S14.E04: Zach, Theresa

[Tara Ariano]

Alcoholism is the subject.

 

A man whose father introduced him to heroin has developed an addiction that is raging out of control, which is why his girlfriend is reaching out for help. Also: a woman who still continues to drink uncontrollably even after developing cirrhosis.

[MrHufflepuff]

Hee.  Close-captioning says "Zayden."

[Setlist]

Wasn't the Brad episode actually just a Canadian repeat? I'm worried that I might have missed something!

So, uh. Did Whitney start doing heroin right after clicking "submit" on the A&E website? Such a weird reason to start. I felt so bad for baby Satan.

Theresa seemed kind of cold during her video chat with Candy. I actually expected to hear that she relapsed, but I'm super glad she didn't.

This episode just seemed so... rushed. It ended fifteen minutes ago, and already forgot what sparked the addiction for both subjects.

[courtneystorrie91]

The thing I find funny is that the girl was the one who subitted her boyfriend on to the show then proceeded to be the one who relapsed while the guy stayed sober. She seemed absolutely delusional with this whole "I did it so we could be a family" BS.

[Maharincess]

I haven't watched this show in a few years, after watching tonight and seeing the guy repeatedly stealing from his grandpa, I called my kids and told them how proud I am of them.

[Chaos Theory]

I think Whitney realized she had a problem and submitting Zachary was a passive/aggressive way for her to get help. I was not really clear when she started using and even if it was after she needed help anyway. I find her kind of case interesting because Zachary was able to get clean but it is her who is having trouble.

[Toaster Strudel]

I felt that Whitney did NOT consider herself an addict.  She considered herself the perfect concerned mother who just happened to do tons of coke and heroin to "keep the family together" and have a "hobby" with her thieving husband.  She was selflessly sacrificing herself getting high for the common good.

[JennB]

I'm sitting at my desk, trying not to let my co-workers hear me giggling over "baby Satan." I imagine Zach and/or Whitney had to have been high when they picked that name.

 

I felt so horrible for Zach's grandfather, who kept getting dragged back into Zach's drama, but still stepped up to look after Zayden. I don't know that I would have been able to keep a relationship with a family member who pawned my stuff, then couldn't afford to get it back because the money he'd gotten for it had already gone up his nose.

 

Whitney...man. What a screwed-up idea of "bonding." I wish we'd learned more about her family and background.

 

Maybe she was just mellow, but I felt like Theresa was stoned during her Skype follow-up with Candy.

[starri]

"Got a bunch of people here that love you like crazy..." Oh, Jeff, never change.

 

 

Maybe she was just mellow, but I felt like Theresa was stoned during her Skype follow-up with Candy.

Sometimes when alcoholics are going through detox and working on rehab, they give them Valium.  It's debatable if that's the best idea, but it might have been why she seemed a little out of it.

 

Despite the fact that stealing from his grandfather is pretty despicable, I found myself a lot more sympathetic toward Zach than toward Theresa.  I also thought the contrast between the grandfather and Theresa's father was pretty striking.  The dad saying "Here's your medicine" while bringing her a case of beer sent chills down my spine.  

 

If Zach's really committed to being sober and to his son, he needs to get the hell away from Whitney.

[Primetimer]

The Int-R-Ven-Tron gears up for a two-episode event featuring four substances, three and a half addicts, and one fed-up grandparent.

Read the story

[farmgal4]

I just read the review of the show here. The Brad episode was a repeat, not a new episode. Andrew Galloway was the interventionist for several Canadian episodes. Damn, he's SO hot IMO. The Zachary/Whitney episode was a tear-jerker for me, especially the actual intervention. Watching Zachary pawn everything that wasn't nailed down brought back horrible memories for me; been there, done that, would rather die than do it again. The rehab I went to gave Phenobarbital to alcoholics so that may have been why Teresa seemed so mellow. Jeff V. is starting to look so old, I'm going to cry when he's gone! And again, Candy just can't be beat although Andrew Galloway runs a close second. I think Whitney started using because of the if-you-can't-beat-'em-join-'em mentality. It was very sad that she was the one that relapsed after treatment. She went to Cirque Lodge rehab which is where a lot of celebrities go; maybe she didn't get what she needed there, who knows. I really liked Whitney and Zachary, and I hope they're able to have good recovery together someday. For some reason I don't have much hope in Theresa staying sober. I don't know why, just a feeling I've got. I know this post is all over the place, I just typed it as I thought it. Hope it makes some kind of sense!

[lilacgirl]

Things do seemed rushed when they follow two different people in the hours time.

Their pixelation was not that strong either. I was shocked.

[Sarahendipity]

If you are drinking 30 beers a day, how do you have time to do anything but pee?

[gaPeach]

I knew Brad would not make it from the moment he started talking.  No way.  He loved his drugs too much.  At the intervention he had no empathy for his family crying for him.  Something tells me he was like this before the drugs got hold him and they only accentuated it.  Seemed like an asshole but his family really loves him. 

 

And I was surprised he lasted 11 days in rehab.  I gave him less than a week.

[cynicat]

And I was surprised he lasted 11 days in rehab.  I gave him less than a week.

 

He probably couldn't figure out how to open the door.

[mythoughtis]

Brad didnt seem all that unhappy with his life - he seemed to get by without resorting to crime (other than illegal drug use). He didnt care about his daughter - she cared about him. He didnt care about his siblings or Mom except for what they could do for him.

I think Jeff had it right - Whitney was and had been into it just like Zach. I hope Zach can stay sober - he may have to distance himself and his son from her.

Not expecting Theresa to stay sober or survive - cirrhosis of the liver and all.

[Toaster Strudel]

I am confused.  Was Brad new or repeat?  Did they show two new episodes?  Should I re-program my DVD-R?

[pasdetrois]

So grandpa allowed Zachary and Whitney to live with him and steal from him...until the cameras showed up. THEN he got all macho and physically attacked his grandson. That really annoyed me. But good for him for stepping up to the plate with baby Satan.

 

Whitney was a lost little creature. I had the feeling that she has no sense of self. It wasn't made clear how long she really had been using.

 

I'm from south Louisiana so I always love hearing those unique accents. Theresa thought she was hot stuff, storming into the bar's parking lot in her cool t-shirt and tight jeans to confront someone while the camera rolled. I've spent time in those bars with alcoholic relatives and know that whole lives drift away while they all drink and squabble and have their little dramas.

 

I wonder if Theresa's a candidate for a liver transplant.

 

Jeff looks unwell and almost frail. I hope he's OK.

Edited April 15, 2015 by pasdetrois

[Toaster Strudel]

To be a candidate for liver transplant, you must have stopped drinking for 6 months.

[Calamity Jane]

So, Brad was a repeat from the Canada episodes, which is why Andrew Galloway was on it, and why my DVR did not record it, apparently.  Finally makes sense -- I was trying to figure out what on earth happened and when Andrew joined the US contingent!  

 

I thought at first Jeff's color looked better, pinker, than earlier shows, when he seemed pasty and hollow-eyed, but something about it scared me a little, too.  I hope he is okay and it was just a weird make-up change or something.  I think he's getting tired, though.  

 

Sometimes when I watch this show, I learn things and kind of enjoy the shenanigans.  Lately it just depresses me.  We have a long, long way to go before we truly conquer addiction, if we ever do.  

[lovinbob]

I did not like Whitney at all. And I only liked Zach because of how pathetic he was, and that (so far) he has remained sober. Watching that little boy toddle around while his two parents used and stole -- HORRIFYING. I know documentarians aren't supposed to interfere but I was really hoping someone would step in. The grandfather getting abusive was disturbing (especially the way a grown man like Zach was grappling with him and flinching in fear), but I can imagine how hurt and humiliated grandpa must have felt, especially in the presence of the camera.

 

I loved Theresa's accent--nothing like it. Completely disturbing in so many ways but good for her if she's actually okay. Even if she isn't medicated now, I can  imagine the skype interaction doesn't inspire the most vivacious personality for certain people. What was up with her calling her daughter a lesbian?

[pasdetrois]

 

What was up with her calling her daughter a lesbian?

Regretfully, in my beloved south Louisiana, hurling gay slurs in anger is still considered a deep insult. Sigh.

[Canada]

Oh yes, let's bond over heroin.  Idiot.  Well, an idiot in a family of idiots.  People should be required to have a license and pass a test before having children.