The Most Disturbing ‘Intervention’ Cases

Warning: This post contains disturbing subject matter.

A&E’s award-winning docuseries Intervention profiles people whose addictions have taken control of their lives. Every episode offers a heartbreaking tale of how alcohol, drugs, or other compulsive behaviors have led to destruction and devastation in people’s personal lives, and how their family and friends are trying to help them battle the addictions.

The series has been running since 2005, and there has been a seemingly endless number of shocking stories detailed throughout all 18 seasons. While every willing participant on Intervention has gone through traumatic experiences, there are some episodes that have stood out from the rest as being the most disturbing for viewers.

Keep scrolling to see the most disturbing cases that have been featured on Intervention.

Season 2, Episode 18: Cristy

Cristy was 24 at the time her Intervention episode was filmed. She is from Norco, California, and her alcohol and drug addiction had taken control of her life.

Cristy was born into a tight-knit family and was chasing after a career in clothing design before she became addicted to alcohol and crystal meth. Then she began making her money as a stripper, so her family intervened.

Audiences will likely remember how this episode featured a heavy amount of nudity and how Cristy suffered from serious delusions. She was addicted to both meth and alcohol and was living in a rent-free guest house behind her father’s rental property that had not been maintained well.

When she was out of the money she made stripping, Cristy would hang out around liquor stores asking men to buy her vodka. She blamed her parents’ separation — which happened when she was just 9 years old — for the cause behind her destructive behavior.

She had multiple warrants out for her arrest and said that she would rather go to jail than to get treatment, which made it all the more urgent that Cristy’s family and friends did an intervention.

This episode originally aired on August 2006.

‘Intervention’ Season 15, Episode 2: Sierra

Sierra, from Redding, California, was 19 years old at the time of her intervention. She was addicted to meth and fortunately had the help of her interventionist, Donna, who was able to handle this delicate situation.

In the episode, Sierra was shown suffering a meth-induced psychosis. She was arrested on multiple occasions and she would rant at her mother saying unintelligible comments that meant something to her, but nothing to anyone else. Sierra used about 1.5 grams of meth every day during the height of her addiction.

Sierra was the daughter of a small business owner and an honor student with college dreams. Then a double-dealing artist made his way into her mother’s life and he gambled away their home, leading Sierra to a scary, drug-induced psychotic break. Today, the 19-year-old is a feral junkie, scrapping for a fix on the streets of California. 

The episode originally aired on March of 2016.

‘Intervention’ Season 5, Episode 4: Nicole

Nicole, from Baltimore, Maryland, was 32 at the time her Invention episode aired.

After being forced to perform a sex act on her father’s friend when she was just a child, Nicole developed a triggered response — an eating disorder — in which she was unable to swallow. The man admitted to the crime and got probation for it. However, he still lived in her neighborhood.

The most disturbing aspect of her case was that no one in Nicole’s life seemed to be sympathetic to her situation. Her parents did nothing when it happened and everyone just told her to move on and get over it.

By age 16, Nicole weighed just 68 pounds, and doctors inserted a feeding tube into her stomach. The tube was supposed to be temporary, but 16 years later, Nicole still relies on the tube and can’t swallow food or drink. She also abuses prescription drugs and neglects her two daughters. Her husband plans to divorce her if she continues to neglect their children.

This episode aired on December 22, 2008.

‘Intervention’ Season 3, Episode 7: Laney

Laney was severely addicted to alcohol and was hospitalized after attempting suicide. However, at the time the episode was filmed, she did not want to confront her problems.

When Laney overheard that her family was going to stage an intervention, she rushed home as quickly as possible. When the family showed up at her house the following day, Laney had locked herself in the mansion and called the police on them.

While her life hit a rough patch, Laney once had what many would think was a picturesque life. Her addiction to alcohol eventually led her marriage failing, and trips to the ICU for trying to kill herself.

The episode featuring Laney aired on June 1, 2007. 

‘Intervention’ Season 5, Episode 10

Lana, from St. George, Utah, was 24 years old at the time of her Intervention episode. The most disturbing part of her story was what happened to her six months before the episode aired.

She was addicted to drugs and alcohol and was the victim of sexual assault. Most shockingly, Lana was shown video footage of herself being sexually assaulted for five hours by the police. However, because she had been drugged, Lana was unaware that it ever happened.

She was in two near-fatal car accidents and was also is in a relationship plagued by physical violence.

The episode originally aired on February 2, 2009.