DJ AM's Gone Too Far on MTV

DJ AM's last project before his life was cut short by drug addiction was a television show called Gone Too Far. It was scheduled to start airing on MTV, but, when DJ AM died MTV decided to postpone the show to decide whether or not they should air it at all. Gone Too Far is about drug addicts and assisting them in getting the help that they need to start a new life. DJ AM was the host of the show and ironically he overdosed on a sleuth of prescription medications and illegal drugs. AM had been struggling with addiction for several years especially after a plane crash, which he was severely injured in last year. Adam "DJ AM" Goldstein battled with his addiction for the greater part of his, he decided that a show to help people that needed assistance with there addiction would be a way to give back. MTV decided to respect DJ AM's mission by airing Gone Too Far, you can watch the premier on October 12th at 10:00 PM ET/PT on MTV(check your local listings)

"Gone Too Far is an intense and eye-opening series, which reveals the devastating effects of drug addiction while offering hope to those willing to accept an opportunity to change their lives", states MTV. What has shown to be the most effective when dealing with your addiction is to give back that which was freely given to you. Helping others and showing them how to get on the road to recovery is the most important part of one's sobriety. Freeing one's self form the grips of addiction is not something that can be done alone, working with others is perhaps the most vital part of the recovery process. "Each episode features Adam meeting with the addicts, friends and families to explore their willingness to change. As part of his life long struggle to overcome substance abuse, his mission was to help as many people as he could and this series was a way for him to help on a bigger level. Through interviews and self-shot video from the addicts and their families, the severity of their addiction and its impact is exposed. Adam often uncovers and reveals new information that even those closest to the addicts are unaware. Along the road to recovery, Adam made the time to see how their rehabilitation was progressing, providing a raw and honest look at their new sobriety. Each addict's path to sobriety is different and only time will tell if they will ever come back, from having gone too far", according to MTV.

Gone Too Far will be informative and could potentially help some of the show's viewers get closer to making the decision to seek help. Asking for help is the hardest part of the recovery process; in the back of every addict's mind is the idea that there has to be another way. Unfortunately, many people die trying to figure out that there is no alternative. Drug and Alcohol addiction leads to only three things, jails, institutions, and death. There is help out there if one is willing to accept it and begin the journey towards recovery. Confucius said, "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step". I encourage everyone to tune in to this series if they are or know someone struggling with addiction. Gone Too Far will give all those who watch a glimpse into the world of addiction and what it takes to get sober.

Gone Too Far - MTV Shows

Should Young Children be Involved in a Parent's Intervention?

I hope by now most of my readers have had a chance to watch Bret's story. There has been a lot written about Bret and his intervention involving his children. Should young children be involved in a parent's intervention? Obviously, every case is different and that needs to be taken into account by all interventionists attempting to help families of alcoholics.

Bret's teenage daughter Kelsey and younger son Kyle were present at Bret's televised intervention on A&E. The family and the interventionist agreed that having the children present could be very persuasive in helping Bret make the decision to go to treatment. Unfortunately, the children's pleas were relatively ineffective leaving them both angry and in tears. Many people watching this episode may feel like the children's involvement in the intervention was unnecessary and damaging to the children. However, children of alcoholics who are at a cognizant age are not strangers to the pain and suffering at the hands of their addicted parent. Kelsey and Kyle have dealt and are still dealing with the years of pain; unfortunately the children of addicts need to confront their parent in order to explain how their drinking deeply affects them. This is a sad but true reality, one that is rarely pretty but indeed necessary.

Without a doubt no one wants to see a child suffering and seeing a show that deals with the sickness of drug and alcohol addiction is never pleasant to watch. We need to keep in mind that the interventionists, like Ken Seeley, know what they are doing and if there was ever a point where the children's safety was in jeopardy they would have been pulled away from danger. Interventions can be a trial and error event; many different avenues of techniques need to be attempted when trying to convince someone they need treatment. Ultimately, it was not Bret's children that got him into treatment; but, I believe the children's role was ever so crucial, not only for Bret but also the children. Kelsey and Kyle are two very strong children who wanted and were allowed to participate in their father's intervention that relieved Bret of his dependency long enough for him to die a sober individual. Those last days that they were able to spend with their Dad were ever so precious and probably worth a hundred interventions.

I encourage you to comment on whether children should be present at an intervention. If you are struggling with questions of how to do an intervention for your loved one, call Hope by the Sea...

P.S. A Jury recommended a sentence of life in prison for Jesse James Hollywood.

A&E TV's Intervention Covered Bret and how his Alcoholism Destroyed his Family

A&E TV's Intervention covered Bret and how Alcoholism destroyed his family. Before Bret's alcoholism progressed out of control he was a successful real estate mortgage broker, but that all changed when alcohol started to take its toll. Two years ago Bret's family attempted to offer him the opportunity of treatment via an Intervention which he accepted only to end up relapsing. Everything in Bret's life spiraled out of control after his relapse; he lost his wife, kids, and his career in the grips of his severe alcoholism. His family decided that they would give an Intervention one more shot before they turned their backs on him out of love.

Bret's story is not too dissimilar to every alcoholic's or drug addict's story, the circumstances are different for sure, but where every addict ends up is generally the same - jails, institutions, and death! Bret's disease told him that nothing would work and until he was mentally ready to rid alcohol from his life he would continue to drink. His relapse in a way reaffirmed the belief that an alcoholic can get better on their own, saying the same thing that many who try working a program of recovery say, "I tried that, but it didn't work and I won't put myself through that again". When a program of recovery does not work for someone it is usually because they did not let it work and they let their disease continue to influence the choices they make. When this happens, a relapse is only a matter of time and where they pick up is usually a lot worse than where they left off.

Intervention did a great job painting a picture of the pain that Bret was inflicting on his family and friends. Tears and anger are common themes in most families plagued by alcohol; the feeling of helplessness is present in everything. Intervention, with the help of Ken Seeley, a professional interventionist, gave Bret's family the tools to help Bret make the decision to change his life. I'm glad to report that they were successful in their endeavor to get Bret into treatment at Hope by the Sea in Laguna Niguel, California. Unfortunately, the years of drinking had done its damage to Bret's body and after 80 days of treatment he had become very sick and was diagnosed with advanced esophageal cancer. With 104 days sober, cancer spread throughout his body, Bret passed away this summer on June 19th, 2009.

Bret's 104 days of sobriety was a major achievement for him and he was able to give his family back the husband and father they had known. As sick as he was he made a point of being emotionally available to those who love him right up until the end of his days. Bret was able to make amends to those he had hurt before he died, giving his friends and family the ability to remember Bret for who he really was. I invite everyone to watch the show and the memoriam on A&E and send me your thoughts so that next week we can discuss this more...

Bret's Story
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Bret's Memoriam

The Emmy Nominated Intervention has been Changing Peoples Lives

The Emmy nominated Intervention has been changing peoples' lives, chronicling individuals in the grips of addiction. Every episode ends with the friends and family of the suffering addict taking part in an intervention to help convince them that they need treatment. The intervention part of recovery is perhaps the most important aspect, one that can be delicate and should be done a certain way with a professional mediator - the interventionist.

Intervention lets people know what options they have regarding treatment when they feel like they have nowhere to turn. Not only has this A & E program helped the people seen on the show but also the viewers who may be less informed about the recovery process. Success with recovery is never guaranteed; however, once the seed of recovery has been planted then the addict's chances exponentially increase. The friends and families of addicts are given tools necessary to confront the suffering individual and help them walk through the doors of treatment.

I encourage everyone to watch Intervention Monday evening, July 13 to see Bret's story. “Now 43, Bret once had a promising career in real estate. But the stress to make more money to provide for his family took its toll, and Bret became an alcoholic. Two years ago, Bret's family held an intervention and sent him to rehab programs, but he relapsed. His wife finally divorced him, he lost his job, and he continues to be totally focused on drinking. Having already tried an intervention, Bret's family must understand what they did wrong the last time in order to save his life this time around.”

If you are struggling with addiction, I hope that you will be able to watch this show with the expectation that you might take something from it that may guide you towards recovery. Recovery starts with the individual, but if success is to be achieved, both friends and family need to work and be a part of the recovery process, whether it is in the intervention itself or the family program at a drug treatment facility. To assist our patients and their families, Hope by the Sea has a family group program every Saturday from 9:30am to 11:30am and can also schedule for an individual session with our clinical director.

I will look forward to watching this episode. Let me know if you will be tuning in.

Celebrity Addiction always seems to get more Attention than Family Substance Abuse

Celebrity addiction always seems to get more attention than family substance abuse. I often read news articles about celebrities getting in trouble with drugs and alcohol. The whole world is shocked to find out that one of their favorite stars, to everyone's surprise, has a drug problem. Everyone asks how can this be? Why would somebody who has everything need to get caught up in the drug world? The answer is that there is more to drug addiction than how much money somebody has or how famous they are. Addiction rears its ugly head in every family and in every society because addiction is a disease that can be passed down to a person through their blood line. No amount of stature, wealth, or prestige has the power to make an individual immune to the disease of addiction.

Anywhere you look, whether it's downstairs sitting in front of the T.V. or in the bedroom your older brother sleeps in, the possibility for addiction exists. I believe that it is fair to say that there is not one person on this planet who does not know of an addict in their own life. A friend, relative, or even your doctor could, as we speak, be abusing drugs and alcohol. Even if you are not currently aware of it, I am sure this is taking place right under your nose. You see the drug addict and alcoholic have developed over a number of years of practice skills necessary to fool even their closest loved ones into believing that nothing is going on; or if it is going on that the problem is under their control.

However, over time signs start to appear that make you feel like something is not right with your friend or family member. At first, many people brush off signs like disorganization, lack of responsibility, and frequent mood swings. Maybe they are having a bad day, week, month, or year and there is no reason to be alarmed. When it comes to family and friends we sometimes will ignore these traits because on a subconscious level we don't want to believe the truth in order to protect ourselves and that it is easier to continue on living our "happy little lives". This is completely understandable behavior because of the idea that the less we think we know hurts less than the pain of finding out the truth.

But, at a certain point in every one's addiction, one starts to approach their "bottom"; a bottom so filled with pain and despair that few are ever able to pull themselves out of without the proper kind of help. This is when the friends and family, of the suspected addict, come together to discuss what should be done. Treatment is usually the first idea and the most effective idea when trying to get help for those that you care about. Passing off the signs as opposed to addressing them immediately is the worst thing you can do for the one you care about. When you notice a pattern of behavior that appears to be unhealthy, probably means that it is unhealthy. The quicker you move towards addressing these problems, the quicker the sick individual can get help, ignoring the writing on the wall will only allow an addict more time to makes things worse.

Intervention is one way to address the problem, Hope by the Sea is proud to be a featured treatment center on A & E's highly rated, Emmy Nominated series, INTERVENTION. Check back next week when I will post the airtime for the next INTERVENTION episode that features Hope by the Sea.