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My name is Clint.
My age is-- a gentleman never tells his age.
36 years old.
He's got an endearing personality.
He's actually quite a nice person.
He's a very compassionate guy, a very caring guy.
Clint and joy--
they do have a pretty good mother and son relationship.
He's not the same person anymore.
I mean, we barely talk at all.
CLINT: I'm addicted to opiates and opioids,
starting with heroin and ending with Percocet.
OK?
And everything in between.
And crystal meth, which is a stimulant--
similar to Ritalin.
The drugs have a major hold on him.
They are his life.
His life truly centers around sleep and getting high.
JOY: Clint was playful, happy.
Just a normal, average kid.
RACHEL: He was fun-loving.
Kind of energetic, always interested in being outdoors
and playing with animals.
Was always the guy to bring home tadpoles or frogs.
JOY: We lived in a working class neighborhood.
All detached homes, regular families raising their kids.
JESSE: All the people who lived on the street were our friends.
He was fun.
He would tell jokes.
He was energetic, bubbly, outgoing.
He was easy.
It was easy to hang out with him.
As a teenager, I had friends.
I had popularity.
I had girlfriends.
He said he wanted to be a vet.
I know he loves animals, so I thought
he was going to be a vet.
I thought he would be tall and handsome.
I had a feeling he was going to be a lady's guy.
In high school, in the first two or three years was fine.
By the third year, he started slipping.
We started getting notes that he wasn't handing in assignments.
He was getting to class late.
I had issues with attention--
my attention.
I guess they call it ADHD now.
We had a few meetings with the vice principal.
I said to them, none of my kids are
going to be without a diploma.
Nothing worked.
Like, they couldn't spank it into me,
they couldn't preach it into me.
JOY: We had to really keep on top of him.
The last six months was the most challenging.
But everything seemed to have worked out.
He started working at the post office.
Benefits and money were amazing.
RACHEL: He was kind of living the high life for a bit.
He had disposable income.
He was able to use it on experimenting
and trying different things.
JOY: And we realized it was not marijuana.
The way he was acting, it had to be more than that,
but I didn't know what it was.
He stopped working at the post office in his early 20s.
Just walked away, didn't show up
for weeks and weeks and weeks.
And he lost his job.
RACHEL: He chose essentially friends and drugs over work.
And that, I think, was the beginning
of the downward spiral for him.
CLINT: The day I got out of jail--
One puff-- I fell.
I blacked out, fell down the stairs.
So I ended up in the hospital with kidney failure.
JERMAINE: He was very close to death.
I went to visit him in the hospital.
He was scared, and he said he wants to stop
and he's going to stop.
He seemed like he wanted to turn his life around.
He was on the up and up.
He was staying in, wasn't going out.
And he seemed optimistic about the future.
At the time, I was pregnant with my daughter.
And he asked me if he could be the godfather.
My response to him was I will give you
that honor if you could get yourself clean
and just stay that way.
Unfortunately, he wasn't able to do it, so no.
He didn't get that honor.
He doesn't get that privilege.
[incoherent groaning]
In our house, no drugs is allowed.
Is that a reality?
No.
[groaning]
When he's locked up in the room,
that's when we're all worried.
Because those are the times that he actually used.
I don't know what he does.
And to be honest, I really don't want to know.
All I know-- it's bad.
[angry mumbling]
[shouts]
Hello, dad!
You see the devil?
My God!
You see the devil?
Where's the devil!
PARAMEDIC: I'm a paramedic, I'm just here to check you out.
Do you want to come out and talk to me, hon?
All right.
Have a seat, even if you want to just sit on the toilet
or on the edge of the tub.
OK.
So, we got called because of the possibility
that you've overdosed on some sort of drug.
Huh?
PARAMEDIC: You're very edgy and agitated.
Yeah.
Do you have any medical problems that I should know about?
What have you taken today that it's made you like this
on the bathroom floor?
Can you tell me?
I'm going to unplug all these things from you,
and we're going to get you to the hospital.
There's always that pit in the bottom of my stomach
that that one good high will be his last.
Do it up!
Oh, man!
Do my-- damn.
Come on.
Don't say my name, please.
Come on.
Let's go.
Stop.
No, come on.
[incoherent mumbling]
Hey, come up.
We're gonna--
Gas it up!
Whoa!
Hey, come on. Come on.
What could have happened?
What do you guys imagine? What do you think?
You know what?
I think I may have an idea what could have happened.
I think Clint may have had ADHD that was missed.
With ADHD, really what we're looking at
is a high correlation in substance
abuse, drug addiction.
I remember years ago, a teacher
wanted to have him tested.
And I said you're not testing my child.
Because at that time, I didn't know what ADHD was.
There was not enough information on it.
From what I've heard and read, if it goes
untreated, when they become an adult,
there is a pull for chemicals.
He's drawn to the chemical. - Right.
Yeah.
Could it be because of the problem with ADHD,
or whatever you call it, he probably felt different,
and felt-- well, I know the sisters and the other brother--
they're very, very successful academically.
I'm different.
So I'm going to act different.
Do you think that could be? - No.
That's not it at all.
Why are you shaking your head?
No, I don't think it had anything
to do with him feeling inferior, like he couldn't compete.
No.
No, because he was smart.
See, and I want to disagree with you there and agree
with what Cynthia said.
And the reason why I say that is last year,
I think you guys were away on vacation.
And I encountered two randoms in the house.
And when I walked in, one of the first things she said to me
is, you must be Clint's younger sister.
And I know that because he talks about guys all the time.
He tells me how your sister and your brother are doing so well,
and you guys have families and good jobs.
And I'm standing there, like, who are you?
So he has clearly told you about us
and has mentioned that we are doing so well and he's not.
That, to me, was kind of a moment where I was like,
has this been an inferiority complex
that he's maybe had for years?
Mm hmm.
Hey, Clint.
My name is Jesse.
This is your intervention. Please come in.
Have a seat.
OK.
You OK?
Yeah.
Take a breath, Clint.
You guys got me.
I'm shocked.
I'm smiling, but I'm smiling just out of nervousness.
Nervous laughter?
Yeah.
I did not expect this.
My dearest brother, Clint.
I'm here today because I love you,
and I'm deeply concerned about the path your life has taken.
Over the years, I have watched you
deteriorate from a charismatic, fun-loving person to a slave
to drugs.
It hurts to know that I have been robbed
the opportunity to have my older brother
in my life and my kid's life.
Although I truly believe that you are no longer enjoying
the life you're living, I don't think
you realize how much it truly hurts
me and the rest of the family.
I pray that you will accept the help that is being offered here
today and take one step closer towards a new day
and a new life.
If you do not accept this help that is being offered here
today, I'll make it a point to remove
you and your influence from my children's lives
as they grow older.
I pray today that you're ready to give up this life.
I know it will not be easy, but as the saying goes,
a journey of 1,000 miles begins with a single step.
Today is the day to take your first.
My son, Clint.
I'm here because I love you dearly.
And when I look at the destruction that is taking
place with you and the effect on the rest of the family,
especially your mom, I will do all I can
to stop the pain you are in.
Please, take this offer to get well.
And if you refuse, I would always love you,
but I would not be able to share the same roof with you.
Please, please, please, Clint.
I beg you, take this opportunity.
I love you.
Dad.
My son, Clint.
I am here because I love you very much
and with all my heart.
You are and will always be my baby.
Over the past few years, I have watched helplessly as you
slip into a shell of a person.
My happy, vibrant, pleasant Clinty is gone,
and I desperately want to bring him back.
I'm scared and terrified that if your current lifestyle
continues, we will all have huge regrets.
I feel so helpless that I cannot reach
in and fix what is causing you so much pain and anguish.
I hope you understand and also forgive me for any early signs
I may have missed.
Today, son, is the first day of the rest of your life.
Please accept this help that is being offered to you.
So with all that being said, will you
receive this help that's being offered today, Clint?
Yes.
OK.
All right.
You guys can smile!
It's OK!
You can smile now.
Get well.
OK?
Get well, get well.
You got this. You got this.
We love you.
You've got this.
I know you're exhausted, but this is a chance
to change your life here.
Welcome to Phoenix.
Hi Clint. Nice to meet you.
I'm David. This is Cheri.
I'm Cheri.
We're gonna be taking care of you here.
OK.
It was a bit of a struggle for Clint.
He was homesick.
Part of him actually resented thinking that he needed
to be here for 84 days, and I could
tell that he was still at-- he was
at a bit of a war with himself.
Part of him wanted recovery, and the other part of him
was struggling.
The addict part of him was continuing
to struggle with that.
I really do believe that he made a genuine effort
while he was here, to the capacity
that he had to make the effort.
However, unfortunately, his addict won.