A and E Intervention

A and E Intervention has gathered both fans and critics over the years, as this television show continues to intimately document human struggles.

Featured on the cable channel Arts & Entertainment, Intervention first aired in 2005 as a documentary-style program following the day-to-day life of an addict. Individuals struggling with everything from alcoholism to gambling have been featured on the show, and many of the subjects believe they are taking part in a television documentary with no idea they are about to be confronted with their self-destructive behavior. After covering the issues at hand, the show films an intervention where friends and family members lovingly confront the addict and urge them to seek treatment. The outcome of every show varies depending upon the participant; some recover while others backslide into their old habits.

Always with the assistance of a licensed therapist or other professional qualified to work with those struggling from addiction, the family and friends of the struggling individual stage a loving confrontation. The addict is offered a 90-day rehabilitation treatment plan and may meet serious consequences if they refuse. Besides having to continue struggling with addiction, some individuals have lost income, custody of their children, and contact with loved ones.

The results of the interventions are as varied as the participants. Some people have readily accepted the treatment offer, broken down and exhausted from living with a life-controlling problem. Others have defiantly refused, continuing to live with their struggles. The majority of the documentary subjects have gone into treatment but a significant amount have been unsuccessful. Many have either voluntarily left treatment before completion, or have been removed from the rehabilitation facility they were assigned due to out-of-control behavior and rule breaking. Some have even gone to prison instead of completing treatment, considering the former to actually be a better option.

One of the gut-wrenching aspects of A and E Intervention is sometimes during the course of an episode it is clear a concerned friend or family member is a struggling addict as well. The very person who intends to help their friend or relative is actually serving as an enabler, and many co-dependent relationships of destruction have been filmed on the show. In most cases, treatment is offered to this individual as well.

Another point of anticipation is always found at the end of the show, where A & E displays a brief update. Many interventions that seem to go well end with news that the addict is worse off than before, while others are surprisingly positive in light of a difficult episode. Like any group of individuals, some have recovered while many haven’t. The program serves up a good balance of action and emotional intensity while remaining respectful to the individual and his or her loved ones. Intervention is not intended to be exploitative, though some critics disagree.

Some reporters and media gurus have painted A and E Intervention in a negative light. The show has been accused of making situations appear drearier and more dramatic than they actually are, purposely filming individuals only during the darkest times of their struggle. It has also been blamed for presenting viewers with a simplistic outlook of the intervention process. Since many families watching the show may be struggling with something similar with someone in their own lives, the program has been reported as making an intervention seem simple and able to be done without the help of a medical professional. This could potentially be responsible for the further dissolution of families and relationships, though there is very little proof (if any) of this happening.

You can watch A and E Intervention on Monday nights, and find more info at the program’s official website. Here you will also find further updates on some of the show’s subjects, as well as resources for those viewers who need help..

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