Basic cable and "reality" programming thrive on American's well-established predilection for all things paranormally creepy; phantom-hunting shows proliferate like bugs in damp places. The dazzling success of "Intervention" TV series and its spin-offs demonstrates they also have an insatiable appetite for other people's behavioral disorders. A&E network innocently claims, "'Intervention' raises awareness about the alternatives and treatment options available to those who suffer from an alcohol or drug addiction, and gives hope to families who have nowhere left to turn." Viewers more honestly explain "Intervention" vividly, realistically shows the horrors of drug addiction and codependency. The show makes perfectly and painfully clear how addicts and their families suffer with the symptoms and consequences of chemical and alcohol dependency. At the end of each hour-long horror show, "Intervention" shows a family and either Jeff VanVonderen or Candy Finnigan, highly trained and experienced psychotherapists, staging an intervention with their chemically dependent loved-one. Most episodes show addicts agreeing to enter treatment, but the producers of "Intervention" TV show make it abundantly clear that no one is guaranteed a happy ending.

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