Intervention

A series that has consistently shown in over 20 seasons that every addict has a toxic family that needs an intervention. Unsuspecting family members find out that addicts aren't the only ones who are sick and need treatment. The Canadians are even more ignorant, toxic, and heartless than Americans, so that's a mind blowing twist to watch. The reviews on this show that complain about exploitation are absurd. This is actually an educational show that is necessary for conservative areas filled with morally superior narcissists who abuse their children in the name of jesus, and you'd be an addict too if you experienced some of these traumas or just plain toxicity of those who are supposed to be loving. I know people who have prevented their own addictions from learning from this show, people who have learned to identify the behaviors involved with addiction, future psychology professionals who honed their skills during school, and people who have become less toxic to others because they didn't like what they saw in the show that reflected on them. I have found similar results with the Hoarders series: psychology education helps society and individuals improve.

This show is incredibly exploitative of individuals who are suffering from substance use disorders. This show will only further perpetuate the injustices these people face. We need compassion and evidence-informed approaches to substance use disorders, not this crap.

Individual participants of all ages who are addicts are paid to be in what they believe is a show documenting their unique struggle with addiction, which it is. Whey do not know is that it will end in an intervention with friends/family. At the intervention they are offered the chance to attend an upscale in-patient rehab facility in a state other than where they live followed by the option to enter a sober-living facility for further treatment. This show is raw, transparent, gritty, as these people are at rock bottom and desperately in need of help. After all, they are in a position in which they are having to be tricked into an intervention.

I've been watching this show since its inception so it's pretty clear that I'm a fan, but from the scores it would appear that I am in the minority. The show has been on for so long, using the same format ( a.k.a tricks and setup) that it's hard for me to believe at this point that there is anyone who hasn't seen the show to fool anymore. If anyone asked me if I wanted to be in a documentary about addiction I would immediately suspect it was this show. Some episodes are more interesting than others, the deeper into their addiction they are the more interesting it is In my opinion. The episodes consist of interviews with the people who have asked the show for the intervention; family, friends, etc. There's the backstory on the addict and how they grew up, information on their past traumas and contributing factors. These interviews are conducted without the knowledge or consent of the addict. The majority of the episode consists of the film crew following the addict day to day. Obtaining and consuming their drug of choice, stumbling, staggering, fighting, sometimes even overdosing. You see not only how it affects them but also those around them. Their last "interview" is actually the intervention. They show up unaware that they will face a room full of loved ones offering them the opportunity of a lifetime, but that is not always the spirit in which it is received. Sparks generally fly as the participants feel ultimately betrayed. At the intervention they are offered the opportunity to go to an insanely upscale rehab center, followed by sober living free of charge. For those who accept the help the show ends with a 90 day follow-up at their facility. An interview as to how things are going, how they are feeling and what their future plans are.

This show is awesome! I have been a fan since it premiered, and it only keeps me watching... I've seen some terrible things here, that I wish I hadn't, BUT, it really shows you how addiction affects all involved, not just the addict. You can see all kinds of different addictions, from drugs and alcohol to the shopping addict, or the eating disorder addict. And actually, it's really sad to see some of the famous faces that have come through also. We've seen accomplished musicians, an NBA player, and even young people, who really need the help. And since they have started showing a few follow-ups, that's been awesome too. Now, you can see how they are a long while after their ep aired. If you haven't checked this one out, please do. It's on A&E, and it's awesome! The new eps are Sunday nights at 10PM EST, if I remember correctly... so set your TiVo!

Whenever I watch this show, which is one of my favorites besides Forensic Files, 48 Hours and Seinfeld, I wonder how these people are still breathing. The episode I watched last night featured a woman who drank twenty (20) beers per day (8% alcohol by volume) and lived with her parents. She lost six (6) jobs due to drinking on the job! She started drinking at an early age and was even hammered at her wedding - two years into her marriage, her husband got tired of her guzzling beer so he divorced her. Then she started drinking like crazy, like that would solve the problem, and when she had to take drug/alcohol tests for probation, she would start huffing paint since it wouldn't show up on a test. Wow. She even got so hammered one time that she pulled down her pants and took a crap on a stranger's vehicle while people were laughing at her and filming her. Why do parents keep enabling people like this by giving them money? She was admitted to the hospital on more than one occasion and had a BAC of 0.49!! Good Lord. On the way to the hospital, she called her mom a "*itch" and her mom just kept driving...if I said that to my mom, I would have been slapped into the year 2049. I used to drink but stopped after realizing that there's no point - these people think it solves problems but it does the opposite by creating problems.