On each episode of Intervention, the rehab center is presented as the light at the end of the tunnel. After an emotional intervention — sometimes resulting in foot chases with a fleeing addict and appearances from local police — that moment when an addict finally agrees to treatment is the long-awaited victory. The exhausted family members cry with relief, feeling that at last, years of struggle may be coming to an end.

But dark details have come to light about the sober living facilities. The for-profit facility, A Sober Way Home, in Prescott, Arizona, has been featured on multiple episodes of Intervention, as well as Oprah. The parents of a 20-year-old with alcoholism and an eating disorder named Brandon Jacques won a $10.25 million wrongful death lawsuit against the rehab center (via Kansas City Business Journal), which has since closed. They said they sought out that particular facility because the family had watched Intervention together. "We watched three or four episodes," Brandon's father, Ted Jacques, told Vice, "and then my wife turned to Brandon and asked, 'Would you like to go to one of these places?' Brandon said, 'Yeah.'"

Jacques claimed A Sober Way was negligent about his care and had exploited their son's addiction for profit. This type of charge is hardly uncommon among rehab centers; the owner of a Delray Beach, Florida, recovery center, Daniel Kandler, was arrested on 93 counts of patient brokering in 2017 (via Palm Beach Post).