Intervention: Ryan’s Story
Tiffani B. Juarez
California State University, Northridge
Intervention: Ryan’s Story
Before completing this assignment, I had never watched or heard of the A&E series, Intervention. After watching my first episode and getting hooked on the show, I was bummed to find out that it would no longer be airing on television. The episode I watched was about a 37-year-old man named Ryan who was an extreme addict. Prior to Ryan’s addiction, he had a happy life with Carrie, a girlfriend since high school, and their 2 daughters. However, he lost all of that due to his battle with addiction and he now lives alone with his dog.
According to Ryan’s family, he was a happy baby and a good kid growing up. The problem, however, …show more content…
According to Ryan’s mother and ex-girlfriend, drugs have changed him dramatically and he is not the same person anymore. His addiction to drugs had a major negative impact on his life because he wasn’t happy. Ryan tried to jump off a bridge and kill himself, but he was unsuccessful. People with co-occurring alcohol and other drug use disorders are more likely to have psychiatric disorders such as personality, mood, and anxiety disorders; they are more likely to attempt suicide and to suffer health problems (National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism). Ryan had a family that truly cared and worried about him, so his addiction affected their lives as well. His addiction was taking over his mother’s life because she constantly had to worry if he was still alive and she had to deal with the emotional abuse that he would put her through. The biggest people that were unfortunately affected, were his two daughters Kira and Summer. They didn’t get to grow up with their father and when they did see him he was either moody because he hadn’t had drugs or was already high on something. Lucky for him, his daughters considered his addiction his flaw and they never gave up on him or stopped loving …show more content…
Ryan was placed at Edgewood treatment center in, Nanaimo British Columbia for two months. When Ryan’s two months were complete he was offered an extended two-month program but he declined because he felt he had the resources and tools that he needed to stay clean. I think Ryan and other addicts get sent to treatment centers far away from home to avoid distractions and the accessibility to walk out and give up. Unfortunately, not everyone has the access to go out of state or even afford rehab. Watching this episode, I had no idea what being an extreme addict looked like so it was a bit uncomfortable to watch Ryan’s behavior when he didn’t have drugs available and while he was getting high. His story made me really emotional because I saw how much his addiction affected his daughters. Watching his daughters cry over their father broke my heart and had me in tears because I don’t know if I could ever be as strong as those two young girls if I was in their
Tiffani B. Juarez
California State University, Northridge
Intervention: Ryan’s Story
Before completing this assignment, I had never watched or heard of the A&E series, Intervention. After watching my first episode and getting hooked on the show, I was bummed to find out that it would no longer be airing on television. The episode I watched was about a 37-year-old man named Ryan who was an extreme addict. Prior to Ryan’s addiction, he had a happy life with Carrie, a girlfriend since high school, and their 2 daughters. However, he lost all of that due to his battle with addiction and he now lives alone with his dog.
According to Ryan’s family, he was a happy baby and a good kid growing up. The problem, however, …show more content…
According to Ryan’s mother and ex-girlfriend, drugs have changed him dramatically and he is not the same person anymore. His addiction to drugs had a major negative impact on his life because he wasn’t happy. Ryan tried to jump off a bridge and kill himself, but he was unsuccessful. People with co-occurring alcohol and other drug use disorders are more likely to have psychiatric disorders such as personality, mood, and anxiety disorders; they are more likely to attempt suicide and to suffer health problems (National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism). Ryan had a family that truly cared and worried about him, so his addiction affected their lives as well. His addiction was taking over his mother’s life because she constantly had to worry if he was still alive and she had to deal with the emotional abuse that he would put her through. The biggest people that were unfortunately affected, were his two daughters Kira and Summer. They didn’t get to grow up with their father and when they did see him he was either moody because he hadn’t had drugs or was already high on something. Lucky for him, his daughters considered his addiction his flaw and they never gave up on him or stopped loving …show more content…
Ryan was placed at Edgewood treatment center in, Nanaimo British Columbia for two months. When Ryan’s two months were complete he was offered an extended two-month program but he declined because he felt he had the resources and tools that he needed to stay clean. I think Ryan and other addicts get sent to treatment centers far away from home to avoid distractions and the accessibility to walk out and give up. Unfortunately, not everyone has the access to go out of state or even afford rehab. Watching this episode, I had no idea what being an extreme addict looked like so it was a bit uncomfortable to watch Ryan’s behavior when he didn’t have drugs available and while he was getting high. His story made me really emotional because I saw how much his addiction affected his daughters. Watching his daughters cry over their father broke my heart and had me in tears because I don’t know if I could ever be as strong as those two young girls if I was in their