03 Apr Michael Jackson Intervention
Interventionist Ken Seeley talk about Michael Jackson, prescription drug addiction and intervention strategies on KTLA 5 News. Ken Seeley, top drug and alcohol interventionist, speaks about addiction and his book, Find It and Fix It, with the quirky news anchors on KTLA 5 News.
Michael Jackson’s family was reportedly planning an intervention to stop his prescription drug addiction around the time of his death. Ken points out that this incident highlights the importance of assistance for families who see the red flags and know that something must be done, but just do not know what action to take.
His experience on the A&E show, Intervention, and his personal experience with getting sober because his family staged an intervention for him, have formed his opinion on the importance of raising an addict’s rock bottom to get them into treatment.
Watch this video to hear what Ken Seeley recommends for family members of addicts!
To help an addicted loved one, contact Ken Seeley and Intervention 911 now at 844-230-4911!
Video Transcript:
Female Speaker: All right, thank you very much. Well, this is actually a really interesting conversation we’re about to have. There have been reports that the Jackson family had attempted to
plan an intervention for Michael Jackson just days before his death. This emphasizes the difficulty of both families and professionals when it comes to dealing with addiction.
Joining us is an expert from the hit show on A & E called Intervention. He’s written a new book, ‘Face It and Fix It’. Welcome Ken Seeley this morning. Ken, good morning. In your book is a three step plan to break free from denial and discover the life you deserve. And I think I know what-, it’s almost cliché, but the thing is, you know denial, really the first step is knowing that you’re in denial, and you’ve got to come out of that.
Ken Seeley: Exactly, exactly. Every single addict that surrenders to recovery, that’s part of it. They have to break down that wall of denial. But the book is really designed for not only the addict, but the family. Because the family sees all the red flags, we’re seeing it in the media, we can constantly see it. And family members see the red flags but they don’t know the action to take.
Female Speaker: Is it that they don’t know or are they too afraid, are they too afraid of loosing their loved one? What do you find is the motivation of that-, you know we talk about the
classic enabler. What is the motivation behind that?
Ken Seeley: What normally happens is it takes a traumatic experience with the family dynamics before they move. They see all the red flags but they keep praying and saying, “Maybe it’ll get
better, maybe this time it will be different.” And I keep hearing that over and over and over. And I was working with a family three months ago and finally again this week, I got a call, we need to move on this. Something happened but we shouldn’t have to wait-
Female Speaker: Until it gets that bad.
Ken Seeley: We shouldn’t have to wait.
Male Speaker: What about the theory though, and it happens and I’m sure you’ll be able to know in follow through. But all of the sudden they say, unless somebody doesn’t want to be-,
unless they don’t want themselves to be cured. So, you’ll be able to get the family intervention, you’ll be able to get them into treatment and that, but what’s a year from now?
Ken Seeley: And I love that. When people bring that up, oh the addict isn’t ready, don’t even try to help them. You know because if they’re not ready you can’t do anything. That point is
so void. That is such a waste because I wasn’t ready 20 years ago. They did an intervention on me and I was not ready. I was hovering around my rock bottom that they taught every addict has to hit, but I wasn’t there. My intervention got me there.
Female Speaker: So you actually don’t prescribe to the notion that they have to hit bottom?
Ken Seeley: We create the bottom.
Female Speaker: OK, so you create an-, and that’s sort of what brings them front and center with their reality, and they have to then make a choice.
Ken Seeley: Exactly. Like on the show they say that there was 128 episodes and 103 are still clean and sober. I believe that’s because we create the rock bottom in a loving respectful
manner, and raise it, and present it. Whereas, when people do self-admit into a treatment facility what’s happening is they go in but they only hit the ice burg of their rock bottom, they just tipped it. We create the whole scenario and bring it into a reality. So, longer recovery.
Female Speaker: Well, you talk a lot in you book about life and balancing behaviors. What does that mean?
Ken Seeley: You know, so many people live in a darkness. They live in this pain that they bury, they cry themselves to sleep. And it’s about balancing your life to be comfortable in the
skin that you’re in. And these are the tools, in this book are the tools to help examine, to do an audit in your life to see where the problems may stand and give you the tools to get out of that darkness, get out of that depression.
Female Speaker: I know how you are going to answer this question, but I think is bears repeating. What is the number one most prevalent-ly abused drug?
Ken Seeley: Right now, the fastest growing addiction is this country is prescription meds.
Female Speaker: And we’ve had cases of this, obviously, there’s concern that this was an issue with Michael Jackson. What is it? Why do you think this is so pervasive and why is it so dang-, I mean we know it’s dangerous but, explain the seriousness of this.
Ken Seeley: I think people get addicted because they get a back injury or they get you know, something happens in their life. And then all of the sudden that feels comfortable, and it’s
easy access when you go to a physician. I mean I know I can go to a doctor and get something right now, but I’m an addict. I can’t take drugs. I cannot do that, it will kill me. So, what happens is the addict goes to these doctors, or you don’t even need a doctor nowadays you can buy them on the internet. And, so that’s why I believe it’s the fastest growing addiction because at some point in the addicts mind they think it’s OK.
Female Speaker: Right, and they got a prescription.
Male Speaker: Yeah, and it’s not like sort of dirty buying it off the street or something you know in some shady neighborhood.
Ken Seeley: And they’re not sticking a needle in their arm of heroine, they’re-
Male Speaker: You can see more of Ken and the amazing work he does on his show that has really opened my eyes to the world and life of addiction. Not only the person, the addict
themselves, but how it effects their families on Intervention on A & E. His new book is called “Face It and Fix It”. Ken, we really appreciate the work you’re doing, thanks for coming in and talking to us.
Ken Seeley: Thank you, thank you so much.
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