Intervention Review

When I first heard about Intervention, I thought it was a sick idea: film an addict as he or she undergoes an intervention. How freaking tacky!

And then I watched. The show isn't tacky, at all. In fact, it's really well-made, with the docoumentarians never intervening (except in one case, where the subject seemed to be teetering on suicidal behaviour.) Each episode starts by introducing one or two people, eachof whom had an addictionof some sort. The subjects might be drug addicts or alcoholics, but they may also be people with eating dosorders or gambling problems, etc. There is no interviewer seen or heard: it's simply an exercise in watching the addict living his or her everyday life, watching and listening to how the people around them react, and following the subjects through the routines that addicts invariably develop: begging and.or stealing for money to fuel their addictions, confrontations with friends and family, long days and nights spent lost in addictive behavior. Theoretically, subjects don't know they're about to undergo an intervention, as planned by friends, family and addiction specialists. The interventions, themselves, are often painful and poignant, and there is some follow-up regarding 'where are they now." No, not every addict featured on this show successfully comlpletes a rehabprogram. Some of them never even decide to enter rehab. Others complete rehab, but fall off the wagon. But a surprising amount actually do go, do complete rehab, and manage to stay "sober" for months or even years after.

While the show is handled tactfully, and I do think a lot of people have been helped by it, I can't help having a bit of guilt over the fact that, to me, this is basically entertainment. Creepy, huh? The show, itself, is like crack. Once you start watching, it's so very difficult to stop!