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Imagine that someone you love is so intensely addicted that you truly believe their addiction is going to kill them. You go to bed every night and wake up everyday wondering if they’re still alive. You’ve done everything you can, tried every thing in your power to get them to stop, and nothing has worked. Rehab hasn’t worked, tough love hasn’t worked, being there for them hasn’t worked, and maybe you realize that everything you’re doing to keep them alive might be keeping them sick.  You’re so desperate to save their life that you write to the producers of a reality show on a cable network in the hope that they will get the help they need. You know that it’s worked for other people and that the show pays for a quality, long term rehab facility that maybe your family could never afford.  This could be the opportunity for them to get clean that you think they might never get again.

You get through the interview and are accepted for the show. Months later the camera crew comes, and it stays for weeks. In a hotel room, you tell your darkest family secrets into a camera with a boom mic hanging above you. You’re forced to answer painful questions that you don’t like to talk about and you let a camera crew record intimate conversations between family members in your own home.  You do your regular thing with your addicted loved one while having to pretend that there’s not cameras everywhere and an intervention coming. You are asked to admit the painful and harmful mistakes you’ve made, and you do it in a room with not only your family and close friends, but a camera crew that will broadcast your admissions to millions of viewers of a TV show.  You do all of this because you’re trying to saving the life of a person that you love. That’s it, that’s the only reason.

Your loved one goes to treatment, or doesn’t go to treatment, or leaves treatment and relapses.  Many months of anxiety later, you see your face in a preview for the next NEW EPISODE. You finally watch your episode, which turns out to be weeks of footage, secrets, and truths distilled down into a 45 minute narrative.  Out of your long and painful story that won’t ever be over, they’ve crafted an easily digestible short story with a beginning middle and end.  The many hours of talking you did, the conversations you had, the endless interviews you gave – they’re now just a few soundbites taken out of context. The things you thought would be in the show aren’t and what you didn’t think would be in the show is highlighted.

The show’s over and you Google the episode to see what people are saying about you and your family. You find this site.

___________

 

In other words: BE RESPECTFUL. These people aren’t characters in a fictional TV show, these are real people with real illnesses going through incredibly difficult times. Please have some sympathy and respect for the addicts and their family members, who could very well be reading here.  This is not the place to talk shit about people, it’s a place to express support and sympathy for what they’re going through, even when you might not like them or what they’ve done.  I wrote more about this here.

If you can’t abide by the above, chances are I won’t publish your comment. I have every right to do that.  I try to go through and approve comments once a day, so you may not see it right away (unless you’ve had previous comments approved), and if it doesn’t show up after a few days at most, it’s probably because I didn’t approve it.

I also do not publish comments asking about how an addict is doing if that question has been asked and/or answered already. This has become a bit of an issue – it sure clogs up threads and it’s really annoying to read “How is Kaila doing?” or “Whatever happened to Cristy?” 6 different times in one scroll. I expect everyone to read the comments and search around the site for information on someone before asking for an update.

Please feel free to leave comments that provide a link to a story with more information about the addict/family. I love those. And also feel free to correct me if I have some detail wrong, like age or city or whatever. I’m fine with being corrected.

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  1. Holly

    I just watched the show about “Dana”. It moved me more than any other story. I absolutely can not imagine the pain she deals with. I hope and pray that she stays strong. I think she could help so many other people with her story. I also pray for many new happy memories she can create with her son. Please don’t give up Dana! Your son needs you!
    Much love,

  2. Cindy Forrest

    This show really fascinates me and saddens me. I like watching to see the families do their best to get a family member back from their addiction. Addiction or dependence is the inability to quit a self-destructing habit. Some people can get addicted to alcohol, drugs such as cocaine, meth, and heroin. Most all addictive drugs increase the release of dopamine into the area of the brain called the nucleus accumbens. The Nucleus accumben is critical for attention and reinforcement, the addiction is something that takes over someones attention. repeated use of drugs builds up a tolerance. It releases less dopamine. but oddly enough a picture of someone else doing drugs releases a craving and great amount dopamine is released. This is why it is hard to stop because the drug user is always trying to get a high like that first high. Abstaining from drugs produces unpleasant withdrawals like sweating, nausea, vomiting, anxiety, hallucinations, sleeplessness, and seizures. Quitting the drugs on their own about 10 to 20% succeed but not usually on their first try. Most can not do it on their own and need to “hit bottom” before getting help. Alcohol anonymous or AA groups, self help groups, contingency management and rehabs homes can aid in recovery where treatment can be monitored and if needed help from a drug called methadone, buprenorphine, levo-acetylmethadol acetate can help with withdraws.

  3. M

    love your site thank you for all the work you’ve put into this!

  4. Ken

    How can I get help. How do you contact that show.

  5. John

    Hello! I stumbled across this website. I’m “John” from season 2. I would love to give you an update on my recovery. Is there a private email so I can provide a detailed update.

    1. Dizzy

      Hi John! Send me an email to [email protected]

  6. Bill

    For Ken, Jeff, John, Ron, Donna, Seth, Tara and Candy, you are my heroes! The show has been another tool for me to maintain my sobriety. God bless you.

    Signed,

    William, alcoholic, Sober 8 years!

  7. Cindy Culpepper

    I never new my eighteen year old son was on drugs. I had four children, now I have three living. Travis never showed any signs of abusing or doing heroin. It shocked me when I found him dead in his bedroom. He was so loving to me, respectful, and I never caught him in a lie. I know I sound blind but I am not a blind parent. His death has almost ruined our family. I miss him daily. It is the most horrifying thing I have ever experienced. Just a note to users, your not only destroying you life, but the lives of the people who love you. Nothing, I mean nothing, is worth that.

  8. Lisa Cahela

    I can’t find any information about an addict featured on an Intervention episode, do not know from which season. I don’t remember his name (Brad, I think), he was addicted to crack cocaine, lived in a trailer at a junk yard his friend owned, he worked on cars. He was 51 yrs old, has a daughter named Jeny. He was formerly a contractor, but was horribly injured from a power line accident…. ??

    1. Dizzy

      That was Brad from Intervention Canada.

      1. Sara

        For some reason this episode is now available through the A&E app, but they take significant measures to hide the fact that it’s Canadian.

  9. janine

    Lisa…I just figured out the whole Canada thing too lol. It hit me with the French…I just posted asking about brad on the Canada thread.

    1. Anita Hayman

      I watched the “wes and lise” episode on LMN. it was “the hydro bill” that was a clue and oh yeah, the cold cold snow!

  10. Erika

    Just re-watched the Phillip episode (season 4) on the A&E app. Was wondering why you don’t have it listed on your website? I thought the relationship between him & his daughter was particularly touching.

    1. Dizzy

      I have no idea. I’ll get that up.

  11. Claire

    Thay are real people u need to respect them there just as real as u are.

  12. Molly

    Hello~
    I am and have been a dedicated fan of the series since it’s inception, and can now say that I feel the same in reference to this site, which is wonderful, for lack of a better word, and I want to thank you so very, very much for all that you do.

    With that being said, I do have a couple of questions for you in regards to comments, if you don’t mind: How long is the “waiting period” for approval, and will I be notified as to whether or not my comment(s) are approved for posting? I’m asking because I recently made two comments in regards to Episode 121/Adam, and neither have yet to be posted. Yes, I do know that all comments must be approved before being posted (needless to say that understand and agree with said policy 100%!!), but just curious about the two above-mentioned intricacies 🙂

    1. Dizzy

      Sorry Molly, I’ve been away and unable to approve comments. It usually doesn’t take that long.

  13. Melinda Thompson

    How come there are so many missing episodes? I have noticed they are all the people who have died. Is there anywhere I might be able to find these missing episodes? I recently started binge watching on Direct TV on demand but would like to see the ones that aren’t offered.

  14. Johnny Valdivia

    This show is the perfect example of rehab in the USA. If you are Anglo treatment is made available. Where are the minorities that face the same problem?

    1. Janelle

      You should be ashamed of yourself for making such a mean-spirited and inflammatory comment.

      Go to any list of episodes and you’ll see there have been plenty of minority subjects. There have been blacks, Latinos, Asians, Arabs and mixed-race subjects.

      1. Laura

        You should be ashamed of yourself the insulting content of a number of posts I’ve read, but especially for tearing down someone for holding the show accountable for a lack of representation/for pushing the producers to be more equitable. Particularly in this day and age.

  15. colletta

    Hello I wanted to know if there is an update on Robbie… It was an episode I just watched. He was on the Canada edition. I was moved to tears for his recovery. Just hope that he is still in treatment… If this information could be passed on to him, so that he knows that people out here are really rooting for him. Thank you

  16. Jennifer

    Hi Dizzy,
    Thanks for all of your hard work. I love this site. I know you don’t cover Canadian Intervention but I was just wondering why not?

    1. Dizzy

      A few reasons. I didn’t even know about Canada until years into watching, and by then there were several seasons that I just couldn’t see myself having time to catch up on. Also it used to be that Canadian episodes weren’t available in the US. I entertained the idea of starting to cover the new episodes and just not go back to previous seasons, but now that I don’t have cable I have to use Google Play to get the episodes and Canadian episodes aren’t available with that service.

  17. Doug

    Where is episode #2 ?? If I remember, it was an entitled mama’s boy with a gambling addiction. He left his parents broke. One of the best.

    1. Dizzy

      I refuse to cover he-who-shall-not-be-named on this site.

      1. Brooke

        out of extreme curiosity, i just watched this episode and words cannot express how much i despise that guy! i am literally full of revulsion, and i am feeling it so strongly it’s physical!

      2. Stefan

        The Steven Assanti of Intervention (if you watch My 600 lb. Life you’ll know who I’m talking about). Such a contrast to Vanessa, whom he shared the episode with.

  18. Cortney

    Seeing all these people like me…a short but long 9 months ago and never thought I’d ever get clean…breaks my heart because I know their pain I know their suffering and I want them all to know from recovering addict to them that I route for them the whole way and cry tears genuinely watching seeing myself in most of them. This drug issue is steadily killing our family, friends, and community and it’ll take a lot as a community to help it and those brave enough to take that step. Much love to all

  19. Chrissy

    How do we find where people that have been on the show commented? I read somewhere that you published it if someone from the show commented.

    Again thanks for this site!!

    1. Dizzy

      You would have to read through the comments on that person’s episode, that is generally where they post. You can do a search from the top right of each page.

  20. Mental Health is Health

    Thanks for making this site! I just wanted to make a quick comment to respond to some comments I’ve seen about suicide safe language. I’m new to this site, so I apologize is this has already been said. But, I’m a mental/public health worker who works in suicide prevention & response and can confirm that the suicide safe language is “died by suicide”.

    Below is an article that sums it up well, but the gist is that “commit” is considered harmful as it denotes committing a crime or sin, thus adding to stigma, and also ignores the fact that suicide is a health & public health issue that does not happen in isolation from other health issues. As the article below states, you wouldn’t say someone “committed a heart attack,” you’d say they “died of a heart attack.”

    Thanks for the work on this site!

    https://www.huffpost.com/entry/mental-health-language-committed-suicide_l_5aeb53ffe4b0ab5c3d6344ab

  21. Shari

    Just read the comment in regard that you should not say “committed suicide” but rather say “died by suicide.” I apologize that I made that mistake regarding my father in a previous email. When answering questions about how our father died, my sister says our father “died unnaturally.”

  22. Antonio Rivera

    Addiction is horrible. I have first hand experience. Seeing the episode for the fentanyl has me saying I said this would happen. Meaning when trump declared an opiod epidemic I said whats gonna happen it’s gonna affect ones seeking and following their pain program and all others that abuse it to be booted and herion will go out of control and off street pills will take over and it has happened exactly like i said years ago. It would be interesting if when doin the intake asking how many of these people where on pain meds and kicked loose and started with pills to expensive to herion then back to a pill that is dirt chip now. Look at the history of drugs and what’s popular because of what’s being blamed. Herion in 60-70. Coke 80-90 to meth2000 to present Coke and herio 2010-2015 herion now and pills. And now Mexico fluding our streets with pressed pills that aren’t even in dosage killing people.

    1. A.S.

      Sorry to hear that, Antonio I do agree it is at absolute crisis level now.