2005

S5.E1 ∙ Janet

Sun, Dec 14, 2008

At age 6, Janet was molested. She was also bullied by other kids, making her extremely self-conscious about her looks. At 18, she married a drug dealer who made her rich, but her husband was sent to prison, leaving her alone with two sons. She turned to drugs and alcohol, and had multiple affairs. Her husband discovered one of her affairs and divorced her.

6.9 /10

S5.E2 ∙ Nicole

Sun, Dec 21, 2008

After being molested as a child, Nicole developed an unusual eating disorder--she was unable to swallow. By age 16, she 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 any food or liquids.

7.2 /10

S5.E3 ∙ Brittany

Sun, Dec 28, 2008

Brittany once dreamed of becoming a police officer to protect people from the traumas that she faced as a child. But at 22, her goal is slipping away. She's a heroin addict who sells her body to get her next high. Can Brittany's family convince her that it's not too late to get help?

8.7 /10

S5.E4 ∙ John C.

Sun, Jan 04, 2009

John has type one diabetes but refuses to be diligent about checking his blood sugar, or taking his insulin. A social misfit and an outcast for many years, John wants to be considered a regular guy, and pretends to be one by eating whatever he wants without regard for his illness. He has been in a near-coma and hospitalized multiple times.

0 /10

S5.E5 ∙ Follow-Up: Tressa & Josh

Sun, Jan 11, 2009

In this follow-up show, we check back in with Tressa and Josh. Tressa's meth addiction destroyed her promising Olympic career. Now eight months sober, she's working hard to stay on the right path and rekindle some of that lost potential. Going home for her mother's wedding, she encounters both the joy and the pain of her old lifestyle.

0 /10

S5.E6 ∙ Casie

Sun, Jan 18, 2009

Once a successful hairstylist, Casie now works in a small-town salon to fuel her $500-a-week meth habit. Casie's childhood was marred by her mother's drug addiction. Suffering from low self-esteem, Casie became bulimic and an addict. She lost her career, her life's savings, and her husband.

5.4 /10

S5.E7 ∙ Anthony

Sun, Jan 25, 2009

From an early age, Anthony's father made him feel worthless. His parents divorced, and his mother remarried, but she was still unhappy and turned to alcohol and drugs. It was little wonder, then, that Anthony began drinking at age 13. Another blow came when Anthony's younger brother died of leukemia.

8.2 /10

S5.E8 ∙ Lana

Sun, Feb 01, 2009

Lana grew up in a family of 11 children, and her older sister introduced her to drinking at the age of seven. Despite this precarious start, Lana excelled in sports and was active in the church. But at 18, Lana began to enter into dangerous relationships with men and started abusing drugs and alcohol. She was in two near-fatal car accidents.

8.8 /10

S5.E9 ∙ Angelina

Sun, Feb 08, 2009

When Angelina was eight, her family grew apart over an argument about money. Her mother turned to prescription drugs and cocaine to deal with the stress. After graduating from high school, Angelina became her younger brother's legal guardian, but she was overwhelmed by the job of taking care of her brother and addict mother.

8.4 /10

S5.E10 ∙ Chris

Sun, Feb 15, 2009

Born into a family with traditional Catholic values, Chris struggled with his sexuality until coming out at 18. Now, at 34, Chris feels that being gay has cheated him out of the things he wants most--marriage, children, and inclusion in his family. He drinks first thing in the morning to ward off tremors, he's abusive to his partner, and he can't keep a job.

0 /10

S5.E11 ∙ Intervention In-Depth: Compulsive Gambling

Sun, Feb 22, 2009

The face of gambling addiction has changed, dramatically. More women are falling prey to this insidious compulsion. They often sit for hours in front of slot-machines, poker tables, or even online gaming sites--leaving children unattended and piling up staggering debts. This is no longer a game. Many of these women have gone to great lengths to hide their gambling from families, only to hit rock bottom and lose everything. Some even serve time in jail. We will go inside this compulsion, examining the shame and fear that keeps it hidden, and the surprising casualties caught up in the gamble.

0 /10

S5.E12 ∙ Nik and Tiffany

Sun, Mar 01, 2009

A successful business man and college graduate, Nik, 35, is a big family man. But now homeless after an accident, OxyContin became Nik's drug of choice. Now he abuses heroin since it is cheaper and has lost contact with his son and sisters. Tiffany was a basketball star in high school but has seen a violent marriage fall apart through her parents. After she married, her husband was controlling, leaving Tiffany feeling worthless. She drinks to self-medicate. However, she is a dangerous drunk, to herself and others. She has already attempted suicide.

0 /10

S5.E13 ∙ Sandy

Sun, Mar 15, 2009

By her late 20's, Sandy had achieved the American Dream. She was married with four beautiful daughters and owned a home she and her husband built themselves. But today, Sandy's life is unrecognizable from what it once was. Her days consist of combining prescription drugs with a pint of vodka, and relying on her daughters to monitor both her diabetes and drinking.

0 /10

S5.E14 ∙ Sharon

Sun, Mar 22, 2009

A 51-year-old grandmother, Sharon is a compulsive shopper who has undergone numerous plastic surgeries to feel better about her appearance. She also feels she must hit herself. She has bruises on her thighs and stomach and repeatedly hits her head with a hairbrush. Now things are getting even worse.

7.6 /10