Does 'Intervention' Really Work? According to the Success Rate, the Series Is Saving Lives

For the last 16 years, Intervention has given viewers a glimpse into the lives of drug addicts and alcoholics, as well as the loved ones who are desperate to save them. With the help of devoted interventionalists, many of the subjects featured in the series have been given a second chance at life, but not every episode has a happy ending. 

Along with Season 4’s Brooke Renee Boulter, who died of a drug overdose in 2014, Season 6 participant Sandy Saunders died of diabetic ketoacidosis despite completing treatment 11 months earlier, and fans wonder if the show is really helping anyone. So what’s the success rate of the addicts featured on Intervention? 

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. Creator of Intervention Sam Mettler told ABC News that the show’s 71 percent recovery rate can be attributed to the highly effective 90-day treatment programs that have been made available. 

"[Families] turn to us not only for financial help but to get emotional help, and to understand how to get better. But treatment centers are very expensive, and the average American can't afford it." 

He added, "It takes a tremendous amount of courage for a family to put their life's horror on camera. But they've been living a nightmare for years and don't know what to do."

Interventionist Jeff VanVonderen shared how the series has been able to break through to addicts when traditional methods don’t work. He told The Daily Beast, "It's not because of the show that people have broken through their addiction — I think it's because of the intervention.”

He added, “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.”

While some subjects have refused treatment, statistics show that Intervention has saved a lot of lives. In the past, several participants have been open about their experience on the show, including but not limited to Leslie, a Sunday school teacher and PTA mom who was struggling with alcohol addiction. But where is she now? 

Among the most memorable participants featured on Intervention are Jason and Joy, Cassie, and Leslie, who opened up about her experience on Intervention in an interview with Oprah. In the interview, Leslie urged other moms to seek help for their addictions. 

"The only thing important to me was to get that next drink of alcohol. Every day, I live with the pain of the fact that my husband took my children, and I drank and caused that." She continued, "You don't need to live in that pain or that shame. Alcoholism does not define who I am. That does not make Leslie who she is. ... There's help out there for you."

You can watch new episodes of Intervention Mondays at 10 p.m. EST on A&E.