Florence

It's like Intervention but the addicts have already had recovery introduced into their lives. I saw most of it but I'm still not sure what I think.

It's heavy on spectacle, light on recovery as far as I'm concerned.

tjp613

That's exactly what I thought, too.

Sober coach = someone who will convince them to go to rehab ONE MORE TIME (??)

I just didn't see any big breakthroughs... but maybe we know too much about reality, eh?

Linkmeister

My EXABF could have his own Relapse series for the number of times he relpased.

Seriously-all of us here have lived it, never mind a new reality TV series.........

Tuffgirl

I saw it - though it was total BS. That's not real life...one that has an epilogue that says, "he has been sober seven months and is living a life of joy again with his wife and kids". I would be willing to bet that fireman's wife had a different story to tell, one that probably closely resembled our quacking post.

Yeesh - I wonder how much money those folks make to appear on shows like that?

My story's epilogue would read, "she finally kicked his sorry dry drunk a$$ out of her and her kids' lives when she realized she could do so much better than this and he wasn't planning on growing up anytime soon".

Florence

"My story's epilogue would read, 'she finally kicked his sorry dry drunk a$$ out of her and her kids' lives when she realized she could do so much better than this and he wasn't planning on growing up anytime soon'."

LOL.

Yeah, I just feel like these shows are falling short of being really useful for people. They could be a lifeline or provide some perspective, especially to FFoA. They were very judgmental about the father who had given up on the daughter, like her addiction was solely about whether or not her dad loved her and not about, oh, a disease of the brain, issues with depression and anxiety, etc etc. No, it was her DAD'S FAULT.

Or the poor wife who was at the end of her rope with the drinking, wall-punching husband. I wanted someone to put their arm around her and say, "Go to a meeting, they will help you." Or if they couldn't say that, maybe, "Here is how to learn to detach from his drinking." Something, anything but keeping her latched in to his active alcoholic drama.

By the end I was yelling at the TV.

I mean, if they really end up sober after the show, god bless them, really. But this subject matter deserves so much more depth.

Babyblue

Sober coach:
Nanny's for grown ups.

tjp613

If those epilogues were for realz, I wonder how many addicts/alcoholics they had to film to get TWO "happy endings"?

Gawd, are we cynical or what?

Oh, AND .... the fireman crying like a little girl after ONE night in jail?? HUH??? Really? THAT was his big turning point?

Nah... that show was worthless.

I think Intervention is at least worthwhile because they do talk about everyone's bottom lines and point out the enabling behaviors, etc. I also think it's somewhat of a deterrent for my daughter to watch and see just how easily drugs can destroy the lives of people who otherwise had perfectly bright futures....and that no one is immune.

Ladybug0130

I think it's possible that they could find addicts who they can follow around with cameras who don't know what's going on because they are so self-absorbed. I mentioned the tsunami the other day to my AH and he was like "yeah, I haven't really been following that..." He doesn't know ANYTHING about world events or what's going on with others because he's too busy living in his own little world! He is a complete and total self-obsessed narcissist.

brokenheartfool

Heavy on spectacle and light on recovery?

Why didn't they just name the show "train wreck" ?

fourmaggie

they never said that?? what the h@ll??!!
INTERVENTION does offer the family to the Betty Ford for a week or more in recovery ....that is a good show to mention help for the people that have been effected....