When the A&E series Intervention debuted more than 15 years ago, there were lots of people who were skeptical that a reality TV show could really help people who were suffering from substance abuse issues. Many people felt like recovery was too personal of a thing to be charged on TV. After all, dealing with an addiction can be an incredibly painful thing. People often reach very low points in their lives that can be difficult to watch. Plus, reality TV is incredibly entertaining but other than that it doesn’t have the best reputation. As a result, even shows with seemingly good intentions can fall under a lot of scrutiny. However, despite all of the doubt that has surrounded Intervention since its release, it may have done a lot more positive things than many viewers realize.
In fact, Intervention may have saved well over 100 lives in the years since its been on the air. Many are hoping that it will be able to continue to do so in the future. Keep reading to learn more about the success rate of the TV series Intervention.
Intervention’s Success Rate
Over the years, most people have probably just assumed that many of the people featured on Intervention have failed in their recovery. Of course, there have been several people who have refused treatment all together, or some whose treatment wasn’t successful. In reality, however, that hasn’t been the case for most of the people who have been featured on the show.
According to Distractify, “In 2017, The Daily Beast reported that 130 of the 160 subjects that have been featured on Intervention have completed rehab and are still sober.” With the vast majority of the show’s participants having successful recovieries, it’s safe to say that Intervention is doing something right.
Why Is Intervention So Successful?
Cost
There are some people out there who will argue that the success rate has nothing to do with the show itself and more to do with the individuals’ willingness to make changes. While it’s true that each person must be willing to participate in their recovery, the show does play an important role in the process. All of the people featured on Intervention receive free treatment in exchange for sharing their stories. This is a life-changing opportunity for all of the people out there who could not otherwise afford rehabilitation.
Treatment Program
The length of the rehabilition program is another reason people on Intervention are likely to find success. According to licescend psychologist and addition therapist, Andrew Tatarsky, “There’s much too much emphasis on very expensive 30-day rehabs which have a lower success rate. There’s this implication that if you go away for 30 days you’ll get fixed, but the issues are often much more complex and really require more of an ongoing, deep individual psychotherapy.”
Family And Friends
On top of that, the act of having an intervention may also be a key component in a person’s success. In an article from The Daily Beast, interventionalist Jeff VanVonderen said, “People are more likely to go to treatment if there’s an intervention, they’re more likely to stay in treatment, they’re more likely to do better afterward, because everything’s changed. Not just, they went to treatment. The family’s gonna get well without you, and that comes through in the intervention.” This also highlights the fact that Intervention isn’t simply an individual process. People who have strong support systems are more likely to make it through the recovery process. That said, the show has been equally as helpful for friends and family members as it has for the people who are actually struggling with the addiction.
The Future Of Intervention
Intervention just wrapped it’s 22nd season, and it has not yet been renewed for another season. That said, there’s nothing to indicate that they we won’t get another season of the popular show. Viewers still seem to be interested and there’s certainly no shortage of people who could use the help. Although there re still some people who believe that the show is exploitive, it appears that it’s certainly done more good than anything else. At the end of the day, the producers are going to do what they can to keep viewers interested, but that doesn’t diminish the fact that there are real people being helped.
The hundreds of success stories that are the result of Intervention have become an inspiration to many people. Just by being on the air, there is a chance that the series may have helped people who simply watched the show.
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