Intervention

[nancy324]

Does anyone watch the TV show Intervention? Did you see it last night? I was just amazed by such an extreme case of bulemia. That girl was asked to leave college because in 2 weeks she ate all the food that was intended to last 4 months for 70 girls in the dorm, or something like that. Beautiful girl, great grades, very bright with tons of potential. Her parents had to throw her out of the house because they couldn't afford her food habit. The other stories were equally horrifying. I noticed a theme. All 3 of the women last night were very bright and successful, or had the potential to be very successful. Anyone else notice that?

Nancy

 

[sahara]

>Does anyone watch the TV show Intervention?

Yes, I watch Intervention. I have a love/hate relationship with that show. I love to watch it but watching these people destroy themselves really makes me angry. I missed the one last night though.

>All 3 of the women
>last night were very bright and successful, or had the
>potential to be very successful. Anyone else notice that?
>
I found this to be an odd comment Nancy. We ALL have the potential for success. It's not unique to certain individuals. Also, being successful does not insulate us from life's ills.


Tracey
"Do or do not. There is no try." -Yoda
"Where there's a will, there's a way."

 

[candi]

I also have a love/hate relationship with this program. After watching it a couple of times I think it's more appropriate for Psychology students than the general population. I think a thorough understanding of abnormal psychology is required to truly understand the situational dynamics.

I almost find it too painful to watch :-(

 

[naughtoj]

This show is so glorified. I was really excited about it when it first came out but I just don't like the whole "happy ending" feeling of the show. In real life, most times it is just not that easy. And the intervention doesn't go oh so smoothly. I just can't help but feel that there is some acting coaching going on there. The addicts never seem to put up a fight at the intervention. They don't look all doped up there. Just doesn't seem real, coming from someone who has dealt with real life addicts all her life.

Now, I try to remember to TIVO it, but usually I forget. It is tolerable if I can FF...definitly thru commercials!! I really liked the last episode I saw (it seemed pretty real). The whole hour was about him. Back when I watched it before, there were 2 stories/episode, don't know if that is the way it still is. Anyhooo....I don't remember the guys name but he had just lost his friend to a cocaine or heroin overdose. He has lost all the people in his life and basically he was self medicating his feelings away. He missed his friend so badly. That show really hit home with me.

One thing I wish they did was follow up A YEAR LATER. Not right after treatment. I am curious to know what really happened to these people.

But the show really doesn't show you reality. Only the happy endings. I guess it would be too depressing otherwise and no one would watch it. ?????

 

[naughtoj]

>>
>I found this to be an odd comment Nancy. We ALL have the
>potential for success. It's not unique to certain individuals.
> Also, being successful does not insulate us from life's ills.
>
>
>
>Tracey
>"Do or do not. There is no try." -Yoda
>"Where there's a will, there's a way."


I think Nancy just meant that it is sad to see someone throwing there life away in drugs when they are capable of so much more. I guess most of us DON'T consider people to be a "success" when they are buried in a drug habit that is consuming their life. I don't. And most drug addicts, that are in deep, atleast the one's I have known, got to a point in their habit where they really did have nothing. No job. No friends. No house. A family about ready to write them off. No, I don't consider that a success.

That said, it is very sad. Everybody deals with their stress and feelings in different ways. It is just that some of us don't make the healthiest of choices. It is only human....but sad.

 

[nancy324]

Sahara, the night I watched it, the 3 ladies were extraordinary in several ways. I think everyone is talented in some way, but these ladies were far above average in a variety of ways, and it seemed like they were particularly pressured by the expectations of their parents and their teachers because they showed so much ability from such a young age. Ironically, it seemed that their abilities turned out to be a bit of a curse. That's what I was commenting on.

I find it painful to watch also, Candi, but I'm fascinated by psychology, and I guess that's why I can't stop watching. The episodes do haunt me though.

Janice, I've seen several episodes that did not end happily at all. In fact, most of the ones I've seen have ended unhappily. Not so last week, but I think last week was unusual. And there have been a few who refused help, and even walked out on the interventions. To the contrary, I think the show is painfully real.
Nancy

 

[BROYLES60]

I really like the show. I am also very amazed that the typical person on the show seems to have incredible potential many times but still feels the need to overmedicate.

Society often views drug addicts as poverty stricken, uneducated losers but this show demonstates that people in perceivably ideal situations, college graduates, etc. often find themselves in the throws of addiction.

All in all the show has an incredibly high, treatment success rate so I am all for it.

 

[naughtoj]

Hmmmm. Guess I have never seen the real ones. I'll really have to TIVO it now.

I have seen it a handful of times and every time the addict accepted help right away, like no big deal. Never seen the huge family fights. I saw one a while back with the kid whose parents were ministers or something and the kid was supposed to be on meth. Supposedly he was such a bad addict but still seemed so loving towards his mom and just sat and listened as his sis and mom said they wanted him to get help. Then he said yes. Guess it is hard to refuse when they are offering you 30-60 days paid rehab in Malibu when you are coming from Arkansas, LOL. Maybe that is why they say yes so quick. There IS somewhere to go!

Interesting. I'll have to watch it now.

 

[jaypea]

Hi,
I watch it too, when I can. It is on Sunday nights on A&E, but too late for me. I saw a commercial that said they are moving it to a new night and time, but I didn't catch when. I like that the endings are not always happy because it makes it more real. The strangest one was when there was this blonde haired girl who was on something(not sure what), and she would always take her clothes off, scream/get really mad and run outside her house. It is a sad show. I do see a theme in almost all of them...their childhoods were sad.
-Jen