Intervention is not a show to start watching casually.  The stories are always to compelling and surprising.  The images and emotions usually stay with me for days.  Last night I caught half of two shows, one about a woman huffing computer duster and another woman who was an alcoholic.

Once I hear the parents and other family members begin to talk about heir loved one, my first reaction is one of compassion and sorrow.  My next is fear that one of my own children might end up addicted to something like the people on the show.  How horrible must the family members feel watching their loved one slowly kill themselves with drugs?  Granted, nearly everyone featured in these stories has some pretty difficult life situations.  Usually there’s a divorce, death or abandonment, sometimes abuse, and often at least one other family member with a history of addiction.

The common thread seems to be an event or circumstance that causes a huge cavernous pain inside.  The featured addict endured a great deal of stress and emotion, and often seemed to try other ways of distracting themselves before turning to drugs.  One man got into porn before drugs, another girl was an overachiever making herself too  busy with grades and activities, and another got married and had babies at an early age.

Before too long, these lifestyles collided with drugs or alcohol.  It became their comfort blanket, giving them refuge from the unending pain and shame.  Because they hadn’t dealt with their emotions directly, they quickly developed a dangerous addiction.

I’m not saying that if you have had a divorce, death, or some form of chaos in your family that you should be panicking about your kids falling into drug addiction.  I’m just sharing my genuine reactions and inviting comment from families who have been there.  And the truth is that some triggers could be unexpected.  A car accident with use of prescription medication for pain, being raped as a teen, sudden death of a parent – things like that we as parents can’t control.  Just like no one could predict that childbirth would bring depression into my life.

Just be aware of situations and events that could cause your kids deep lasting pain and be there for them.  And keep in mind that plenty of people go through family deaths, divorce, and other problems and do not abuse drugs.  They find other ways to manage their pain and don’t create an addiction.

Please, if you have been through this with your own child, someone else in your family, or if you have been addicted to drugs or alcohol, feel free to share your comments.  I know some things about addiction professionally, but I am no expert of the experience.

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