Battling Addictions

Alyson's family says she was smart and ambitious when she was young. She attended a prestigious university and held an internship at the White House, even getting invited back for a second summer. But that's not how Alyson described herself on Intervention, a controversial show on A&E. "I am 27 years old," she says. "I wish I could say I am a lawyer, or I am an actress. But I can't. I am a drug addict. That comes first before anything." Alyson is addicted to both crack and opiates. The cameras from Intervention followed Alyson for several days, filming her buying and smoking crack, and even stealing morphine from her dying father's bedside.

Alyson was truly struggling with her addictions. Her relationship with her family, particularly with her mother and sister, Kara, were especially frayed. "I wonder what I did wrong with my life," Alyson says. "There's so much I did wrong and I can never take it back, ever. It's going to haunt me until the day I die." Despite her regret, Alyson was completely unable to gain control of her life.

Alyson's family, believing that they had just one more chance to get her straight, asked substance abuse addiction specialist Jeff VanVonderen to help them conduct an intervention.