Season 19, Episode 2
Jackie R
Age: 45
Location: Bellefonte, Pennsylvania
Addiction: Alcohol (white wine)
What’s Memorable: Ooof. I don’t know if it was the story or the people or the fact that so many of Jackie’s behaviors and justifications were uncomfortably familiar, but I found this episode to be really powerful. It reminded me a lot of Sylvia’s episode with the whole graduation event – watching her be totally committed to going and then slowly over the day getting drunker and drunker, convincing herself she’ll be fine and there’s nothing to worry about, having someone there watching her to make sure she doesn’t get too drunk to go. It’s painful watching people watch over an addict like that, there’s such a shared sense of dread and helplessness. The moment when Jackie asks for a drink during her intervention and immediately understands how bad that sounds and bursts into tears, I mean damn. I burst into tears right along with her. Jackie’s family was amazing and kudos to Sylvia for another job well done. I imagine she related to Jackie pretty strongly. She’s also just very good at this.
Official Synopsis: On the surface, Jackie had it all: a large tight knit family, a devoted husband, two beautiful sons, and a nursing career. But unbeknownst to anyone, Jackie found herself stuck in a loveless marriage. For 15 years she put on the happy face, but gradually began to drink and before she knew it, she was a full-blown alcoholic guzzling up to a gallon of wine a day. In 2015, her marriage dissolved, and after three wrecked cars and a DUI, she lost her RN license. Her bottom should have been a near fatal OD in Feb. 2017, but Jackie continues to drink, and her family and sons are helpless to save her.
Date Aired: June 2018
Interventionist: Sylvia
This intervention really struck me. She reminded me so much of my mom and the son reminded me so much of… well me. Also – Sylvia’s great skills on this one!! So glad to see a happy end to this and I’m definitely a new Sylvia fan.
This Intervention also hit home for me, except my birth dad has a severe drinking problem and hurt me to see the kids and the family suffering. Sylvia is amazing!!
yeah, I hear ya’. I like the alcohol episodes the most, because i like seeiVg people stop drinking. My dad died of cirrhosis of the liver and he had intermittent explosive rage disorder too. It was a nightmare. It gave me severe PTSD well into adulthood.
The occasional happy ensing though makes me feel hope.
Sylvia is amazing! that southern charm at its best! God i love watching her in action. my heart went out to this woman.. i can really sympathize with her… and i drink that same wine. so far both new episodes have had promising endings.. prayers for the families
Sylvia was amazing here!! ❤️
Great episode. And I agree with the other posters about Sylvia. She was great.
Sylvia did a fantastic job. I wish I could meet her. She just gives of this warm, sweet, and loving vibe. I’m glad Jackie went to rehab and she looked amazing at the end.
This intervention must have brought back loads of painful memories for Sylvia. Jackie was in much the same place as she was, and the resemblance between how their addictions played out is very close. Both were middle-age, both were estranged from the fathers of their children, both had high-school age kids who were forced to be the caregivers and whose milestones such as graduation and sport events were missed out on by their mother, and both had codependent parents. The only big difference was in their drink of choice: Jackie preferred white wine and Sylvia preferred airline size bottles of vodka.
I agree that Sylvia handled this one very well, and I’d like to think it was because it hit so close to home for her.
I was thinking the same thing. She was the perfect interventionist for Jackie. I wish we’d seen more of the two of them talking one-on-one. I imagine Sylvia was quite an inspiration for Jackie as she entered treatment.
Jackie R. My name is Robert Larry Lantz my mother Diane Lantz was an alcoholic who died when i was 18 years old, and like your son i felt she chose alcohol over me. She was an alcoholic and woke up and drank a cheap bottle of wine (Paul Mason) every morning. I remember telling her this is going to kill you please stop and she told me she could not. My family eventually forced her to go to rehab and they made her take some kind of medication that would make her sick if she drank, she would drink anyway puking convously. Eventually i got so mad i gave up on her. Until one day like normal she was drunk laying on the couch amd i was fighting with her we were yelling at each other like we did and i said “whatever your just drunk like always fuck you bitch” slammed the door and went to my friends house. I fot a call about 3 hours later my dad saying your mom is not breathe i fla back home but it was too late she was gone white ahet over her. I still regret the last thing i said and it took a long time still fucked up over it really but the point is she died from liver faliure due to her drinking. But I can’t be mad or hate her i love my mom so much i just wish i had more time. PLEASE DON’T BE HER, FOR ME!
You poor thing. If you ever need to talk, send me an email and we can exchange numbers. My prayers are with you and your family🙏🏼
Blessings,
Liz
[email protected]
My heart breaks for you, Robert! It’s so kind of you to reach out to Jackie and ask her to not be like your mom! Such a powerful statement!!!
Something about Jackie got under my skin. I understand that she fell easily into the addiction, and a loveless marriage was the trigger… but she could have left! She had a degree and a job- no reason she had to stay!
as they say, it’s easier said than done. it sounds so simple, just leave, but it’s not as simple as that. that’s a crazy thing to say! there are so many factors that come into play and complicate things: kids, a long relationship that’s hard to end despise being miserable, comfort in the familiar and fear of change, etc. there are so many other factors that i’m not mentioning and some we surely know nothing about. unless you’ve walked in her shoes, you have no place to say what she “should” have done.
Sylvia was perfect. She slid Jackie into accepting help. Soft gentle sliding…..
When Sylvia told Jackie “we have the same sober birthday” I lost it 😭 Sylvia is amazing, watching her story and now getting to help others is so awesome! 🖤✨
phhhhew, this took some investigative work but i found jackie’s fb and she looks great!! https://www.facebook.com/jackie.roberts.75641 it looks like caleb joined the military. https://www.facebook.com/caleb.roberts.58173 i didn’t see blake’s profile.
also, how did she survive her suicide attempt? an ENTIRE bottle of tylenol AND a bottle or box (can’t remember? of wine? i don’t see how her liver survived that, especially given the fact that her liver was surely already compromised with her alcoholism.
Thank you! I’m so happy she is doing well 🥰🥰
oops, here’s blake: https://www.facebook.com/blake.roberts.9480
This episode is like literally watching the “Sylvia” episode all over again. So many similarities to Sylvia’s Season 2 episode, you would think they are one in the same of their addiction. Speaking of Sylvia, so happy she was the interventionist in this case, she really knew how to handle this one and big hats go to her for the best job done in this case. 😀
This was the first episode that made me really tear up. I’m also a nurse and I am 2.5 months sober. I used to drink wine like that. Our job is extremely hard and a lot of nurses drink to cope, even when we know the consequences to our health and even treat patients dealing with those issues.
Wow. This was like Sylvia 2.0! What amazing caring sons she has. It’s clear she was so lost. Sylvia did such a great job with this one. I just checked her Facebook page and she was posting about getting a tattoo of her sober date this month! I’m so happy she’s well and still sober!
Hello Jackie, I am from the area. I would like to chat. Please email !!
is she still sober? I am praying for her whole family.
Yes… She is still sober & doing amazing!! She is one of the sweetest, nicest, most caring people you’ll ever meet.
Just watched Jackie’s episode. If you don’t mind, kindly tell Jackie that her fellow Pennsylvanian (Reading) Stefanie is impressed and proud of her! I’m equally impressed with her sons. She has 2 good, kind boys who clearly love her with all their heart.
I just watched this episode and totally saw my story and heard the voice of my son who just started college last month in the letters from her son. Feeling like this is a sign I need to start going to meetings and getting myself on the SOBER path two.
I saw a lot of my mother in this episode. She did the same things, but was not as severe as Jackie. It still was very hard being her kid, though. Good thing is she’s been sober for the last 15 years and it really turned her and my world around, and I’m so relieved to know that Jackie has done the same. I wish her nothing but the best.
Wow! Watched Jackie’s episode for the first time today and then saw her Facebook linked above. It just so happens that today is her first day back on the job as an RN! And it’s at an addiction treatment center. Absolutely warms my heart ❤️
She’s a beautiful woman she deserves a better life than a wine box could give her. Hope she stays sober and is able to find some solace in her life.
Marie is the truest friend I’ve ever seen on that show. Staying over to make sure she made that graduation and having to listen to her have sex. Like that is a true friend.
Jackie looks healthy and happy in her latest fb post! So happy for her and her boys! Also, nice to see her back in the nursing field! Amazing! Sylvia was awesome as usual! I also must agree Marie her best friend is a real one! I also hope Jackie’s father is doing well he was very sweet! ❣️