NARRATOR: This program contains subject
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Viewer discretion is advised.
My name is Shannon.
And Katie is my sister.
Hi.
I come from a very close middle-class family.
My youngest sister Katie is a heroin and crack addict.
I see her dying right in front of my eyes.
She's 28 years old, and she has dentures.
From what I hear, that's from the crack.
It just-- it deteriorates your teeth.
They just decay to the point where
they're, like, literally cracking in half
and you have, like, nubs in your mouth.
I was really fortunate to have my dad step in.
It's all embarrassing, you know?
Like, your life is embarrassing.
It is what it is.
I didn't grow up like this.
Like, my life was very different.
Katie is my youngest.
She was a normal, happy, everyday little girl
who was probably spoiled.
When Katie was a little girl, we used to take her to the park
all the time, my wife and I. We had a lot of fun with that,
you know?
She always wanted to go see the squirrels and chase the ducks.
While I was growing up, we were
always a very close family.
We had dinner together every night.
We went to church every Sunday.
Katie just loved life, always had a smile on her face.
Katie started Irish dancing when she was maybe five.
I don't even remember.
It was just part of our lives.
She always excelled.
She won awards.
She went to competitions.
Just really good.
Like, a natural ability.
She had shelves full of trophies and medals.
There was no limit to Katie's dancing potential in my eyes.
And she liked it.
I really do believe that her downfall started
when she changed schools.
Once she got there, you started to see little changes in her.
She isolated herself from the family.
And little by little, you kind of didn't know her anymore.
She would act out in class.
She would not hand in assignments.
She started to skip school.
She was failing, which came as a complete shock
because she's a bright child.
She was an A student.
So I started meeting all these people
and hanging out at, like, all these drug houses.
I wish I knew why she started doing drugs.
That's the question we all have.
Why?
She was loved.
She was taken care of.
She came from a good place.
I mean, I didn't grow up like a lot of people
where they were, like, traumatized and were,
like, molested or raped.
And like, all that stuff is--
it is what it is, if it's your story.
But it's not mine.
I didn't have any traumatic things happen to me.
I just kind of got involved with the wrong people
and the wrong crowd.
One time Katie had gotten clean for a significant amount
of time, a few months.
And she decided she wanted to go to cosmetology school.
She did well at first, and then it starts there again,
the same issues, same things over and over.
She ended up finishing, but just barely.
There's never any consequences for Katie.
And until there are, she will just
continue to do this for the rest of her life,
what short life that may be.
Which is a whole other situation.
He swears that he just doesn't want to see her sick,
and he just wants to help.
Sorry, sorry, sorry.
I don't have a choice.
And if he really wanted to help, in my opinion,
he would just stop buying her drugs.
Oh my god.
It stinks really bad.
Here's your candles.
Where are you?
They're not interviewing us. We don't care.
I don't care.
Get in there and your [muted] Act like
a normal [muted] human being.
I want everyone out of my house now.
- Yeah, well-- - Calm down.
Right now.
Too bad no one gives a [muted] what you want anymore.
You can't even walk in and say hi without the screaming.
I know.
No, this is so [muted].
I'm not doing.
I'm not doing this.
Katie, calm down.
Do not fight with me right now.
You'll get the [muted] off me. - Relax.
- Katie. - No, I want the--
- Bucket. - You need to calm down.
I make this call.
I want them out of my house.
- Listen, listen, listen. - Get off me.
- Listen. - Get the--
[muted] hurting me, yo.
Get the [muted] off me.
Get the [muted]--
Yo.
--cameras-- I'm not playing.
Chris, I love you, but you need--
- Then we all leave. - --to give me a few minutes.
Then we all leave.
You have to give you a few minutes.
Please. Please.
Just give me a few minutes.
- Hey. - Hey.
Uh, huh, huh.
So nice.
Why don't we sit down, Katie?
Just, I want a cigarette.
Not my rules, not my game.
All right.
And I'm not taking off from right here, either.
Just so you all know.
Yeah, you can come with me.
It's almost over.
Mm.
No.
Your parents are up in that room--
No.
--with their hearts breaking.
That's-- listen.
Do something for them.
Connor.
That's not the way it works.
Katie, hey, listen.
Yo, I'm walking out the range of these cameras, yo.
Katie, we're going upstairs. [angry chatter]
- Vicious. - OK, stop.
Stop. Stop.
Sit down over there.
Well, I'm telling you right now-- oh,
I'll gladly listen to you guys. - Yeah, that's--
I'll give you all the respect that you deserve.
Every time I think of you, another small piece
of my heart breaks.
I long for the girl you once were.
You had laughter, hope, and a gift.
I built a wall for myself so I won't hurt as much.
Please prove me wrong so that it can come down.
I can only support your life if you are
willing to help yourself today.
Not tomorrow, Katie. - Not doing it today.
Today.
If you don't get and stay clean, there will be no contact ever.
There will be no rebuilding of us.
Believe it or not, I do love you.
You are my little girl.
I know you're in there somewhere.
Please come back to us.
Will you accept this gift of love and treatment from us
today?
I'll go tomorrow morning. I'm not--
- Today. - --going today.
I'm not going to go today.
Today's the day you make the move.
- I'm not going to go today. - Today's the day you--
- Tomorrow. - --start coming back.
I'm not going today.
Just tell me why. Why--
Because I got someone in my house right now doesn't even
know this [muted] is going on.
Like, I have nothing ready.
Like, all I want to do is just, like, be able to go home
and like get my [muted] together,
and then I'll go gladly.
But is your [muted] together getting high?
Well, of course, I'm going to get high.
I'm sick as [muted] dog right now.
I left my house on the strength of coming and signing a paper
and leaving.
No, I'm going home first to get my [muted] together.
I'm-- at least be able to get my things together.
- That's not the deal. - Well, then, I'm not doing it.
How about if you write down every single thing that you
want, and Shannon and I will go get it immediately,
as soon as we leave? - No, I want to go.
No. - Well, tough [muted].
I--
'Cause you have two bags of [muted]----
- Grab my stuff-- - --at your house.
That's why.
I'm going to do that, pack my things, and leave.
She has--
How long is that going to take you?
- Like, I'm not just going to-- - How long--
--leave right from this second.
- --is that going to take you? - I don't know.
An hour or two. And then we can go.
And you swear to god?
Look at me.
You swear to god? - Man, this sucks, man.
Look at me.
Oh my god.
OK.
When she finally said she would go, shook my hand,
looked me in the eye, I have to give her respect
to give her an inch.
Physically, I feel amazing.
I mean, I thought I was going to die when I came in here.
I think more people are stopped
from going to get help because of the detox
than they are because of the treatment.
Oh, yeah.
That was definitely it for me.
I don't want to have to go through it again.
Well, I got wonderful news for you.
What?
- You don't have to. - I know.
Yeah.
You never have to do that again.
What are your plans and hopes and dreams?
Well, I'm going back to school for drug and alcohol counseling
shortly after I get out of here, hopefully.
I'm going to a halfway house here in Rayville.
Six months is the agreement.
Good girl.
The longer, the better.
Yeah, I have to at this point.
I mean, how many rehabs can you possibly
do and not take anything from?
I mean, this is 14.
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