Season 25, Episode 4
Melissa
Age: 19
Location: Kemptville, Ontario
Addiction: Alcohol & Cocaine
What’s Memorable: This girl! A nightmare. “Everyone says eggshells but I think it’s shards of glass” her sister says. Yeah. I always find it difficult to watch families where one person has total coercive control over the entire household at all times. But at the same time, you could see in these brief moments here and there how much she actually loved and cared for her family. You can see the she’s kind of a sweetheart deep down, but these substances are very much keeping her from being herself. Really glad to see she made it through treatment, I hope her parents get some serious help to recover from this experience. They seemed so broken, so ill-equipped. How traumatic it has to be to exist in that constant state of fear and distress in your own home.
Official Synopsis: Nineteen-year-old Melissa went from being a happy-go-lucky high achiever to every parent’s worst nightmare. Once a star athlete who spent her free time volunteering, Melissa now spends her days hungry for her next line of cocaine or sip of vodka. After experiencing a sexual assault as a young teen, Melissa began experimenting with drugs and alcohol and was eventually lured into the dark world of sex trafficking.
Date Aired: June 10, 2024
Interventionist: Ian Rabb, nailed it.
this one is really hard, but not for the usual reasons…. maybe bc I’ve been watching since season 1 when it aired & am now 46 & dealing with cancer for the 3rd time in 8 years, but halfway in, I feel nothing but anger towards the addict & sympathy for the family, even though they are also the biggest enablers I’ve seen in a while. Fingers crossed for a good update for all!
Her so called friends especially pissed me off.
everything about this episode passed me off, haha. I really can’t remember that happening before & I’ve watched since season 1!
Her mom constantly apologizing made my blood boil. She was holding her family hostage for years. I’d have sent her away to rehab or kicked her out. I understand she’s their child but they’ve aged 50 years in 5 years because of her. It’s not normal to be scared of your teenage daughter. Imagine your daughter breaks the jaw of her sister and you’re like “oh no officer she just fell.”
How she behaved during the intervention was disgusting. I think it was the second time that I didn’t feel any empathy towards an addict.
100%
OMG both her parents were infuriating! The mother’s constant apologizing and the dad all “well yeah I give her alcohol and weed…so ah….yeah no I probably shouldn’t do that….” Gee you think?? Easy to see why this girl was so selfish, she’s probably never been told “no”.
This is one of the sickest families I have ever seen…NOBODY is authentic with each other.
This is one of the worst ones I’ve ever seen.
One of my sons was hooked on opioids years ago and I had to eventually kick him out. He was over 18. As hard as it was to do that, it made all the difference in the world. He has now been clean for decades and is an executive overseeing a brand new living/recreation area. He had to move to another state so I miss him; but couldn’t be more proud!
My parents did the same I was out of control at 18 and I’m so thankful they did. kick in the pants I needed and I’m happy and drug free today.
does anyone know what her socials are? i’m curious how she’s doing since filming
God that intervention was painful. I know she’s a teenager but sheesh the disrespect was off the charts. She is downright abusive to her mother, how traumatizing for the mom to be constantly punished for things such as crying. Anything the mom does or doesn’t do is wrong in the eyes of Melissa, that messes someone up. I hope she stays clean because her as an addict is pretty rancid :/
this would have been a lot easier to watch if she had even once taken the opportunity to shut the f*** up and listen
I know the addiction can turn people out of character but my goodness the way she disrespects, bullies and physically abuses her mom, she is terrified of this girl it’s so painful to watch!!!! living like this in your own home is a nightmare and knowing that she suffered with her own mental health so she is probably emotionally fragile already made it even worse! It has got to be one of the most painful dynamics I have seen!! This is one time I actually wanted a family member to receive help more than the addict! I’m so glad she went to treatment, great transformation at the end. I pray for them all to continue in their healing journeys
As unlikeable and horrible as she was during the episode, I understand her completely. Underaged sex trafficking is rape with the added mind-fuck of “but you’re making money, you’re a boss, but you don’t have a choice.” What happened to her was horrible and traumatic, her parents had nothing but sympathies to offer, and when you mix the guilt they felt and their passive natures with Melissa’s domineering personality, Melissa had them by the balls and she knew it. I’m so happy she appears to be doing well now.
i have watched this episode several times, and I sincerely hope that Melissa is not running roughshod over her parents.