Eachepisode follows one or two participants, each of whom has an addiction or other mentally and/or physically damaging problem and believes that they are being filmed for a documentary on their problem. Their situations are actually being documented in anticipation of an intervention by family and/or friends. Episodes typically feature an epilogue or follow-up months later with an update to the addicted person's progress or state.
Epilogue: Travis immediately walked out of the intervention, but later decided to accept the offer of treatment. After completing his program, he moved to Utah and began traveling and playing music. He suffered a brief relapse, but regained sobriety in September 2005 and maintained it until September 2007, when he had another relapse; he has since stayed sober.
Epilogue: Kelly walked out of the intervention, but agreed to go to treatment on the condition that he could pick up his dog first. He transferred to another program after 20 days and spent a total of 60 days in treatment, but immediately purchased and drank beer upon leaving, saying that he never wanted to get sober. Five months later, he and his girlfriend had broken up and he had lost his dog again.
Epilogue: Corinne was kicked out of the first treatment center for getting drunk on the grounds. She transferred to another treatment center, in which she left early. Corinne relapsed several times after leaving treatment, but became sober when she learned that she was pregnant. She gave birth to a daughter, and had another daughter a few years later.
Epilogue: After Mike left treatment he spent 3 days in jail for drunk driving and criminal mischief. He returned to his parents' house and began visiting his children regularly. Mike continues to drink but stopped using drugs.
Epilogue: Betsy reluctantly agreed to go to treatment along with her boyfriend. However, once they got to the airport, they decided to return home to try to get sober on their own. Betsy tried to contact her family on several occasions, but they refused to talk to her. In June 2006, Betsy entered a treatment facility.
Epilogue: As a condition to get Lauren to agree to go to treatment, Mike, who had a desire to get back into recovery and wanted to be a role model for Lauren, was allowed to move in temporarily with Lauren's family. The show's producers offered to get Mike into treatment in a nearby facility in Pennsylvania; Mike eagerly accepted but had many issues during his second stint in rehab and his relationship with Lauren is strained. Lauren managed to get sober and worked for Oasis, a drug treatment centre, in Anaheim, California until she relapsed in November 2007; she returned to recovery and was sober since January 2008. During Lauren's initial rehab stay, her childhood friend Da died of a drug overdose. The episode carries a dedication "In Loving Memory of Da".[6]
Epilogue: Charles was kicked out of his program for having syringes mailed to him, but transferred to another one in Florida. A November 2008 re-airing revealed that he subsequently moved into sober living, but relapsed after one month; now he lives back on the streets in California and is again using heroin. He was arrested for using his brother's identity and has been in jail since September 2009.
Epilogue: Marie completed treatment and moved to Alabama. Her two daughters are now attending 12-step meetings; a November 2008 re-airing further noted that her son moved in with her five months after the intervention. She has been sober since March 2008.
Epilogue: Derek was kicked out of treatment after three months for getting drunk and bringing alcohol onto the grounds. He went on a four-day drinking binge, then returned to his home in Ontario. His girlfriend rented a room from him for some time, but eventually moved out after he threatened to hurt himself; he has since attempted suicide several times and is still drinking.
Epilogue: Mike completed nearly three months of treatment, moved back to his apartment in Utah and began taking medication for his OCD. An April 2009 re-airing revealed that he recently stopped the medication due to financial difficulties. A subsequent re-airing in late 2011 revealed that Mike died in September 2011.
Three of the show's interventionists and five former addicts are featured guests on this episode, hosted by Christopher Lawford and recorded before a studio audience. Jeff Van Vonderen, Candy Finnigan and Ken Seeley discussed their respective motivations for entering the field, after which clips from the addicts' episodes were shown and the addicts themselves commented on their experiences during and after treatment.
Kristen is a 20-year-old who injects heroin and cocaine. She prostitutes herself on the streets of Baltimore to get high. She usually injects the drugs into the artery in her neck. During the intervention Kristen is very emotional, but agrees to treatment as she realizes she will die if she doesn't get help.
Ed, 53 and Bettina, 49, had a picture-perfect life, including three adoring kids, a dream home, sports cars, motorcycles and a respected place in their church community. But six years ago, Ed made a bad career move and ended up unemployed. He and Bettina lost everything they had worked for. They began to drink and quickly became alcoholics. Ed has been hospitalized for internal bleeding and Bettina for withdrawals so excruciating she thought she was dying. Their children have begged them to stop drinking, but it only strengthens the bond between Ed and Bettina.
Epilogue: Ed and Bettina completed their respective treatment programs and moved into sober living in Florida. He plans to find a job in sales, while she is now a house mother in a sober-living facility; they have been sober since June 2008.
Epilogue: After two months in treatment, John was asked to leave for failing to follow the plan laid down for him. He moved back home with his parents, where he began to look after himself properly and gained 35 pounds. He has kept his blood sugar under control since September 2008.
This episode revisits the cases of Tressa, whose drug habit ruined both her family relationships and her chances of qualifying for the 2000 Olympics and of Josh, a morbidly obese compulsive eater whose family worried about both his health and his father's.
Update: Tressa attempted to qualify for the 2008 U.S. Olympic trials, but fell just short of the needed mark. She went home to Nebraska, her first visit since the intervention, to attend her mother's wedding. At the 2008 USA Track and Field Masters Championships, she won four gold medals.
Epilogue: Tiffany relapsed six months after treatment. She broke up with her boyfriend and moved into a sober-living facility. Tiffany's mother continues to drink. Tiffany has been sober since November 22, 2009.
Epilogue: Kristine's leukemia-like symptoms were found to be the result of her excessive drinking, not leukemia. After completing 90 days of treatment, Kristine returned home to her family in Utah. She had been sober since November 4, 2009.
Epilogue: Erin completed 37 days of treatment and became a mother to her child again. She and her husband began constructing a multi-story lake house, which they completed and subsequently started a real estate business. Erin also began talking to her estranged father again. Her husband, who self-proclaimed himself to be an alcoholic, did not attend 12-step meetings but he maintained sobriety.
Epilogue: Larry's wife and stepfather walked out on the pre-intervention, ultimately rendering Larry's intervention unsuccessful. Two months after rejecting treatment, Larry was arrested for drunk driving and assault. He has since moved out of state and reduced his drinking.[24]
Though she initially resisted, Brittney ultimately agreed to go to treatment, but left treatment after 11 days and moved in with her boyfriend where she continues to drink. Her mother is holding her bottom lines.
Epilogue: Jeff left treatment after 22 days. He borrowed money and bought a bus ticket home. He and his sons moved into his parents' home, where they continue to be monitored by DHS. Jeff continues to drink. According to his Facebook page, Jeff is married again and is sober.
Epilogue: Skyler entered treatment and was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder. At the time of airing, it was not known whether his use of "bath salts" was a contributing factor. Jessa completed three-plus months of treatment and returned to Minnesota. Six months later, she relapsed with marijuana.[29]
Courtney, 20, lives in Miami and injects heroin up to eight times a day, prostituting herself to support both her own habit and her boyfriend's. Her mother, sister, and grandmother want her to get help and are ready to use Florida's legal system to force her into it if they have to.
Growing up in a rough neighborhood, and having an openly gay father, Sean developed anxiety problems. He showed promise as a popular local DJ, but his musical aspirations were ruined once he turned to alcohol. He now drinks constantly, relying on his daughter to look after him and pay the bar tabs he can no longer afford.
Amanda, 31, abandoned her dreams of becoming a teacher in favor of heavy drinking (four bottles of wine a day) and a heroin addiction. Her boyfriend is also an addict, and her PTSD-afflicted father provides money and support to feed her habits.
Kelly is a 27-year-old mother who turned to drugs to handle the trauma of being sexually abused by her sister's boyfriend when she was 11. Today, Kelly is using meth up to 4 times a day, as well as taking up to 400 mg of OxyContin.
After losing three of her four children to a horrific house fire, 32-year-old Dana of Alvin, Texas, spirals into a severe drug addiction to numb her pain while her desperate, grieving family pleads with her to stop.
Epilogue: Three months after Eric goes to treatment, he is visited by his parents and has been sober for eighty-four days and describes his treatment as "a good road." Eric completed his treatment and moved into sober living. He has been sober since December 12, 2012. His father Joe has also been sober since Eric's intervention. Sadly, Eric relapsed and died of an overdose on August 19, 2017.
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