A&E struck gold back in 2005 when they launched Intervention, a docu-style series following alcoholics and drug addicts (and some struggling with other disorders) from what we hope is their bottom through a staged intervention and, if all goes well, off to treatment. Though briefly canceled in 2013, the show was (thankfully) revived just a year later and has now officially entered its 15th season. This week’s episode was a re-run from Intervention Canada, which originally debuted on September 1, 2011, but aired as the ninth episode of Season 15 on Sunday, May 1.
This Is Loren
The youngest of three, Loren was always Daddy’s little girl—until the day he walked out and never came back. The devastating disappearing act of her father, followed by the sudden and tragic death of her high school sweetheart, was enough to send 14-year-old Loren into a tailspin of destructive drinking that has lasted over a decade. Now 26 (but looking 36), the former heath care worker is a full-time boozer who, with the help of her alcoholic girlfriend, Christy, throws back three liters of boxed wine a day (don’t worry, they mix it with ginger ale).
Though still young, Loren’s alcoholism has advanced to the point where she endures seizures—several a day—caused by either too much or too little alcohol. As a result, she takes Diazepam, an incognito name for Valium, to treat the condition because obviously quitting drinking is out of the question. While it’s unclear if the medication has actually been prescribed to her by a doctor or if she is getting it from la farmacia de la calle (that’s the pharmacy of the streets), I think we can all agree that it’s not be mixed with alcohol so…good times.
Loren is in much better physical shape than her partner, Christy, who is operating with only 10% liver function due to long-term alcohol abuse (she also appears to be operating with only 10% of her eyebrows due to long-term tweezers abuse). In addition to having the visible appearance that she’s withering away, Christy has been told by her doctors that if she doesn’t radically change her lifestyle, she will be dead within a year. Unfortunately, “stop drinking boxed wine” is an item on her to-do list that she hasn’t managed to get to yet.
Taking care of one another in their respective illnesses, Loren and Christy feed off each other, both drowning in addiction and denial, unable to separate out of fear that the other will die without them. And while this may sound dramatic, the fact that both have had overdoses and/or suicide attempts within the past year leads me to believe that their concerns are valid.
What It Was Like
According to Loren’s mom, Loren was a feisty little girl full of guts and gumption but by the time she was five years old, something had changed. Dad’s abandonment broke her spunky spirit and was replaced by a defiance towards authority.
When Loren was seven, her mom married Don, a recovering alcoholic with 29 years of sobriety. He and Loren “clicked” right away and looking back, Don thinks this might have been because he intuitively knew that she was like him in that way.
Though she started experimenting with alcohol at the age of 12, Loren’s drinking didn’t take off until she was in high school and her boyfriend was tragically killed in a car accident. However, she managed to keep her grades up and graduate high school and college and get a job in the health care industry. She worked hard, putting in long hours but also partying. “I was a functional alcoholic,” Loren says, but sadly, there isn’t much functional about her now.
What Happened
While Loren’s family may have pointed to the loss of her first love and the ghosting of her dad as the reasons behind her destructive drinking, there was actually something much bigger that she was carrying with her. And it wasn’t until she was 21 years old, when her maternal grandfather passed away, that she was able to comes to terms with the fact that he had molested her when she was just five years old. She finally confided in her mother about what happened. “It was like a baseball hitting me at 90 miles an hour in the middle of my head,” Loren’s mom said. “She was an innocent little girl and it was a total betrayal.”
I’m not going to say that any of this was the reason Loren proceeded to move in with a 30-year old crack addict and start using, but I am certain it didn’t help. According to her sister, Loren would call her mom and beg for help and then her mom would drive down to the crack house and try and get her out. But usually, by the time she got down there, Loren had changed her mind.
But somewhere, somehow, Loren managed to ditch the pipe and during a stint in rehab, meet Christy. The two now live together, sharing boxes of wine and prescription medication, which they combine on a daily basis.
As if things weren’t glum enough in Loren’s world, last year her stepbrother Donny, whom she lived with since the age of seven, died of a heroin overdose after confessing to her that he wanted to go back to treatment. Loren’s plan was for her and Donny to go back to rehab together, but as with many well-intentioned drug addicts, that day never came.
It was at this point that Loren hit a bottom and tried to commit suicide. “My mom spent all of Mother’s Day cleaning up the blood off of her floor,” her sister Erin tells the cameras. “And that is just something that a mother shouldn’t have to do.”
What It’s Like Now
Loren is what some may refer to as a “hot mess.” With no job and no responsibilities (other than to take care of their dog, Sadie), Loren and Christy spend their days doing nothing but drinking, taking pills, fighting, vomiting blood and having seizures. Loren needs a certain amount of alcohol in her system to function and is hyper-focused on not going through withdrawal, especially since she knows it could kill her.
Christy, who is living off of disability payment from a car accident several years ago, is the Daddy Warbucks in the relationship since Loren is on welfare (which I didn’t know you could be on as a single person). Every morning, she goes to the store to get supplies for day and the employees of the local liquor store joke with her about it. “Aw, she’s back for her box of wine again,” they’ll say and she doesn’t seem to have any shame about it, though she makes a point of mixing her drinks with ginger ale so that they don’t go through two boxes of wine a day. Gotta love an alcoholic who can stay on budget!
Christy says she enjoys the ritual of going out to get the booze as it “gives her something to do.” I imagine it is also nice to have a human interaction with someone other than your drunken girlfriend. But Christy’s life wasn’t always confined to daily trips to the liquor store followed by a 17-pill drug regime; she once had a “picture perfect” life with a husband and two kids, all of which she lost to her addiction.
As it stands now for Loren, her brother Adam refuses to have contact with her, admitting that he “has songs picked out for her funeral.” It’s been two years since she has seen her sister Erin, and she has yet to meet her baby niece, Aubrey. And like many parents of addicts, Loren’s mother is trapped in a painful cycle of codependence—not wanting to enable her daughter’s disease but also afraid that if she doesn’t, Loren might die. Don is in a lot of pain as well; having just lost his son to heroin addiction, he dreads going through this process again. There is no question that Loren’s alcoholism has affected and disjointed her entire family.
The Pre-Intervention
I think my favorite part of this episode is the morning before the intervention, which I assume is St. Patrick’s Day since both Loren and Christy are dressed in green. Loren even sports a festive, sequined hat for the occasion, which they celebrate by doing the exact same thing they do every day. But what makes this day kind of special is the girls get a visit from Jay, Loren’s ex-boyfriend. Even though Jay seems to be having female problems and is looking to Loren for support, Christy is suspicious of their relationship. Of course, nothing mixes with alcohol quite like jealousy, so by the time Loren is wasted and half-passed out in bed, Christy is fuming and starts a fight with her.
Back at the ranch (there isn’t really a ranch, I just liked the way it sounds), both Loren and Christy’s families, who have never met until today, are gathered at Loren’s mom’s house, along with interventionist Andrew Galloway, to discuss the plan for the intervention. Both families agree that the girls are in a severely codependent relationship. “I’ve talked to Christy,” Loren’s stepdad says, “and she is willing to go to treatment but she’s afraid that if she goes, Loren will kill herself.” Christy’s mom agrees and adds, “And Loren has said the same, that if she goes, she’s afraid Christy will kill herself.” Ain’t love grand?
For this reason, Galloway is conducting a double intervention; something he says is very difficult because if one person says no, it’s likely the other one will as well. However, neither may agree to go to treatment without knowing what the other is going to do. Loren has been to rehab at least once before and Christy has been 11 times. The families discuss their bottom lines, which include cutting off all contact and financial support.
The Intervention
The morning of Loren’s “final interview,” which is apparently happening at her mom’s house, Christy wakes Loren up with a to-go cup of wine and the two of them head over together. As soon as she walks in the door and sees her entire family and Christy’s parents, Loren knows what is happening and freaks out. But it’s not as bad as everyone had anticipated; she just has a small tantrum and storms outside. Andrew and Christy follow her out and convince her to go back inside and listen to what everyone has to say.
Adam starts by explaining to his baby sister that waking up each day wondering if she is going to survive the day is absolute hell. Then Christy’s dad reads his letter and the tone goes from heartfelt pleas to being totally over it. “Christy, I’m exhausted,” he says. Christy’s mother doesn’t read a letter from her but rather one from Christy’s 11-year old son, Alex, where he begs his mom to accept help. Christy starts to cry.
Next up is Loren’s stepdad, who recalls that his deceased son’s last words to him were that he was willing to get back into recovery. He pleads to Loren to accept the help that is being offered.
Finally, Loren’s mother reads her letter, which addresses both women. She tells Christy that her health is visibly declining and she tells her daughter that she can’t take it anymore and things need to change.
At this point, Galloway officially asks Christy if she will accept the offer to go to treatment. And what never fails to surprise me about addiction is that even with her doctor’s orders to change her lifestyle or die, even with her liver shutting down, even with her blood vomiting and visible weight loss, even with her child’s pleas to get help, Christy still hesitates. “How long do I have to go for?” Seriously? You are about to die and someone is offering you free rehab! “Ninety days,” Galloway says, and Christy is noticeably discouraged. “It’s an opportunity to give you life,” he reminds her. She finally agrees.
Galloway then addresses Loren and is met with more hesitation. But with her family ready to close the door on her and her financial and physical caretaker leaving for three months, Loren is kind of out of options. After some additional tearful begging from her family, Loren also agrees to go to treatment. They will go to separate facilities.
Everyone is very relieved and hugs are had by all. Then they cue the sappy music and we see that Loren gets to hold her niece for the first time. Both women leave for treatment.
Two Months Later
Loren has made visible strides during her first 60 days of treatment. Looking healthy and sounding happy and coherent, Loren gives us a tour of the beautiful rehab, Cedars at Cobble Hill, while sharing about her plans to go back to school to get her nursing degree.
Christy is also thriving in her treatment program and has gained a much needed 30 pounds and cut her hair. She looks great and seems optimistic about the future, though she seems to be struggling with the ending of her and Loren’s relationship. Loren says it was amicable and the two will remain friends (to see a follow-up on Loren and Christy, click here).
Today
Christy has been sober since she entered treatment on March 28, 2011. Loren had a brief relapse after she completed treatment but is sober now.
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