Intervention marathon last night
 

Anyone watch? I am sorry if you hate that show and think it is wrong, close this now, quick!

I think Megan's story was amazing and I am so glad she is sober. Her parents were total tools though.

Kaylene's story was sad. I don't know much about methadone, but it seems like you would need more than that to stay off of those drugs.

We have nothing like that in the UK Elizabeth, but I have watched them online and I think they are helpful.

Have you watched the documentary 'rain in my heart' on you tube yet?

Have a watch and let me know what you think.
Quite an eye opener....x

Intervention is hit or miss for me. Sometimes I'm like, "That's great! They stayed sober! Good for that person." Other times it just triggers me and I wanna drink so badly. And I really, really, really shouldn't ever compare my struggles to others but sometimes I think to myself, "Really? That's what they call a drinking problem? Give me a break."

I used to LOVE watching Intervention. I think I have seen almost every episode/season thanks to Netflix. But I haven't been able to watch it since getting sober. Though, I haven't really tried. I just used to always get drunk or high while watching, thinking how different I was than them -- but I was just in denial haha

It's a great show, though. I recently found Allison (inhalants addict) on Twitter. It's nice to see people have such long recovery after seeing their stories.

Allison was probably the most intense and insane episode I've ever seen. That was unreal.

She's a cutie! I mean, now that she's sober. She was a wreck when she was inhaling that stuff.

Did Allison become a doctor?
How long has she been in recovery now?

She is the operations supervisor at a new treatment center in southern California. I'm not sure how long she has been sober for, but she seems to be doing really wonderful!

This is the most recent thing I could find: Intervention - Follow Up: Allison on MSN Video

I have seen Rain in My Heart! It was absolutely heartbreaking.

sorry i missed that...love that show. wish someone would offer that to me

I've thought the same thing. My family would sometimes say, "Why don't you get into one of those places??" Sure, you have the $40,000 it costs?

Actually there is a 'free' rehab all over the country. It is quite good and for those that
'stick it out' the full 6 to 9 months the recovery rate is quite high.

What is this place you ask. It is the Salvation Army. Yes, it is free. Yes it is a very
'intense' program that gives one all the tools they need AND helps them to figure out
how to use those tools in recovery.

To the original poster, yes I watched the 'marathon' last night. It was pretty much
newer episodes. Even after all this time, I can still get triggered on the ones that
show them using a needle. As a side note, I am a diabetic now, have been diagnosed
for about 12 years now. When I first had to start using insulin it was really hard for
me using the needles, to inject the insulin, rofl (yes it is funny to me now, in a bizarre
way, because when I had to start using insulin I was over 23 years sober and clean.
I was very grateful when they came out with the 'pens' and I use them exclusively
these days. And I am not as triggered today.

I have also had sponsees that could not watch certain episodes because of how they
would be triggered, whether it was an alcoholic that just drank 24/7 or with some, like
me it was an addict that was injecting and the needles would trigger them.

Please keep in mind that the only episodes that are shown are the ones that do agree
to go to rehab. They have many more that say NO and do not go. Also, it is a 'one
way air plane ticket'. so if the person leaves rehab early, they are on their own to get
back to their home town. How do I know? My cousins daughter was one of the ones
who left rehab early and literally begged rides all the way back to Utah. Then 6 months
later, she got clean on her own when she found out she was pregnant and is coming up
on two years the beginning of next month.

Overall though I do believe the show is a very informative one, and I do try and watch it
whenever I can. I learn an awful lot from the 'facilitators' each time they show the
'pre intervention'.

J M H O

Love and hugs,

My mother was a herion addict for 15 years. And has been on methadone for 5. Even though she would love to be free of that. It has kept her clean for this long. Everyone is different but she used AA and a little NA she preferred AA. And she is thinking of coming back around to it with me for some fellowship. :)

Laurie, I have a Salvation Army a little over a mile from my home. I'm not sure they offer the program you're suggesting though. This Salvation Army is notorious for being a place to score drugs. They have meetings there every day at 7AM and noon time and I was told by other AA meetings to NEVER go there.

I'm sure this isn't the case with all Salvation Armys but this one is in a bad part of town and I've been advised to stay away at all costs.

All Salvation Army's do not have a 'recovery rehab program' on site. However, they do make the arrangements for a person to meet with an 'intake counselor' and will even cover the cost of transportation to the rehab facility.

We do not have a rehab facility here, however, there is one in El Paso about 60 miles away, and our Salvation Army will cover the transportation themselves or pay for it to get the person to the El Paso Facility.

And yes, our Salvation Army is not in a very good area, and yes there are homeless outside of it selling and buying and sitting on the ground drinking out of brown paper bags. Usually waiting for the 'next meal' to be served. However, their 'second hand
store' is in a different area of town.

That is the point of Salvation Army to be where they are most needed. Well, where are they most needed? In the areas of a City or Town, where the really desperate hang out or live (by live I mean on the streets).

Different states have 1, 2, or 3 or more SA rehabs. CA I believe has 3, one in L.A., one in San Francisco and one in Sacremento. Wisconsin has 2, one in Milwaukee and one in Madison. Florida has 3, all on the east coast, Miami, West Palm Beach and Jacksonville. I believe in the Panhandle or the Northern Part of the state they send them to either Alabama or Georgia facilities. And so on by state.

So even though your town does not have a rehab facility your SA can help and will help a person to get into a rehab facility, probably the one in Boston.

Hope that helps JJay.

Love and hugs,

How sad that folks think that show is "entertainment". It isn't: it's exploitation of vulnerable people for commercial purposes.

To each their own.

I love the program and appreciate how it exposes addiction for what it really is and that even in the worst cases, people can choose to get well.

Addiction is often talked about in hushed tones. It's refreshing a program like Intervention exposes addiction to the light of day for all to see.

The program "Intervention" lies to people to get them to appear, and have their personal lives revealed on national television for entertainment purposes.

It would not matter if this was the most wonderful, entertaining program in the world.

It is based on a lie. And it is wrong.

...the show tells the addicts that they're going to be in a documentary about addiction.

The addict agrees to participate.

Where's the lie?

It is a TV show? Never heard of it but I put my TV in storage a couple of years ago.

Big fan of the show, like a poster said above I've seen probley 90% of the episodes thanks to Netlix. I have fond memories of watching that show high on drugs and drinking alcohol. Now that I'm sober I don't watch it anymore, go figure.

I remember her. She and her sister were both molested when they were really little, and when they told their mother about it she ignored them?!

It depends on the Salvation Army. Some of them also serve as a type of "safe house" and those don't allow drugs or alcohol on site because there are children living there.

I watch the shows...
I don't have "TV" but I watch them on either netflix or Hulu.
Yeah I feel two ways about it. The truth is, even as an alcoholic, I was always just watching it for cheap entertainment, because it is trash TV. I just can't get behind springing an intervention, surprise, on someone, especially when they're stoned six ways from Sunday. It's just not right.
I also don't think A&E is honest about their relapse rates. I'm sure they're extremely high. These people they profile are so half-assed in their recovery, they can't even be bothered to do it unless their parents force them on a plane and they get to stay at a beachfront resort for four months. Most of them are actually pretty half-assed in their addiction, too, always hitting up their parents for $40 or hounding mom to drive them to score from their dealer.
It's more of a show about codependency than anything else.

I wasn't aware that one could be half assed in an addiction.

I wasn't aware that attending treatment and getting clean could also be considered as half assed.

one thing about this show is what i love about it is...

as the "family and friends" sit around and talk about how they will STOP the enabling behaviour of themselves...

I believe once the Addict/Alcoholic HEARS those words that nobody will help them anymore, they have no where to go...

the intervention itself? humm, we cant change a person..but at that moment there is hope that they do stay sober for themselves...

the friends and family do need their own 12 step program

I agree with much of what you said, but don't feel that 12 step programs are necessary for everyone.

I forgot that, poor Allison and her sister.
I wonder if she is reconciled with her mother now? xx

I missed the marathon but I sometimes pull it up on OnDemand. Sometimes I enjoy the show and sometimes I don't. It all depends on the person in the show and my mood.

I think the show has a really important part for love ones of the addict, the pre-intervention. I think it could do the loved ones a lot of good to hear what is said in the pre-intervention such as "if he doesn't go to rehab you need to stop picking up his calls, giving him money, or a place to live" and "you need to tell him that you love him but if he doesn't get help then you will move on with you life and he will not be a part of it". I must say, that part of the show ALWAYS has some good information.

I also think the pre-intervention and intervention are good for an addict to see too. When in the depths of addiction it is hard to think about anyone but yourself. It can be an eye opener to see the little old grandfather there upset and not understanding why this is happening, or the mother who has aged fast and is crippled by her son's addiction, or the brothers and sisters whose hearts break but know they can't go on any longer like this. It is heartbreaking, and hopefully it turns on a light bulb for some addicts that "hey i'm not just killng myself, i'm killing my family too".

As for exploiting the people on the show, they signed up and knew their stories about their addiction were going to be aired to the public. They chose to sit there and shoot up with the camera in their face. The only difference then them agreeing to be in a documentary and what happens is at the end they get a free trip to a really expensive rehab where if they wake up, they can really turn their lives around.

The one thing I don't like about the show is I wish they would show the ones that say no and what happened to them 9 months later like they do with the ones that say yes. Now THAT would be educational, not just he oh everyone says yes and gets better t.v attitude.

I do know that one guy who actually did accept help and stayed sober for over a year died shortly after from all the damage he'd already done to his body due to drinking. Really sad. I believe it was psoriasis of the liver. :(