Paper Example on Overcoming Addiction: Tom & John's Journey

Intervention is a documentary television series that follows participants with an addiction as they undergo intervention by family members or friends. The seventh episode of the 19th season titled Tom & John features two brothers who are addicted to heroin. 23-years-old Tom and 21-years-old John grew up helping their parents and grandparents run a successful business. Although they appeared to be a hardworking and close-knit family, the brothers got trapped in a dark history of drug abuse. Their mother figured out that all could be lost if they did not seek help.

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John and Tom's parents describe how talented, hard-working, and smart both boys were before they became addicts. John Sr., the brothers' father, states in the episode that John could do anything he wished if he just put his mind into it. Their mother describes Tom as a sweet and loving little boy who took care of her and his younger brother. The two brothers were very proud of the family business since they were little boys, and saw their future in it. That was before they fell into a life of drug addiction and homelessness. John spends on average $100 per day on heroin, while Tom consumes between 15 and 20 sachets of heroin per day, each costing $3.

Tom and John began using heroin when they were 19 and 17 respectively. They had earlier dropped out of high school to work in the family's timber business. At around that time, their grandfather retired from the business and left it to the brothers and their father. However, they were unable to run it efficiently and it soon collapsed. With no source of income and having incessant domestic disputes with family members, the brothers fell into depression. It is at that time that they began using heroin.

The brothers' entire family has a history of drug abuse. Their father is also a heroin addict while their mother is an alcoholic. John narrates that he was about six years old when he first saw his mother sniffing crack cocaine. He also describes how their parents were always drunk and intoxicated when the brothers were very young to the extent that they were unable to care for them. At one point, the two together with their younger sister had to be taken under the care of their grandfather. Tom and John also suffered minor abuse in the hands of their drug addicted parents, something that they admit contributed to their own heroin addiction.

Conclusion

The heroin addiction has had long-term effects on the brothers' lives. They are unemployed and no longer run the family business, meaning they have no means of earning a living. The two are homeless as they were kicked out of their parents' home and cannot afford to rent a house. They resort to petty crimes and drug peddling to earn money for buying heroin. Towards the end of the episode, Tom and John agree to join a rehabilitation center. However, an addiction counselor warns them that they have to avoid other drug addicts if they want to kick the habit for good. Interacting with other addicts increases the chances of a relapse. In my own opinion, the Intervention episode paints a real picture of what heroin addicts go through. My only problem is that it has a lot of vulgar language, although the producers censor most of the expletives.