Intervention Series: Alyson & Tommy

It’s extremely important for drug and alcohol abusers to be able to understand what an addiction to these substances can hold in store for them. An excellent way to for current abusers to be ‘scared straight’ is to actually witness what the life of an extreme addict is like, and the A&E show Intervention has done an extraordinary job of not only profiling the lives of substance abusers and addicts, but helping those being profiled to get the recovery they need to stay sober.

Intervention profiles people whose dependence on drugs and alcohol or other compulsive behavior has brought them to a point of personal crisis or estranged them from their friends and loved ones. Each episode ends with a surprise intervention that is staged by the family and friends of the addict, and which is conducted by one of five specialists. The series has conducted 211 interventions since its premiere in March of 2005, 161 individuals are currently sober. The episode profiling Alyson & Tommy was the premiere episode of the series, and the public response has sky rocketed the Intervention series to its award winning level. Alyson was a White House intern and an award-winning student. She met a boy in college who showed her the world of drugs and she became an addict. Alyson now lives at home with her parents and is a heavy user of morphine and crack. She works hard to alienate herself from the people who love her. Alyson also takes painkillers from her dying father. Tommy, a 38-year-old ex-stockbroker, is addicted to cocaine. He has lost everything to drugs including his job, retirement plan and his luxury condominium. Now Tommy lives on the streets and tries to keep up his drug habit.

Being able to witness the downfall of these people’s lives is very surreal and saddening, but it can also serve as a wake-up call for current substance abusers and a good example for what friends and family should expect when it comes to an intervention. It’s highly recommended that friends and family consult professional help before actually putting together and intervention, but it’s nonetheless helpful to at least witness one to see how it goes. There are highly trained professionals in the addiction field that can not only help families prepare unique and safe interventions for their addicted loved ones, but they can also then administer the treatment required to get the patient on the road to recovery. Seabrook is an internationally recognized inpatient drug rehab and alcoholism detox treatment center that can create unique and individually inspired interventions, detoxification treatment, and rehabilitation programs for alcoholics and substances abusers. All Seabrook programs are grounded in the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA). The Seabrook Model® of treatment includes a multifaceted medical approach to alcohol and other drugs including opiate detoxification, gender-specific therapy with special emphasis on relapse prevention, and family intervention services. Seabrook has rehab facilities located in New Jersey (NJ) and Pennsylvania (PA) and also an outpatient office in New York (NY). Contact Seabrook today if you think your loved one is in need of professional help for their substance abuse problems.