I love this show. It reminds me of my old out-of-control life while I was an addict. And it empowers me to do everything that I need to do to never go back to the place.
I also think it is a great way to educate families and friends of addicts about their loved ones addiction. When I was younger, I had to sit on a panel in front of all of the parents and teachers in my school district and answer their questions about drugs (My prinicpal knew I was an addict and it was either do the panel or get kicked out of school). Anyway, I was amazed about how little the audience knew about addiction. The rest were in denial that there "perfect" children could possibly be using (their "perfect" children were my addict friends). So I do believe that A & E is doing a great thing about educating the public about addiction and how bad it can affect lives.