S15.E05: Karissa

[Tara Ariano]

A former cook gets help to overcome self-abuse, self-medication and an addiction to heroin.

[Supagirl]

Holy moly, is that interventionist Sylvia "Where are my babies???" Parsons? I dunno...I think Karissa needed no-nonsense Jeff or Candy or Ken on this one.

[Primetimer]

Or so she says, but her heroin habit has other ideas.

Read the story

[Setlist]

My heart stopped when they said she overdosed, but thankfully the Sylvia Skype session followed.

I will say that I laughed out loud when Sylvia was like, "You know me, I'm Sylvia!" after Karissa darted out of the Intervention. Of course we, as fans, know Sylvia... But it's not like she's a household name.

(They did hug immediately afterward, so maybe Karissa is more familiar with the show than I'm giving her credit for.)

[Enero]

Holy moly, is that interventionist Sylvia "Where are my babies???" Parsons? I dunno...I think Karissa needed no-nonsense Jeff or Candy or Ken on this one.

It worked out, but I agree. I thought Karissa needed a more experienced interventionist for her case.

She looked great in rehab. I was surprised she looked to have lost so much weight. You'd think an addict who was as far off the rails as she was would've been smaller before rehab instead of after.

I wasn't surprised when she left rehab, but was surprised when she returned to rehab. She really was in bad shape and just didn't seem ready at all to get clean. Glad that does seem to want to stay clean and that she is continuing to work on her sobriety. I wish her much success.

Edited April 11, 2016 by Enero

[artemiseast]

I believe this is the mandatory "Diner Owner" hairdo.  It is actually the secret behind keeping the hash browns crispy.  Tee hee.

[pasdetrois]

So great to see Sylvia. Wonder how long she'll be able to keep the sweet, imploring approach to doing interventions. Sylvia 2017: "Get your ass in here and sit the fuck down." You know she's got it in her.

 

I laughed when the family was trying to be all dramatic and confrontational with Karissa and that happy bouncy tail-swishey retriever came barreling in to the room. So cute.

[Cherrio]

Is Sylvia far enough in her own recovery to do interventions?    My opinion would be no, especially considering how bad off she was.  Also, I think its telling when people almost instantly become "interventionists"or counselors.  It seems they might be trading one addiction for another, being immersed in someone else's addiction.

           Like another poster mentioned about Sylvia saying, you know me......what was that?  Does she think she is famous?

[grumpypanda]

Carissa's doctor is going to feel awfully stupid after this episode airs seeing how easy she was played for that Suboxone prescription. I'm surprised she didn't make her pinky swear not to sell her medicine. On the other hand it was pretty stupid for Carissa to sell her prescription on camera.

Anyway, I'm no heroin expert but I think Carissa was getting ripped off by her drug dealer. How the hell was she able to shoot ten bags of heroin and still stand? I know people develop a tolerance but either those were tiny bags or really weak drugs.

I guess it's a good thing though otherwise she'd probably be dead by now.

[farmgal4]

I was puzzled by Sylvia's comment, as well. Maybe Karissa's family told Sylvia that Karissa had watched the episode that featured Sylvia. That's the only explanation I can come up with. Karissa was using a shitload of heroin. I've never seen anyone put that much heroin into one dose, and to put Klonopin on top of all that heroin? I honestly don't know how the girl is still alive. I'm not surprised that she overdosed after leaving rehab. Many addicts do. What happens is the addict's tolerance drops while in rehab but then they leave rehab and try to shoot up the same amount they were using before rehab. It happened to me once, but obviously I lived thru it. Lol. I didn't feel at all comfortable with Sylvia doing that intervention. Personally, I don't think she has enough sobriety.

Is Sylvia far enough in her own recovery to do interventions? My opinion would be no, especially considering how bad off she was. Also, I think its telling when people almost instantly become "interventionists"or counselors. It seems they might be trading one addiction for another, being immersed in someone else's addiction.

Like another poster mentioned about Sylvia saying, you know me......what was that? Does she think she is famous?

I was puzzled by Sylvia's comment, as well. Maybe Karissa's family told Sylvia that Karissa had watched the episode that featured Sylvia. That's the only explanation I can come up with. Karissa was using a shitload of heroin. I've never seen anyone put that much heroin into one dose, and to put Klonopin on top of all that heroin? I honestly don't know how the girl is still alive. I'm not surprised that she relapsed after leaving rehab. Many addicts do. What happens is the addict's tolerance drops while in rehab but then they leave rehab and try to shoot up the same amount they were using before rehab. It happened to me once, but obviously I lived thru it. Lol. I didn't feel at all comfortable with Sylvia doing that intervention. Personally, I don't think she has enough sobriety. Edited April 12, 2016 by farmgal4

[candall]

Yeah, I didn't realize that was (the) Sylvia until I came here, so I was thinking "Who's this little sip of sweet tea they got for an interventionist?"  Hugs, not drugs?

 

Nobody in Karissa's family knew how to form the word "no"--OR her idiot doctor--so I thought Donna Chavous would be better.  Or bring out the big guns with Candy "Over It" Finnegan.

 

I watched some show about the benefits of suboxone and how a major problem is that it's so regulated, the physicians who are licensed to prescribe it are few and far between.  And that clueless pushover is one of the ones who got the nod?!?  You only need to watch Intervention twice to know a junkie will lie right to your face when drugs are on the line.  GEEZ, Doc--pinky swear, indeed.

 

This is harsh, but I'm not too optimistic for Karissa's chances, since she funneled right back into the identical situation.  That update segment had a really good message about getting out of your old environment.  Did I miss the placard about the family getting some counseling to help them with their enabling behavior?

 

 

[pasdetrois]

Hasn't it been about six or seven years since Sylvia was on the show?

I just realized - I don't think they are offering to send families to Betty Ford and such any longer.

[sara416]

This is the second Sylvia intervention and I have to say, I really like her! She has a great style with the families. I love how she tells them to get their acts together but does it in such a sweet way. These families really respond well to that. I was really pleased to see her!

[Omega Mu]

Sylvia's intervention episode aired in 2006, so probably 10 years or more.

My family still refers to the mini bottles of Smirnoff's as "little red tops."

[farmgal4]

Sylvia's intervention episode aired in 2006, so probably 10 years or more. My family still refers to the mini bottles of Smirnoff's as "little red tops."

Wow, 10 years already? Well, in that case I guess she's seasoned enough to do an intervention. Man, how time flies...

[pasdetrois]

We are all growing old together, watching Intervention. Beats the alternative!

 

Is this the longest running reality TV show?

[Pepper Mostly]

I think Survivor has it beat.

[Cheri Stephenson]

I believe this is the mandatory "Diner Owner" hairdo. It is actually the secret behind keeping the hash browns crispy. Tee hee.

[Indy]

I think Survivor has it beat.

I think The Real World is king.  That's been on since 1992. 

[Scorpiosunshine]

I think Sylvia is wonderful. Maybe her soft touch is just what tough-bird Karissa needed.

 

Count me in on thinking that there was unaired conversation about being familiar with Sylvia's episode. Although I'm doubtful that Sylvia thinks of herself as a well-known-- or any kind of --TV star, she is sort of a legend in "Intervention"-land.

 

Karissa's pill drama:

 

Some drug combinations are known to be much more dangerous than others; benzos and opiates are one of those combos. A lot of docs try to avoid prescribing them together these days, but if they do, it's important to not abuse them, and to take the two just as prescribed. (ex: Most likely the dosing between your opiate and your benzo would be staggered.) 

 

Our local methadone clinics prefer that you wean off benzos if you're taking them, because combining methadone with benzos is just so dangerous (especially combined with addict behavior); the same is true for Suboxone (which our methadone clinics also dispense and which she was taking).

 

Karissa kept lying and saying that the pills came out of her bottle, telling her Mom that she was NOT taking Klonopin (she was), so I am guessing the doc didn't know. Overdoing the benzos on their own can cause blackouts and definitely have negative effects, but it's surprisingly hard to kill yourself on them. I'm not saying it can't be done, just that a person can take a whole lot of benzos, even with a low tolerance. But ...  Combine them with opiates, especially certain ones, and that's a game-changer.

 

I sure hope Karissa stays clean, because she's one I can easily see dying sooner rather than later.

 

On another note, it was nice to see Donna. She was visibly proud of Jessica, who looked great and seemed to be doing well. Good for her. :-)

 

 

[fonfereksglen]

Sylvia's intervention episode aired in 2006, so probably 10 years or more.

My family still refers to the mini bottles of Smirnoff's as "little red tops."

 

I also refer to those bottles as little red tops.  Sylvia certainly made a big impression on some of us.  I'm a bit older, so the middle aged+ subjects of this show have always resonated with me.  Things can go bad very quickly. 

[grisgris]

I thought Sylvia was great, too. I looked up and watched the episode of "Intervention" that featured her. She's about 10 years older than I am, but her story really hit home with me. It was a painful reminder of the utter despair you feel for having the addiction, but being caught in the relentless clutches of dependency. Glad we're both sober!

 

It seems like two out of three people on this show are shown in the closing credits as choosing to become an addiction counselor. I'm curious as to how many of them actually follow through with those plans? I wonder if it's because they are on such a "high" of being clean and sober that they feel invincible and want to help others achieve the same or if they have a hidden fear that if they stray too far from the "new familiar" that they'll relapse? I'm sure many of them sincerely do want to go out and help other addicts, but it's interesting.

 

If hope that Karissa can stay clean, but I also feel that she is one of the more vulnerable ones who will relapse again.

[amazingwondermom]

I think Sylvia was perfect. She herself had traumas and a lot of anger about it. When she said "you know me" I think it's either possible that the show edited something out or she simply meant that they were so much alike. Either way I'm glad it worked. If Karissa doesn't stick with it, she will die. There are no more chances. If I remember right during the show they Saud she had already overdosed and died on the table, so that's 3 times her body has been put thru that. God knows she doesn't need to tempt fate anymore. YOU CAN DO IT KARISSA

[raiderred1]

 I didn't feel at all comfortable with Sylvia doing that intervention. Personally, I don't think she has enough sobriety.

I completely agree with you Farmgal.

[farmgal4]

I completely agree with you Farmgal.

I think it's important to use an interventionist who has a lot of clean/sober time, but as addicts/alcoholics all any of us really have is this 24 hrs. Jeff VanVonderan had something like 20 years and had been an interventionist for YEARS when he went back out and got drunk. I'll never forget the look of shame, embarrassment and defeat he had when his relapse was brought up on the anniversary special. I felt SO bad for him, it was heartbreaking. Obviously, he jumped back on that wagon and has stayed there, thank God.

[Elizabeth9]

OMG Jessica!  She is amazing.  That is the one who lived in the abandoned houses.  I was so happy to see her doing well.

[MarylandGirl]

On 4/11/2016 at 0:23 PM, grumpypanda said:

Carissa's doctor is going to feel awfully stupid after this episode airs seeing how easy she was played for that Suboxone prescription. I'm surprised she didn't make her pinky swear not to sell her medicine. On the other hand it was pretty stupid for Carissa to sell her prescription on camera.

Just watched this one. Seriously, the doc being all like, "You promise? Well, OK then." It was so obvious that Carissa was lying, when she said she was taking the two pills a day, then her mom was holding them for her and giving her one--oh wait, I mean two--per day. I suspect Carissa isn't the only one getting suboxone from that doc, then selling it...

[jenwithrelish]

Omg Karissa died in 2017.

https://www.syracuse.com/crime/index.ssf/2017/03/oswego_county_woman_dies_in_hit-and-run_crash_in_florida.html