Episode 99: The Cruel, Voyeuristic Quackery of Rehab TV Shows

<div class="_2TO-components-SimpleRichTextEditor--paragraphElement" data-block="true" data-editor="54vkg" data-offset-key="56uk2-0-0"> <div class= "public-DraftStyleDefault-block public-DraftStyleDefault-ltr" data-offset-key="56uk2-0-0"><span data-offset-key="56uk2-0-0">Over the last 20 years, the topics of substance use and treatment have become the stuff of televised entertainment: heart-wrenching stories of desperation and redemption, of suffering and survival. Shows like A&E’s</span> <span data-offset-key= "56uk2-0-1">Intervention</span> <span data-offset-key= "56uk2-0-2">and VH1’s</span> <span data-offset-key= "56uk2-0-3">Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew</span><span data-offset-key="56uk2-0-4">, which depict people with substance use disorders and their experiences navigating recovery in rehab, have gone a long way to shape our common narratives about what addiction is and how it should be addressed. </span></div> <div class= "public-DraftStyleDefault-block public-DraftStyleDefault-ltr" data-offset-key="56uk2-0-0"> </div> </div> <div class="_2TO-components-SimpleRichTextEditor--paragraphElement" data-block="true" data-editor="54vkg" data-offset-key="6o73s-0-0"> <div class= "public-DraftStyleDefault-block public-DraftStyleDefault-ltr" data-offset-key="6o73s-0-0"><span data-offset-key="6o73s-0-0">The central conceit of these shows is that anyone struggling with addiction must follow the same road to recovery: stay at a for-profit treatment facility for approximately one to three months, requiring, among other things, complete abstinence from drugs and/or alcohol, no matter how excruciating or dangerous. While these methods are effective for some, they’re profoundly harmful for others. </span></div> <div class= "public-DraftStyleDefault-block public-DraftStyleDefault-ltr" data-offset-key="6o73s-0-0"> </div> </div> <div class="_2TO-components-SimpleRichTextEditor--paragraphElement" data-block="true" data-editor="54vkg" data-offset-key="4ctb2-0-0"> <div class= "public-DraftStyleDefault-block public-DraftStyleDefault