18581 replies to this topic

[Nikki125]

This new show will debut on March 6 at 10pm on A & E.

From A & E's website:

INTERVENTION is a documentary TV series. Each show spends several days profiling someone struggling with addiction and culminates in a professional intervention, led by an experienced interventionist. The family and friends of the person battling the addiction are intimately involved in the intervention. At the end of the intervention, if the person with the addiction chooses to go to treatment, they will enter a top-notch treatment facility free of charge.

Our goal is to get help for people who are suffering while informing and educating our audience about the day to day realities of living with addiction.

The show will showcase interventions that deal with people who suffer from drug problems to eating disorders and even "groupie/stalker obsession". It could be interesting to see the process of confronting people with their problems and trying to make them see that they need help, even though it does seem a bit exploitive. But what good reality show isn't exploitive on some level?

[Kharma]

I haven't heard of this before, but I will definitely be tuning in! I was involved in an intervention a few years ago, so I'm very curious to see how this compares. Of course, I never would have involved cameras and a stupid tv show, it was a very painful time, but I can still laugh at the famewhores who choose to make their lives public!

[katymo]

I saw commercials for this show and it immediately got my attention, though I'm not really sure of why. I hope it's good stuff, most of my TV time is spent on A&E as it is.

[timeonmyhands]

I just saw a commercial for this today and at first I wasn't even sure it was a reality show. It looked so staged or something. The part with the girl, "the cutter" rolling around with the blood on her forehead looked fakey to me. Oh well, I'll give it a chance. Aside from Growing Up Gotti A&E does some pretty good tv.

[aszxas]

I think the show must be staged. How can you force an adult to go to rehab. You would have to have some kind of leverage to stop them from ordering the interventioners (?) out or leaving him/herself.

[timeonmyhands]

But people do interventions in real life all the time. I guess it doesn't suprise me all the much that someone eventualy decided to film it and make a tv show out of it.

[aszxas]

I know that interventions take place. What I am saying is I believe that the ones on this show are staged. The only two ways that I know of to force a person into rehab is if they are a minor or if they are an adult is with a court order of some kind. These people also have to sign a release to show their face in the show unless they are a minor and then the parent has to sign a release. So far as I have seen, parents that put their children on reality shows are poor excuses for parents. If this show is parents putting their childs addictions on TV for compensation (and as far as I know they are ALL compensated in one form or another) they deserve the deep parts of hell.

[timeonmyhands]

These people also have to sign a release to show their face in the show unless they are a minor and then the parent has to sign a release.

This suprises me me too as I would think most people would not be in a hurry to admit to the whole world that they had a problem with drugs/drinking/whatever. I just saw this show on VH-1 last night about the show Cops and they talk about how suprisingly easy it is to get people to sign releases. Drug dealers, drunk drivers, johns and all manner of losers are willing to have their faces on tv no matter what they did. I guess some people are so desperate to be on tv that they don't even care whey they're on there. Even if it is being told by all your family and friends that you are a drunken idiot.

[Sunday Moon]

I saw the commercial for this yesterday and I plan on tuning in. Bizarre but interesting. Does anyone know what the song playing in the background during the commercial is? That and who the singer is. It's driving me crazy not being able to figure it out.

[ChynaWhite]

Sunday Moon, it's Barenaked Ladies' "What A Good Boy".

[Nikki125]

How can you force an adult to go to rehab.

Well, according to the statement on A & E's website (which I quoted in my initial post), it will be up to the individual at the end of the intervention if they want to get treatment. I am sure there will be some who will refuse, but I guess a lot of the people who will be shown would have hit rock bottom and are ready for help.

[kcappy]

Well this show starts tonight, I'm excited. I think it's the crack smoking ex-intern, though I was kind of hoping for the weird gambler "I don't have any choice" guy.
Just thought I'd bump it up for tonight's episode.

[rennysgirl]

If this show is parents putting their childs addictions on TV for compensation (and as far as I know they are ALL compensated in one form or another) they deserve the deep parts of hell.

I agree, whoring out your kids on TV for your own 15 minutes of fame is inexcusable, but I never got the impression this was all kids v. parents. Tonight's addicts are 27 and 38 -- hardly children. I think it's just families and friends helping loved ones and I really hope it's not staged because there are plenty of people out there who need real help. For that matter, if I were desparate and unable to pay for treatment and a free ticket to send someone I cared about to an excellent rehab center were given to me, I think I might take them up on it.

At the very least, this show might wake some addicts up and help them come to terms with their reality. Most of them probably don't realize the agony they're causing others. Like when Runaway Train was on MTV 20 times a day and kids who were featured on it didn't even realize their families considered them missing. It helped some families and I hope this does the same even in an indirect way.

These are probably too lofty of ideals for a reality show, but it's A&E so I'll give them the benefit of the doubt. For now.

[gingerblue]

I'm wondering if A&E is picking up the hefty fee of a reputable rehab clinic in exchange for the rights to air the story.

If someone is hitting rock bottom, and they don't have the money or insurance for rehab (which can be paralyzingly expensive), help is sometimes not available. So maybe they are told by the producers "if you go and let us broadcast what we've just filmed, the show picks up the tab ". I know of a lot of people who would exchange their privacy in a heartbeat if they could get quality treatment. And people who have passed away because they couldn't afford/access that treatment, including a friend who passed just last week- she was in rehab, but couldn't afford to be there long enough to really break certain habits. It's completely heartbreaking.

It's a horrible thing all around and I hope it's treated with dignity.

[Amber4481]

Well that was painful to watch. A&E must be picking up the rehab tab, which is good, because most insurance companies won't pay for more that 30 days and recent research has shown that you need at least 90 days or more to really kick an addiction.

I'm wondering if when they get to eating disorders things will go so smoothly, as a therapist (social worker) myself, treating someone with a substance addiction is a peice of cake compared with a hardcore anorexic. I know a few who would walk out of an intervention and say "I choose to die, kiss my ass" long before going to treatment.

I would be interested in learning what treatment clinics they are using for the show if anyone has that information.

[kcappy]

That was interesting, god that's a lot of money to lose/spend on coke. Both seemed like pretty easy intervensions. All in all, I'll catch it next week.

[Largo]

You know, if this were a Kellie Martin TV movie, 1) she'd be playing Alyson, and 2) that scuzzy crackhead (ex-)boyfriend would be making a beeline to Anaheim to hit her up for some cash.

"Moment of Truth: In the Best Interest of My Daughter" -- Tonight, on the NBC Monday Night Movie!

Seriously, that first ep was...unsettling. I still can't get over how the camera crew just followed Tommy and Alyson around, allowing them to do their drugs, and not, well, intervening. I mean, wouldn't the crew be held accountable in a court of law for this behavior?

god that's a lot of money to lose/spend on coke.

$200,000, right?

[rennysgirl]

Amber, they did mention the two places. One was Oasis in southern CA, the other was in Taos, NM but I don’t remember the name.

I wish we could’ve seen more info on how they were doing while in rehab, but I assume that would be too intrusive and not the best environment for recovery. Still, I’m curious to see how they progressed and was shocked when there were less than 10 minutes left and they were just getting to the rehab center. I wanted to see how they battled setbacks and pulled themselves through. Obviously they are both doing well but I bet their journeys to get there were interesting.

ETA:

I still can't get over how the camera crew just followed Tommy and Alyson around, allowing them to do their drugs, and not, well, intervening. I mean, wouldn't the crew be held accountable in a court of law for this behavior?

I was thinking the same thing. Was there some sort of disclaimer at the beginning? I came in a few minutes after 10PM. It's pretty impressionable stuff for younger viewers when Allyson is saying how amazing and happy she feels after doing crack.

Edited by rennysgirl, Mar 6, 2005 @ 11:25 PM.

[kers]

Tommy went to Vista Taos. A 30-day stint there is quoted at a whopping $16,500! I'm thinking maybe they made the visit complementary in exchange for the free publicity.

Still, I’m curious to see how they progressed and was shocked when there were less than 10 minutes left and they were just getting to the rehab center. I wanted to see how they battled setbacks and pulled themselves through.

I agree. The show liked to show all the "gory details" of being at rock-bottom. I'd rather here a bit more balanced story that goes into recovery a bit. And I'm inclined to agree that these were awfully easy interventions.

[Canaduck]

I thought the show was very compelling. I'll definitely watch again. The only irritation was the gazillion captions. I guess it's necessary to keep the pace going so they don't have to resort to voiceovers. I don't usually gaze at the screen all the time so I had to make myself focus.

Was there some sort of disclaimer at the beginning? I came in a few minutes after 10PM. It's pretty impressionable stuff for younger viewers when Allyson is saying how amazing and happy she feels after doing crack.

I thought that too. I missed the first couple of minutes also.

I couldn't understand Alyson's dad saying the very things the interventionist asked them not to unless he misunderstood the instructions. Still, scaring the bejeepers out of her by letting her know it's 90 days?? I was very surprised at how quickly she agreed to it. That was the only thing that didn't ring true for me.

You could just see the internal struggle Tommy was having. What i want to know is why that woman sitting beside Tommy's friend (Jeff?) had this huge smile on her face while Jeff was saying some very painful things. Brr.

[Viconia]

The disclaimer at the begining stated that the people being filmed thought they were in documentry about addiction - they didn't know it was for the intervention show. Underhanded? Maybe - but they both seemed to need drastic measures.

I think the reason they didn't follow the actual rehab so much is I'm sure the treatment centers drew a line there - I imagine that having cameras on you could inhibit or affect your treatment, not to mention the privacy of the other patients there.

I don't think anyone involved seemed to be famewhorish. It was a pretty raw depiction of drug addiction in my opinion. I will definitly watch next week.

[Nikki125]

Well that was painful to watch.

ITA. Seeing Alyson stealing drugs from her dying father and hearing how she talked to her sister was pretty rough. Also, seeing Tommy living on the street and how he resorted to stealing food from that hotel and that convenience store was also some depressing stuff. The show was a compelling hour of TV, but watching week after week might be a bit much for me. I will give it another week though. It was good to see that these first two got their acts cleaned up, even if the interventions and the recoveries seemed to go really easily. Hopefully, they'll both stay clean.

I couldn't understand Alyson's dad saying the very things the interventionist asked them not to unless he misunderstood the instructions. Still, scaring the bejeepers out of her by letting her know it's 90 days??

I think her dad did understand the interventionist's instructions. Dad seemed to have some real co-dependency problems and I think he intentionally told Alyson about the 90 day stint in rehab because maybe on a subconscious level, he didn't want her to leave. The guy is an enabler and I was worried about how many more pills he was going to give Alyson before she left the house.

What I want to know is why that woman sitting beside Tommy's friend (Jeff?) had this huge smile on her face while Jeff was saying some very painful things. Brr.

Exactly. She was actually Jeff's(?) wife. I thought that was really weird at first and then I thought that maybe that was a nervous smile. That was probably the first time she had ever been in that type of situation, so she was probably really uncomfortable being there. At least I hope that was the reason.

The other thing that puzzled me about her (and Jeff(?) for that matter) is that she said that if Tommy didn't go into rehab, they wouldn't leave their kids alone with him anymore. Why in the world were they leaving their kids with this guy if they knew he was a drug addict?

Edited by Nikki125, Mar 7, 2005 @ 2:35 AM.

[ChocolateCherry]

I was very surprised at how quickly she agreed to it. That was the only thing that didn't ring true for me.

The disclaimer at the begining stated that the people being filmed thought they were in documentry about addiction - they didn't know it was for the intervention show.

I think that by allowing themselves to be documented Tommy and Alyson were crying out for help. When they made the decision to allow camera to document their downfalls, as intelligent people, they knew there would be some kind of fallout from family and friends after it was shown, in this case they got their help sooner than later. But I may be off base with that interpretation.
I think the heights from which the two had fallen was one of the most disturbing parts. I've watched plenty of specials showcasing meth addicts in trailer parks or crackheads in the ghetto, but this was almost scarier. Add the fact that Jeff didn't sink into addiction until he was 37 . . . It's something like this that reaffirms my belief that addiction is an illness rather than lack of self control.

[Canaduck]

I think her dad did understand the interventionist's instructions. Dad seemed to have some real co-dependency problems and I think he intentionally told Alyson about the 90 day stint in rehab because maybe on a subconscious level, he didn't want her to leave. The guy is an enabler and I was worried about how many more pills he was going to give Alyson before she left the house.

That did cross my mind for a brief moment but I couldn't wrap my brain around it. Just wow. I can sort of understand his giving Alyson "morphine for the road". Not that it's right but I think that she'd be better able to withstand the trip and not flee if she's got a buzz going.

I wasn't sure if that was Jeff's wife. (Blasted 13" TV makes it hard to read the captions.) Maybe it was nerves or maybe it was her way of expressing encouragement to him. Whatever, it was jarring and I bet she and hubby were surprised when they saw it aired.

Why in the world were they leaving their kids with this guy if they knew he was a drug addict?

Jeff didn't know about the addiction until Tommy told him in the park and maybe that took place quite close to the time of the intervention? Tommy might have babysat the kids before that and the couple were blissfully unaware. Tommy sure was a master at covering up his problems. I wonder how he managed to pay his way at the bar.

ChocolateCherry, your theory makes perfect sense to me.

Does anyone know who the ER actress/shopaholic is next week? I mean which ER role she plays?

[quickychick]

I think her dad did understand the interventionist's instructions. Dad seemed to have some real co-dependency problems and I think he intentionally told Alyson about the 90 day stint in rehab because maybe on a subconscious level, he didn't want her to leave. The guy is an enabler and I was worried about how many more pills he was going to give Alyson before she left the house.

That was tremendously frustrating and the interventionist must have wanted to go ballistic when Dad asked him to tell Alyson how long the intervention was.

Tommy's friend (Jeff?)

She was actually Jeff's(?) wife

Tommy's friend's name was Ken, and his wife's name was Amy.

[barkley]

I was fascinated by this show and the way it showed the ups and downs of drug use. It was so scary to see Tommy and Alyson just destroying thier lives.

Where was Alyson getting her money from to go out, have a car, cellphone, etc.? Her parents were both enablers and I have a lot of respect for her sister to move out instead of getting caught up in all the drama and become an enabler herself.

She couldn't even say goodbye to her dad without hitting him up for pills, and I couldn't believe he gave them to her!! It was almost like he didn't want Alyson to go to rehab because he liked having her around and "providing" for her so he tried to sabotage the whole deal.

Isn't morphine and such strictly regulated as far as how much the pharmacist can give out in a certain time period? Wouldn't that mean that every time Alyson stole his pills her dad would have to go without?

I think this show did a really good job at portraying the other side of drugs, not just the sterotypical crackhead in the inner city, but the suburban, middle-to-upper class segment of the population that has a serious problem with drugs as well. It also showed what depths people will sink to in order to get their fix. That scene of Tommy at the storage locker when he knows he's lost everything but you know he's willing to sell it all for another few grams of coke was heartbreaking.

[rennysgirl]

The storage locker scene was sad, but then I was like, “how is he paying for that every month?” I guess he was getting help.

The woman smiling kind of weirded me out too, but I chalked it up to someone being happy that a friend is finally getting help, being there for her husband and general nerves. But she did seem way too smiley.

I have to say I am generally impressed by how clean Tommy looked for all the living on the streets he did. The hotel buffet? Smart. Sleeping on roofs? Resourceful. But when he was asking the homeless guy about the cans? Desperation. And then the shop lifting, that was just cruel. I though for sure he was going to go back and steal that guys scooter and sell it for cash.

Oh, and Canaduck, where did you hear it was an ER actress that is the shopaholic? I am an avid watcher and she didn’t look familiar to me, unless it was from way back in the day or she is a minor nurse.

[MyraEllen828]

These were EASY interventions...I've seen/heard about some that are way worse. But I think its like someone else said...they were ready for help in some form if they were willing to have their addictions taped like that.

Morphine is a lot of times given to people who are dying, and the doc. just wants them to be comfortable. But it IS heavily controlled, so I too was wondering if Alyson's dad was gonna have to go without b/c Alyson was stealing from him and b/c he gave her a few pills "for the road." Her dad reminded me of my dad...he loved her, he probably really wanted her to get help, but she's still his baby girl, and if she wants some pills to make the flight easier, he's gonna give in. But I have no idea what his intentions were in telling her about how long rehab would be.

I probably won't watch this too often. It comes on during Desperate Housewives and I still like that show better. I've seen interventions, I don't need to watch them every week.

[LadyDee]

unless it was from way back in the day or she is a minor nurse

Both!! She was either a minor nurse or a minor med student way back in the day (like season 1 or 2). TNT is currently showing the early season re-runs and I've seen her in a few episodes.

[drivr8]

As a whole, the show was pretty good. It seems the focus of the show is far more on the subject's addictions than the actual intervention....however, since both interventions went so well in this episode, maybe they were forced to focus more on the addiction.

Looking at next week's previews (e.g. compulsive gambler with toupee), methinks the interventions may not go as well.

However, if I see one more bump for this show in the next two days I may not watch the show at all anymore. Can you say overkill?