Season 22 Episode 1
Susan
Age: 32
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada
Addiction: Heroin
Official Synopsis: Susan grew up in a devoutly Mormon household. As an adult, she suffered a back injury and was prescribed OxyContin. Not only did the medication ease her back pain, it also numbed the memories of her turbulent family upbringing and a recent breakup. She became addicted, and when her doctor stopped prescribing them, she turned to heroin.
What’s Memorable: The arms. The unbelievably toxic parents, their next level enabling. The bible on the bed between mother and daughter as they smoke heroin & meth and talk about the Heavenly Father. The dad who can’t answer a question. Ken’s total exasperation. The eye appointment (“I AM CHOOSING MY EYE!”) The video call at the end when Dawn asks her sober and thriving daughter “um what do you mean by that, ‘boundaries’?” and Susan tells the camera that she knew in that moment that her mom hasn’t changed at all – it was like the twist ending of a thriller movie, actually gave me chills. And made me very grateful to not have someone like that in my life anymore. So toxic, so ugly.
All that said, I have questions. The interventionists have said repeatedly in the past that they don’t continue when the subjects find out about what’s going on. (I’ve argued that that isn’t actually true, but regardless, they do still say that). I’m honestly not sure as to why Ken & the producers continued with this one, other than it was by that point shaping up to be a shocking(!) episode with all the big gripping reveals and mystery basement dwellers, and they simply didn’t want to lose it. And when it became clear that Dawn and Susan knew that this was Intervention and had already been preparing to go to treatment, I got suspicious about their motives. They supposedly had plenty of money and didn’t need free treatment, and they had seemingly decided they were going already, so why were they even pretending that they didn’t know what was coming? What were Dawn and Chuck getting out of this? Why did he tell them, or was it Dawn’s idea all along? Seems like something else was going on here, some plan that we weren’t privy to. Anyway, between the manipulative, shady AF parents and Ken continuing the intervention instead of reasonably pulling the plug on the whole thing, I feel like this whole situation was just…off. Doesn’t sit right.
Interventionist: Ken
Date Aired: March 15, 2021
Susan is the most likeable addict I’ve ever seen on the show. I want to be friends with her! She is so pretty and just all around so sweet. I hope she lives the rest of her life in sobriety. She deserves it.
upon rewatching, i really think Susan should be in the “most likeable addicts” tag. she seemed so lovely and kind throughout, especially in terms of her crazy family.
Longtime reader, first time poster. Susan is hands-down for me one of the nicest addict I remember seeing on this show. The addicts frequently stretch the limits of sympathy for me, but Susan just seemed so sweet and genuine throughout.
Susan if you read this, I’m rooting for you.
How many siblings did Susan have? It seems like one is missing if there are six –
Susan posted on a thread on Reddit that she’s been 3 years sober, but her mom was found dead in her home from an overdose. This episode was wild. I honestly didn’t think Dawn would change. I don’t think her family had very firm boundaries with her.
Boundaries? What do you mean boundaries?
House has sold: https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/8712-Castle-Hill-Ave-Las-Vegas-NV-89129/6925501_zpid/?utm_campaign=iosappmessage&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=txtshare
Dawn died in 2023: https://www.instagram.com/p/CpS-ONwhZ3K/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
Susan is still sober ❤️❤️❤️
The mother has ADHD. Imagine how different her life would have been if she would have had proper treatment from childhood. Imagine if she would have had a better support system while she was raising those kids . Imagine if her husband was not an angry guy. It’s so sad. All that could have been avoided…
Dawn definitely had ADHD, but I think they knew that since she mentioned previously taking Dexedrine & adderall and comparing the high of smoking meth as being similar to the effects of the pills “when I first started taking them.” She had been diagnosed as borderline, etc, as well. So maybe they decided that was instead of the ADHD, I don’t know, it’s confusing.
Susan posted about her mother’s death on her ig a couple of weeks ago. She looks like she is doing well and I’m so happy for her. https://www.instagram.com/skroegel2000/
Ty for posting this link and update about Susan! She looks healthy and happy! Nice to see her reunited with her son! That episode was hard to watch! Her arm and all her suffering! Ugh I wasnt sure she would make it! By far the most dysfunctional family second was the Fentanyl family in CA! Dawn seemed to be a major catalyst of the issues within the family! It’s sad to see her passing has been confirmed by Susan herself on social media. Hopefully Dawn is at peace and Susan can continue to thrive and leave all that dysfunction behind her! Praying for your continued sobriety, Susan! 🩶
Chuck filed for divorce in 2022.
https://unicourt.com/case/nv-clad-charles-kroegel-jr-plaintiff-vs-dawn-kroegel-defendant-1018558
Yup – I think it’s final from what I could tell, but not 100% sure.
looking at the FB posts of the man who mentioned Dawn passing away, its seems the person is struggling with some sort of mental health issues. his posts are all verry erratic and manic sounding. Hope he gets help, but it is very clear this is not Dawns brother. Couldnt imagine the family being too pleased with this info being shared online either way
I mean he’d fit in with that family well lol so I don’t think it’s much of a stretch to be honest.
Well I guess my point is that no one has provided proof of any of these claims, any google or facebook searches for obituaries or other proof turn up nothing, and whenever someone tries to ask any further questions its met with silence. Seems pretty suspicious to me
How did you find his facebook?
Dawn has passed away
Link please.
do you have an obituary link? Please?
After a little digging on facebook, it seems Dawn died almost a month ago. Per her brother’s facebook feed: “To all my sister Dawn has passed on around February 19th at her home in Las Vegas, NV. She was sickly and reclusive Evlwin here brother. She didn’t want us to visit.”
Is there a link or proof of this at all?
I can confirm she passed. Susan is a close friend. The details of her passing are very tragic.
Oh no what happened?
Can you share any updates on Susan? Is she still sober? I hope she’s doing well.
I saw the post you mentioned from Dawn’s brothers FB site but I didn’t see any notice of obituary on his page. There’s two FB profiles in his name and the 2nd one is the one that mentions Dawn’s death.
I don’t…what the hell is this episode? Does someone at A&E hate Ken? who did hurt?
I have to say I laughed probably more than anything else and it wasn’t out of amusement at the pain and dysfunction. Every scene was chaotic or Unintentionally funny. Mom talking to Susan about God, dolling out heroin over a Bible. Dad playing bad cop insane cop. The basement dwellers being waited on hand and foot by the most helpful, self aware, normal opioid addict I’ve ever seen, Mom taking up meth so she can bond with her addict daughter after her son and Susan’s ex boyfriend who was homeless and lived in a car with her, his complete apathy to everything going on around him, Dan telling his family to eff off so he can talk to “that guy” i.e. Ken. The whole who contacted the show in the first damn place was very “The call is coming from inside the house” . It had to have been Nathan or Dan my money is on the brother squatting in his dark dank basement dungeon. what the heck does he do all day outside of getting high and malingering under an oppressive LED blue light? the dysfunction of this episode is on Christy levels of bat guano crazy. Dawn is the obviously the ringleader of this Circus, and I don’t for one second believe that bs she was spewing about getting Susan off the street to have her arms treated. The right thing to do would be to take her to a doctor, not medicate her with more heroin while she smokes meth and pontificates unironically about God.
dear A&E I have no idea what you were trying to accomplish with this shit show, but I never want to see anything like this again. It’s a mockery and an insult to the audience’s intelligence. Susan please stay far away from your entire family, you will be sucked right back into their dysfunction and this time Dawn might dispense too much medication aka heroin and kill you. she seems to have Munchausens and she can get attention by allowing you to abuse drugs and letting your arms rot away from the elbow down.
How is it insulting to our intelligence? It was a sh*t show for sure but … ?
The mom, Dawn, is on Facebook. Dawn Kroegel. She posted on July 4th something about narcisstic abuse 🙄 and her profile pic is her and Chuck. And she is fb friends with Susan 🙄 Can’t believe they all haven’t kicked her sorry butt to the curb yet.
Dawn died in/around February 2023
Where are you getting that from? Didn’t see an obit or anything.
I just saw this episode & got curious so I looked them up. It looks like dad is divorcing mom as of April 2022.
any updates on Susan as of 2022? she seems like such a sweetheart and i was rooting for her so hard! i’d love to know how she’s doing now.
I searched Susan Kroegel on facebook and Susan Garrett came up. Her profile looks like it is pretty private, but she has several recent pictures of her with Jonah and it says she is now living in Tucson. Looks like she is doing well. Hope the best for her
I believe Susan is still sober, living in AZ, and in regular contact with her son. Her Dad, Chuck, filed for divorce from Dawn in 2022. The mom, Dawn, died in/around February 2023.
i can honestly see why they continued with the intervention, with that codependent toxic crazy situation with dawn and the kids i don’t think that dawn would have wanted any of the kids to go to rehab, even if they could pay for it. i have a feeling she would sabotage any of their chances of sobriety so she wouldn’t feel alone in her addiction, misery loves company. i think intervention got to give susan that extra push that i believe she desperately wanted.
Does anyone have a link to watch this episode? I tried to stream it on A&E but it seems its not available. Thank you!!
It’s available on Prime but you have to buy it
As of 2024, it’s on Netflix. All these years later and it’s still one of the most chaotic disturbing hours of television I’ve ever seen.
it’s on hulu now too
Does anyone know them in real life? This can’t be real.
Dawn will absolutely be the downfall of her daughter. I couldn’t imagine letting ANYONE, let alone my child (and I don’t even have one), sit in front of me and use hardcore drugs, particularly if their arms looked like that. She manipulated her daughter’s addiction to feed her need to attention because everyone else cut her off. I cried more in this episode than any other and I am rooting so damn hard for Susan to stay far the fuck away from her mother and father. I hope she finds the healing she needs from that royally dysfunctional family.
Do we have any updates on how Susan is doing a few months later?
Just rewatched it and as crazy as it was the first time around. I hope Susan is still going strong.
Wow! I watched that episode once and that was enough for me. It was that gross stuff on Susan’s arms. It was making me sick to my stomach. I couldn’t even eat afterwards. You’re a trooper Pang, hahahaa
this one was intense. susan seems incredibly dedicated and genuine and i sincerely wish her the best in her sobriety. the mother was a nightmare, and i also hope she gets the help she needs. ken handled this like a champ, i can’t imagine the stress.
Wow. That was crazy. Mind blown.
That last phone call was scary. BPD is really uncommon in someone her age, usually people with untreated BPD mellow with age but this mom is off the charts. I bet there’s a few psychiatrists who would love to do a case study on her cuz it is really unusual to have such bad BPD at her age. Back to that last call, it was actually scary. I wonder if there’s another illness that hasn’t been diagnosed. The mom would know what boundaries are, most people with BPD are very smart and they use their wits to be extremely manipulative. The mom talking reminded me of when I’d chat to sociopaths and get a chill go down my spine.
BPD most often presents in late teens-30s. it’s not that BPD symptoms are “uncommon” in late adulthood, or have “mellowed out” if left untreated. it’s that those with severe BPD have developed maladaptive coping mechanisms deemed acceptable to the people who manage to stick around… or they’ve completely isolated themselves. or, frankly, they’ve k*lled themselves after being unable to cope with the disorder. 3 in 4 people with BPD will attempt suicide. 1 in 10 people with BPD will die by suicide.
I have BPD (started therapy six years ago, been in remission for two) and so did my dad (never got/refused treatment). By the time he died, his symptoms were still extreme but he’d isolated most of his friends and all of his family. There are real treatment options for BPD that WORK and it’s no longer a death sentence. Dawn was that deep in her mental illness because the people around her did not set & stick to boundaries, and continued to enable her destructive and dangerous behavior.
I don’t intend to be flippant but why are you in3 regular communications with numerous psychopaths? Please tell me you work for a triple max Federal prison similar to Arkham.
Ive been around drug users before but ive never been around anyone that smoked meth. It kept showing the mother hitting a meth pipe but there was never any smoke coming from the pipe nor did it show her exhaling smoke. Can you suck on a meth pipe and not create smoke? To me it just looked like she was pretending to smoke.
she was probably “zeroing” the hit – if you hold in vapor/smoke for a while, the smoke isn’t as visible, if that makes sense. my guess is that she was taking small hits and holding them in for a couple moments.