Andy DehnartOf the addicts who have appeared on A&E’s Intervention, 71 percent are still sober: 130 out of 161, The Daily Beast reports, which calls that rate “astonishingly high.”
That’s attributed in part to the fact that the show’s “researchers spend an average of two weeks compiling a psychological profile of the addict that’s then reviewed by [Candy] Finnigan and [Jeff] VanVonderen,” and there’s also “a dedicated facility liaison, Jennifer Sneider, who chooses what kind of rehab the participant is sent to.” That makes sure there’s “an accurate diagnosis.”
Another reason why it works, The Daily Beast says, ends up on screen for a couple minutes but actually takes six or eight hours: “the intervention training with the addict’s loved ones.” There’s also the fact that the show’s rehab lasts 90 days, not the previous standard of 28 days, which “the production team, including the interventionists, say that it’s the show that has influenced the wide adoption of the 90-day program.”