s needed (in the IV user episodes). Use the other “needle time” to dig deeper into how they became this way, what their plans (if any) are, the actual intervention and perhaps even more follow-up…
Hi Dizzy. I would like to see more time spent on follow-ups (after intervention)and a whole episode spent on follow-ups (years later); the 20% and 17% voters. And I have one of my own catergories: I would like to see the detox process. It would make the tragedy of addiction really “hit home” for the audience. For some it may be harrowing to watch but I would be riveted to the TV. The episodes I don’t care to watch are “food disorders”; it’s gross to watch people vomit. The episodes I prefer to watch are of alcohol addiction; I think most people can relate to alcohol abuse. After all, it’s the most popular “drug” of our culture. I hope Intervention continues indefinitely. For me, the show never gets old – I love this show!
I wondered about that too — showing detox process. I just am not sure if the addict would use what they see as excuses to not go bc “they know” what hapoens, and it “wouldn’t work” for them or they think they can so it themselves at home. I imagine the producers opted out of showing detox bc they couldn’t give it the airtime it deserves.
If they can show people shooting up (sometimes in their neck) multiple times in an episode, then I’m sure showing at least a minute or two of detox footage wouldn’t be a huge deal. But maybe there are other factors in play (legal, etc).
Racial diversity. It always saddened me to only see a majority of white people on the show as if the other cultures don’t have loving families, enough to set up an intervention to save their loved one.
Yes!!! And how about tracking down some of the addicts from the earlier seasons, forgotten by time or what have ya…
MORE FOLLOWUP EPISODES. I think it’s just as important to show the long term recovery process, addicts who ultimately succeeded/failed, and what helped them to remain sober or derailed them…
One addict per episode would be nice. When they have two addicts in one hour (actually, 42-44 minutes after commercials), it doesn’t give much time to really get to know the addict, what their life is/was like, the family, friends, etc.
I find myself starting to care about the addict/people around them when I “get to know them better”, and when their decision to get/stay clean or not is revealed, it almost feels like I’m rooting on a friend. Also, the 2 addict episodes make the intervention itself seem painfully rushed because so much is cut out.
The producers from intervention use to cal me every year on my sobriety date and send cards. They still call occasionally just to check in. It would be nice if they showed how some of us turned our lives around.
Amy W
More time on the addiction itself, like what the addict does to get his/her/zer’s fix, how the addict consumes the drug, what the drug is doing to the addict, etc.
Way after the fact, considering I’m on this site to explore the diversity of addictions the show has offered, in an attempt to raise awareness that addiction isn’t merely a synonym for opioid abuse. The causes or triggers for addiction are still unclear to me–for example, a parent is a raging and violent alcoholic. One child never takes a drink in his life. The other becomes an alcoholic. In many episodes and addiction-related situations, trauma (this site provides an excellent catalog of traumatic triggers) can precede addiction. However, there are countless cases of those struggling with (C)PTSD that either drink in moderation or are entirely sober. As far as opioids, there is an all-too frequent tale of a dentist providing a patient with pills and a teen gets hooked; once the dentist refuses a refill, the now addicted subject pilfers medicine cabinets of terminally ill family members or doctor shops until eventually, they graduate to heroin and Fentanyl. I wish the show did more to address causation of addiction–doctors have said it is genetic, though many successful lawsuits have been levied at doctors, pharmaceutical companies and pharmacies themselves. The backlash has been severe and for this, I take issue. Despite psychological triggers in the role of addiction, too often the prescribing of, and availability of access to opioids is used as a correlation; unfortunately, this has led to patient profiling in the ER and impacts older, chronically ill patients who live in constant, unbearable pain due to physician fears. My partner, with stage 3 Inflammatory Breast Cancer, required a radical double mastectomy and lymph removal and she was sent home with Tylenol. Upon filling out pain surveys while she recovered, the renowned cancer hospital called and attempted to prescribe a series of non-opiod pain relievers that also moonlight as anti-depressents, etc. These medications are also known to work over time and slowly, not ideal for post-operative suffering. In fact, the Pain Care at said renowned cancer hospital assigned my partner, who scored a 0 on an addiction risk assessment, was told by her provider there that ‘cancer patients can be addicts too!’ and a quick Google found that she and some colleagues/associates published a paper on cancer patients as drug addicts. We complained, as it seemed as though this medical provider was passionate about addiction studies and cancer care came second or last in her list of initiatives. She no longer works for said cancer hospital, possibly because she seemed to use her position as a place to conduct case studies on cancer patients she felt were being over-prescribed opioids. That said, it is still a pervasive issue within the cancer community and that of those suffering with chronic or intractible pain, for those in palliative care for an unrelenting illness. As said previously, my partner was not prescribed pain medication after cancer surgery number one, and a few months ago, the same thing happened with cancer surgery number two. When consulting others in the breast cancer online forums, specifically individuals who suffer the rare and deadly Inflammatory Breast Cancer diagnosis, (IBC), nearly all patients had similar stories and mirrored concerns. Due to the high prevalence of addiction that has come from opioid pain medicine, its restriction has even impacted cancer patients and those in palliative care. What are they prescribed? Nothing. Why? Addiction. I have noted the almost palpable fear of hospitalists and oncologists along with palliative medicine to prescribe opioids at even a low dose. They are afraid of losing their license. As an alternative to this restrictive culture, many of us in chronic pain have turned to an Indonesian tea, Mitragyna Speciosa, also known as kratom. As an individual who herself endures extraordinary pain from a rare congenital syndrome, kratom has been my lifeline and its legality is under great threat. I am here, surveying the numerous types of addictions that exist and have appeared on Intervention, which is my greatest source of information about addiction. Whether it be computer cleaner, gambling, eating disorders, sex, drinking hand sanitizer, or ‘just’ drinking–perhaps alcohol being one of the most terrifying addictions due to the risk of seizure and death –addictions come in many shapes and forms and addiction is not the sole province of opioids and opioids isn’t the sole addiction to exist. Yet fetishizing one of many addictions has led to under treated or simply untreated pain of the chronically ill and even cancer patients; such fetishizing has led to great alarm about the purported opioid-like effects of an Indonesian tea that is subject to ban, state by state, and has even been accused of resulting in overdose. That said, kratom has only been classified in cases of overdose when a practical pharmacy has been found in the bloodstream of the deceased, who concurrently took opioids, benzodiazapenes, tranquilizers, alcohol, ‘spice,’ GHB, and kratom. Not once has this tea been the standalone cause of overdose, and if folks are addicted to kratom, many of us can say the same of the cousin plant to kratom, coffea, also known as coffee. That said, coffee is not, nor will it ever be subject to ban and meanwhile, it’s cousin herb faces criminalization and reclassification as a Schedule I narcotic. By commenting and reading here, it is a practice attempts to persuade Connecticut to avoid a kratom ban, which looks more inevitable as I write this. Soon, a safe and effective means of pain control will be gone, leaving one less resource available to the pain community. We are patients, not addicts and our lives matter too.
Loading ...
That we, as human beings, would not be so harshly judged once sober and rebuilding our lives! 5 years later and still paying consequences mainly due to judgment but I still wouldn’t ever pick up again!!! God bless all giving their best and prayers for the people who still struggle daily
Been off opiates since 2009 myself, and just like you, I still get sh!t from people who don’t (probably never will) trust me again. When do the repercussions end? Do they ever end? I guess with some people, “Once you’re an addict, you’re a junkie for life, no matter what”. If they only understood the true and encompassing definition of DISEASE. I pray for the addicts I see on this show all the time.
I used to love the old music. The plaintive sound of the string instrument (violin or cello) that played during the airplane ride segment….heartbreakingly beautiful.
Stop showing so much of the shooting up process. It makes me physically ill watching them dig needles into their bodies. Growing up my father was a heroin addict, and I used to find his needles all over the place as a young child. I even got stuck by one when I was disposing of it. We used to wra them in foil and smash them with a hammer, and one time the needle popped through and stuck my finger. Very scary. It has made it sickening to me to see them jamming needles into their bodies. And not of them are so bad at it, it makes it even more disgusting. That’s just my opinion, and I’m perfectly capable of fast forwarding or looking away during those scenes.
I agree. We get it after seeing it the first time. We don’t need to see it twenty times in one episode. Yeah, you can scan/look away during those scenes, but there have been episodes where they’re showing extreme close ups of people shooting up multiple times, so sometimes you have to look away for a good portion of the episode. I understand it’s important to show the good, bad, ugly and downright hideous to educate the viewers, but seriously, one or two injections is all that’s needed (in the IV user episodes). Use the other “needle time” to dig deeper into how they became this way, what their plans (if any) are, the actual intervention and perhaps even more follow-up…
Hi Dizzy. I would like to see more time spent on follow-ups (after intervention)and a whole episode spent on follow-ups (years later); the 20% and 17% voters. And I have one of my own catergories: I would like to see the detox process. It would make the tragedy of addiction really “hit home” for the audience. For some it may be harrowing to watch but I would be riveted to the TV. The episodes I don’t care to watch are “food disorders”; it’s gross to watch people vomit. The episodes I prefer to watch are of alcohol addiction; I think most people can relate to alcohol abuse. After all, it’s the most popular “drug” of our culture. I hope Intervention continues indefinitely. For me, the show never gets old – I love this show!
I wondered about that too — showing detox process. I just am not sure if the addict would use what they see as excuses to not go bc “they know” what hapoens, and it “wouldn’t work” for them or they think they can so it themselves at home. I imagine the producers opted out of showing detox bc they couldn’t give it the airtime it deserves.
Actually I wish the producers would vary the formula, based on what was most significant or impactful about each story.
i wouldn’t change a thing. perfection!
I agree Sofia they should show some of the detox process Im sure it’s not pretty but not a lot of they show is
If they can show people shooting up (sometimes in their neck) multiple times in an episode, then I’m sure showing at least a minute or two of detox footage wouldn’t be a huge deal. But maybe there are other factors in play (legal, etc).
Racial diversity. It always saddened me to only see a majority of white people on the show as if the other cultures don’t have loving families, enough to set up an intervention to save their loved one.
Absolutely!!!!!
Hear hear!!! Thanks for bringing this up.
More full time episodes of follow up
Yes!!! And how about tracking down some of the addicts from the earlier seasons, forgotten by time or what have ya…
MORE FOLLOWUP EPISODES. I think it’s just as important to show the long term recovery process, addicts who ultimately succeeded/failed, and what helped them to remain sober or derailed them…
One addict per episode would be nice. When they have two addicts in one hour (actually, 42-44 minutes after commercials), it doesn’t give much time to really get to know the addict, what their life is/was like, the family, friends, etc.
I find myself starting to care about the addict/people around them when I “get to know them better”, and when their decision to get/stay clean or not is revealed, it almost feels like I’m rooting on a friend. Also, the 2 addict episodes make the intervention itself seem painfully rushed because so much is cut out.
The producers from intervention use to cal me every year on my sobriety date and send cards. They still call occasionally just to check in. It would be nice if they showed how some of us turned our lives around.
Amy W
More time on the addiction itself, like what the addict does to get his/her/zer’s fix, how the addict consumes the drug, what the drug is doing to the addict, etc.
This poll was hard for me to choose just one thing. Id like to see more of all of those things. I couldnt choose one. So I chose stop using sex audio.
Way after the fact, considering I’m on this site to explore the diversity of addictions the show has offered, in an attempt to raise awareness that addiction isn’t merely a synonym for opioid abuse. The causes or triggers for addiction are still unclear to me–for example, a parent is a raging and violent alcoholic. One child never takes a drink in his life. The other becomes an alcoholic. In many episodes and addiction-related situations, trauma (this site provides an excellent catalog of traumatic triggers) can precede addiction. However, there are countless cases of those struggling with (C)PTSD that either drink in moderation or are entirely sober. As far as opioids, there is an all-too frequent tale of a dentist providing a patient with pills and a teen gets hooked; once the dentist refuses a refill, the now addicted subject pilfers medicine cabinets of terminally ill family members or doctor shops until eventually, they graduate to heroin and Fentanyl. I wish the show did more to address causation of addiction–doctors have said it is genetic, though many successful lawsuits have been levied at doctors, pharmaceutical companies and pharmacies themselves. The backlash has been severe and for this, I take issue. Despite psychological triggers in the role of addiction, too often the prescribing of, and availability of access to opioids is used as a correlation; unfortunately, this has led to patient profiling in the ER and impacts older, chronically ill patients who live in constant, unbearable pain due to physician fears. My partner, with stage 3 Inflammatory Breast Cancer, required a radical double mastectomy and lymph removal and she was sent home with Tylenol. Upon filling out pain surveys while she recovered, the renowned cancer hospital called and attempted to prescribe a series of non-opiod pain relievers that also moonlight as anti-depressents, etc. These medications are also known to work over time and slowly, not ideal for post-operative suffering. In fact, the Pain Care at said renowned cancer hospital assigned my partner, who scored a 0 on an addiction risk assessment, was told by her provider there that ‘cancer patients can be addicts too!’ and a quick Google found that she and some colleagues/associates published a paper on cancer patients as drug addicts. We complained, as it seemed as though this medical provider was passionate about addiction studies and cancer care came second or last in her list of initiatives. She no longer works for said cancer hospital, possibly because she seemed to use her position as a place to conduct case studies on cancer patients she felt were being over-prescribed opioids. That said, it is still a pervasive issue within the cancer community and that of those suffering with chronic or intractible pain, for those in palliative care for an unrelenting illness. As said previously, my partner was not prescribed pain medication after cancer surgery number one, and a few months ago, the same thing happened with cancer surgery number two. When consulting others in the breast cancer online forums, specifically individuals who suffer the rare and deadly Inflammatory Breast Cancer diagnosis, (IBC), nearly all patients had similar stories and mirrored concerns. Due to the high prevalence of addiction that has come from opioid pain medicine, its restriction has even impacted cancer patients and those in palliative care. What are they prescribed? Nothing. Why? Addiction. I have noted the almost palpable fear of hospitalists and oncologists along with palliative medicine to prescribe opioids at even a low dose. They are afraid of losing their license. As an alternative to this restrictive culture, many of us in chronic pain have turned to an Indonesian tea, Mitragyna Speciosa, also known as kratom. As an individual who herself endures extraordinary pain from a rare congenital syndrome, kratom has been my lifeline and its legality is under great threat. I am here, surveying the numerous types of addictions that exist and have appeared on Intervention, which is my greatest source of information about addiction. Whether it be computer cleaner, gambling, eating disorders, sex, drinking hand sanitizer, or ‘just’ drinking–perhaps alcohol being one of the most terrifying addictions due to the risk of seizure and death –addictions come in many shapes and forms and addiction is not the sole province of opioids and opioids isn’t the sole addiction to exist. Yet fetishizing one of many addictions has led to under treated or simply untreated pain of the chronically ill and even cancer patients; such fetishizing has led to great alarm about the purported opioid-like effects of an Indonesian tea that is subject to ban, state by state, and has even been accused of resulting in overdose. That said, kratom has only been classified in cases of overdose when a practical pharmacy has been found in the bloodstream of the deceased, who concurrently took opioids, benzodiazapenes, tranquilizers, alcohol, ‘spice,’ GHB, and kratom. Not once has this tea been the standalone cause of overdose, and if folks are addicted to kratom, many of us can say the same of the cousin plant to kratom, coffea, also known as coffee. That said, coffee is not, nor will it ever be subject to ban and meanwhile, it’s cousin herb faces criminalization and reclassification as a Schedule I narcotic. By commenting and reading here, it is a practice attempts to persuade Connecticut to avoid a kratom ban, which looks more inevitable as I write this. Soon, a safe and effective means of pain control will be gone, leaving one less resource available to the pain community. We are patients, not addicts and our lives matter too.