Bonneville Student Profiled on Intervention Show
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Several weeks ago I raved about the A&E television show, Intervention. I encouraged our area teenagers to watch it, since the show compassionately depicts addicts as they hit rock bottom and their loved ones try to get them help.
The show and the delicate subject matter has now hit much closer to home. How close? A guy who graduated from Bonneville High School a few years ago was profiled last Sunday for his crystal meth addiction. He was not a dropout of a stoner, he was a straight-A student who was on the dance team.
Troy grew up in ‘a small Idaho town’ and attended Bonneville High School. They showed video of him in dance competitions and school pictures and how generally happy he was. Tragically, as seems very common with other addicts, Troy suffered some extremely emotional hardships. His father died when he was only two, and both a male and a female babysitter molested him.
A friend helped Troy realize he was gay while attending Brigham Young University. This was an understandably difficult time for Troy, with his personal feelings being opposed to the Mormon faith and traditions. He left BYU for the University of Southern California. He graduated, but was turned down at all five law schools he applied to. That had to be a blow to anyone’s self confidence.
Troy turned to smoking crystal meth and engaging in unprotected sex with so many gay men that he could not even guess how many there had been. He admitted to at least 20 men in a single night. Ouch, not at all the life his classmates probably expected from him.
So in the end his friends and family had the intervention, he got very defensive, but finally agreed to go to treatment. He found he has syphilis and HIV, and the program ended by saying he had been sober since November 12, 2006 (2 months ago today).
His was such a powerful story of how different life can turn out from what you think will happen in high school. Once again, I hope local teenagers will start watching this show every week. If you are uncomfortable watching it with your parents, try watching it with friends, or at least by yourself. If you don’t get A&E, look on the bitTorrent networks to download episodes.
If you know someone who is addicted to anything, consider staging an intervention for them. Teens can even do one with other friends if you don’t want to tell the addicts parents. Let them know this is their last chance to get help before they get worse.
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Comments
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0 If anybody knows where I can download any of these episodes, please email me at leon33 [at] hotmail.co.uk. I’ve already checked several bittorrent sites without any luck. Would really like to see them, but can’t as we don’t get the A&E television channel in the UK. Thank you 
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0 0 This is an interesting article which bears a lot more than just the fact that a local kid was on a TV show. It brings to light that drug addiction runs in all facets of society,not just the stereotypical druggie. It also reveals a little of the disappointments that precede people’s problems. And the dangers of drug abuse that stem from intoxicated decision making, not just the effects of the drug itself on the body and mind. The television show exhibits for families what to expect in an intervention and a little about how to go about it. There is one small problem that I would write about regarding this method. If the individual doesn’t make the decision on their own, then they (IMHO) have not truly hit the “rock bottom” referred to in the first paragraph. Although it could certainly be advised that friends or family let the person know they are concerned or try an intervention there is no way to change the mind of an addict of anything from the outside. The real rocky bottom that it may take for someone cannot probably even be fathomed by someone living outside the eternally selfish world of addiction. Better, more often, to just be careful not to enable that person to live comfortably, let them suffer their way into seeing that they have wasted the love, money, shelter, food, their kids, self respect, etc. until it becomes a matter of life or death
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0 0 I would like to see an update of what’s happened to Troy since the last airing.
Troy, are you out there?
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0 0 Me, too. I hope to hear that there is success in the air. I don’t mean to come off negatively. Somehow my keyboard screwed up mid sentence, there. Best wishes to Troy and his family.
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0 0 Again, I would still like to hear an update on Troy. Anyone know their family or if Troy runs a blog or anything?
Maybe one of our local journalists could pursue the story and see what happened to him?
I know we get fairly frequent search hits on this site for “Troy Intervention”, especially each time after A&E reruns that episode 18.
What happened to you, Troy? People you don’t even know are concerned for you.
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0 0 I would like to find Troy. As a former LDS I too have a similar story and also as a film maker, I would like to speak to others, especially Troy, who have had to go through a similar transition. You do NOT have to feel guilty about the life you have chosen. You do NOT have to “fix” yourself with drugs or alcohol or anything. You are OK just the way you are. There is life after a Mormon upbringing and I want to share those stories. Please contact me at dreamgirl1976 at hotmail. com.
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0 0 [...] story is not unique by any stretch. Young men from my home town have gone down similar, almost identical paths. I don’t know all the specifics of [...]
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0 0 Interesting screen name you have their Mr Texaco.
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0 0 This seems like a good place to discuss chemical addictions… rather than on the already lengthy High Speed Chase and Shootout thread, if no-one has any objections?
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0 0 Actually this would be a better post to discuss that topic. http://www.idahofallstoday.com/2008/04/13/three-steps-to-end-our-war-on-drugs/
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I also have been a fan of intervention and believe it could be very beneficial for all teens, as well as parents. Alot of parents have not even the slighest inkling their child has experimented with a drug, let alone may have a serious problem. More parental awarness is something that as acommunity we have to come together, and put our arms around the children of the future.