(♪)
- Joel?
Joel?
- My name is Kim, and I'm the mother of Brooks, Taryn and Joel.
I've seen my house turned into a house of horrors.
Having my sons living with me at this point,
it's disastrous.
Brooks?
You okay?
- Mom?
My name is Brooks,
and I'm addicted to fentanyl and methamphetamines.
- Brooks?
- I don't see him.
- My name is Joel, and... I enjoy smoking crack.
I enjoyed it in the first place, but I'm just addicted to it now.
- I'll try to find Joel for ya, Brooks.
- I have to use drugs to be a normal person.
We wouldn't be talking right now if I wasn't on... using these drugs.
I did live with two brothers at the same time,
recently, and it was just hard, 'cause they were both doing fentanyl.
I've had to be the checker on them,
make sure they're okay, like, every hour or two hours.
It's just hard to do, because they do a lot.
That hole is from Taryn and Brooks fighting.
- You're even (bleep) ruder! - They were going off really bad.
- Dumb (bleep)! - Taryn, between now...
he was even worse than I am right now.
(phone ringing) (Kim): Hello?
- I have... Joel handy-dandy. - Yeah.
- Yeah, I know.
- Yeah. See you soon. - Okay.
- Bye. - Crystal's at a breaking poin. She's...
leading this charge and...
...she's almost broken herself.
- I've never OD'd, but I know my brothers -
five, six times, at least - they have.
And I've been there most of the time to get them back up.
It kinda sucks.
- Hello? - How's it goin'?
- I haven't had a lot of conversations with him,
but doesn't sound like Taryn's sober.
- Can I have a hug? - I wonder if he's actually using.
(Crystal): Taryn is very recently in sobriety,
and that sobriety is... hanging on a thread.
- If Taryn relapses, it's gonna be bad. Like, 'cause he's, like:
Go hard or go home, you know?
Oh, my gosh, I'm breaking my phone. (scoffing)
(Crystal): Joel is the worst I've ever seen him.
He's now using meth, fentanyl and crack.
- I gotta go right now. - Are you running away? - No, I just gotta go.
- Joel has escalated to...
being erratic, going in and out of psychosis,
driving around high.
Hey, Brooks? - Yeah.
(Crystal): Brooks is... overusing.
This family's in destruction.
I don't think my mother-in-law even knows how affected she has become.
- I hate it down here.
I always go back to when they were children, 'cause I have good memories.
I just loved having little kids.
I was happy to have every one of them.
I remember being pregnant with Brooks.
Just being so proud, just so happy.
It was all gonna be okay now.
Like, now I know exactly how to do this right.
Because I was a Christian. Oh!
I had Khori already,
but Khori was from a different father.
Brooks was always on the go.
Always learning, like, with his hands,
building things and trying to figure out how things worked.
Taryn's personality was angelic.
Taryn was Joel's best friend. His, uh, protector.
They did everything together.
- Brooks, Taryn and Joel... are my sons.
The best memories of being with any one of my boys is our camping times.
We all had lots of fun fishing,
hunting and...
stuff along that line.
- Both Kim and I had our issues, but when I became a Christian,
I've never drank, I've never smoked,
and I've never done drugs since.
- Each one of the kids went to Christian school,
and I was a maintenance man...
at the school.
(Mom): Brooks is dyslexic,
and it took him a very long time to learn to read.
I think that was huge.
- School was a joke.
There's no alternative learning, there's none of that kind of thing.
- My husband,
in our 14th year of marriage,
I found out that he had relapsed
and was smoking crack cocaine.
- I was fired.
The boys, we ended up having to pull them out,
and put them in the city schools here in Calgary.
- I went to public school.
It was just a lot easier to get in trouble.
- My dad came and woke me up,
and he basically told me that I was the man of the house now,
and that I needed to take care of my brothers and help my mom.
(Mom): Brooks was the oldest of the youngest boys.
Even though he was 10,
he really helped me.
- She did the best that she could.
I coped.
- Khori left pretty young, when he was 16. He wasn't living with us.
- My brothers didn't have a... father, or a father figure,
for a very critical part of their childhood.
- Yeah, there was some sexual... abuse going on.
It affected all the boys.
- I was eight years old when I was started to be molested.
I honestly thought I was the only one that was ever...
abused by him.
And then I found out that my little brothers all had been abused.
I feel like I failed my little brothers, to be honest.
- I've had a lot of bad stuff happen to me. Like...
...been molested by people and had bad things happen.
I just don't like talking about it, 'cause it's not... that relevant to drug use.
- There was a lot of things happening as a child.
We haven't really ever addressed any of it.
I was 11 when I started using, just smoking weed back then.
Around when I was 15, I picked up cocaine and crack.
Brooks didn't use until after that, way after that.
- Getting high was supposed to be fun.
Well, I'm gonna take some opiates,
Percocets, smoke some weed.
I was... 16.
(Brooks): We definitely missed our dad as a kid too,
so that would've been quite a big issue.
Goddammit!
Dammit!
- It hurts to see the boys the way they are now.
(voice breaking): I beat myself up about it.
In the Bible, it says that the sins of the fathers
are passed down from generation to generation,
and that is the... sad thing.
- You're gonna say hi to Brooks, right?
- He's all good, he's all happy when you're not getting high.
(Crystal): Every inch of that house...
holds a bad memory.
A house of horror is that house.
The brothers avoid each other to avoid the trauma,
to avoid what room they were assaulted in.
Brooks?
- Yeah. - Are you good? - Oh, yeah.
- Brooks's biggest loss...
...is the loss of his children,
and that's something that has broken Brooks down to the core.
- You can come in if you want.
- Uh, yeah... - I truly believe we are going to lose...
the brothers.
Brooks has given up.
He promised me he won't die.
It's a very empty promise when he's using drugs that are gonna kill him.
(unintelligible)
Sorry.
(♪)
Brooks's go-to way to make money is binning.
Brooks will go out all night,
and I always wonder how; he can hardly stand up sometimes.
He finds copper and aluminum to recycle,
and he gets paid for that.
- I'm trying to get money to get my drugs...
legally as much as possible.
- Ow! (bleep)
Five, six years ago, all of the brothers were doing drugs.
And I was always just a follower.
I was being a bad boy.
- Okay, so how much am I asking her for? - Twenty-two.
- Twenty-two? - Yeah.
My typical day is driving around,
dropping people off at their jobs,
or giving them rides to do stuff.
And I'm usually doing a lot of drugs in between that.
Kyla, she's my cousin. She goes to work for, like,
10 hours outta the day.
(bleep)
Kyla enables me, but...
I also enable her.
- Whoa.
- I'm sorry. - That's okay.
- It's just like a catch 22.
(phone ringing)
- Hello. - It's Brooks.
You, um, still good to swing by with that, uh, ball?
- Um... I can possibly get a couple of bucks. Okay? - Okay. Bye.
- Bye.
- The enabling in this family isn't right.
- Don't lose it. - But it's the hardest part to navigate.
I would rather give you 20 bucks and have you go on your way
than argue for five hours on why I won't give you the 20 bucks.
(phone ringing)
- Okay, see you in a sec.
- Yeah.
- $23?
- That was the gas. The gas was 23.
- Um, I don't think so.
- I'm sorry. I misunderstood you.
- No. No, no, no.
- Brooks has gotten himself integrated with...
some very heavy-duty drug dealers.
If he doesn't pay, Brooks will get beat up or potentially shot.
(phone ringing)
- Hi, baby.
- Hi. - How you doing?
- I'm Justice,
and I'm Joel's ex-girlfriend.
The thing that keeps Joel and I apart is his drug use.
- When he's using, he's not himself,
and he'll say things to manipulate me.
Okay, call me after. I love you. - Okay. I love you.
- Bye.
He's stolen my money, and just a lot of lying.
- I've learned to just joke about my emotions,
like being, like, molested,
or anything that I've been through.
I just repress it, I think.
It's why I use, and I know it is, because when I'm not high,
it's a lot easier to remember.
- Like, even going in the house is a thing, right?
My ex-fiancée...
...she took the baby away from me.
Can we put this in the truck so it stops getting destroyed from the weather?
(bleep)
- You guys got this from the ultrasound, right?
Why would I use if I wanna be in my daughter's life? It's kind of stupid.
So I decided to stop.
- Taryn has been telling people that he's been clean off of drugs for two months.
And that's not the truth.
- Okay, I love you. Bye. - Love you.
He's relapsed and used methamphetamine two weeks ago.
He thinks it was just a slip,
not a relapse, and it doesn't count.
But I can't see them when I'm using.
It's just a simple fact.
- The thought of the generational addiction reaching my children,
Brooks's children, Taryn's daughter,
is the purpose of me...
not giving up.
They are the entire reason why I keep fighting.
- What'd you order? - I ordered, um... 50 and 50.
- Yeah, we could do 40 and 40.
And then the smokes.
- Okay. - Sounds good.
What's up? How you doin'? (Bleep) new person?
Yeah? 180 for 3.5?
Alright, you have a good night, okay? (indistinct chatter)
- Only in the last few months,
Joel is quite different.
We're starting to question now all the things that he's doing.
He's not hanging around home.
Okay, so you're in... any state you go downtown?
I don't mind driving him downtown.
I worry about him gettin' back.
- Kim has quite an awkward spot in the family.
Because of his choices and his drug use,
the boys throw it in his face.
"Look who we learnt it from."
- Brooks... we're here, buddy.
- I know... - So what do you wanna do?
Eh? We love our boys.
We don't want to see them on the road, on the street.
I love you, son.
I'd rather see you go home, okay?
- It's time to get up.
- She doesn't want to see them out there,
so she has an opportunity to house them,
to have them close to her.
They're still using, but...
...she has an opportunity to be there.
Okay, Brooks, I'll see ya at noon tomorrow, okay?
- Yeah. Dad, love you.
- I love you, buddy.
The thing that I've been saying recently is...
..."Heavenly Father, let your will be done."
(♪)
(Crystal): Recently, the city was at Kim's house...
...and gave her a time period to clean up that yard.
- Hi! - Girl, I'm so stoked to see you.
(Justice squealing) - Long time no see. - Oh...
My mother-in-law,
I want to see her be able to go outside,
and not look around and see junk.
I'm gonna gather everybody, bring 'em all in the back.
- The worst thing to me is seeing my mom go through what she goes through.
We choose this on our own, and we don't need to bring my mom down.
- Gas cans can go back in that vehicle,
tarps can get folded up, that kind of stuff.
- Joel, we're gonna do the cleanup now if you care to join us.
- Do what? - Just a cleanup of the backyard.
If you want to join, that'd be awesome.
- Nice to see you. You look better.
But she also, I think, enables Joel in the end.
- Why you sleeping so late?
- I'm tired. - Why you so tired?
Joel looks like a shell of himself to me.
What have you been doin' lately?
- Fent and stuff too?
- Little bit?
- Joel's addiction has only...
gotten really, really bad since Taryn and Brooks ended up back at my mom's house.
- Brooks said he doesn't care about that minibike.
- Even though Joel's only a crackhead,
less scary than fentanyl or heroin,
he's very likely to get a bad batch and overdose... and just die.
Five years ago, in addiction, none of my brothers looked like this.
Brooks? - Do you see him?
- Yeah, he's here.
Brooks looks really, really ba.
(Crystal): Brooks has a substantial amount of drugs.
- Are you alive?
- He has picked up...
over 30 grams...
of fentanyl.
It's scary, because it's a dangerous amoun.
- It's Khori. - Yeah, you gotta go slow.
(Khori sighing)
- Taryn tends to be selfish, self-absorbed.
It's all about him.
He should be rewarded.
(Dad): Garbage is what it is, in my opinion.
(Taryn): My relationship with my dad is not the best.
We get into a lot of physical fights.
(groaning)
- Taryn's a little different.
I was trying to be a father and tell him what was right and the way he should be,
and I ended up getting in a fistfight with him.
I thought each one of the bos would look at the situations that I'd went through,
and I thought they'd say, "I don't want to be there."
- Maybe it wasn't you,
it was something that happened in their life?
- Yeah, I'm not sure. - Brooks shared it with us,
about sexual abuse in their childhood.
- Yeah, I do. It's, uh...
- Do you think maybe that could've impacted them?
- Well, it probably... totally did.
- Brooks.
Oh, (bleep). Jeez.
Pull your body back. You're under your bed. (indistinct chatter)
Brooks is beyond sadness.
He is broken, because he can't protect,
he can't help.
You're okay.
(Brooks moaning)
You're okay.
- He did lose his kids, right? - Yeah.
Today it was finalized.
But what kind of man can't get sober for his kids, is how he sees it.
And he can't do it.
Nobody in this family has the tools to cope, or the knowledge,
so it's just a bunch of broken people breaking each other more.
- Look at me. (Brooks mumbling)
(unintelligible)
It's just giving us a place to die.
- It's so good to see you all, family.
Yeah, come on in. You are welcome here.
My name's Maureen Brine,
and I'm going to be your interventionist.
I think it's not a moment too soon that you're here.
I want to talk about your recovery,
because this isn't just their problem.
- I was an alcoholic.
- You were an alcoholic? - Yeah.
- I'm an ex-hardcore addict myself.
- How long were you in active addiction when the boys were little?
- The whole... their whole life.
- So do you feel guilty about that?
- Oh, major.
- Mom, I'm here for you.
- Thank you.
- We've never been able to help them through all the trauma,
and the root problems that are causing this.
Because of my own recovery, I... understand what they're going through.
- Mm-hmm. - If we just keep doing it the way we've been doing it,
it's just gonna be a never-ending cycle or--
- Yeah. - --one of them's gonna die soon if...
- One of them will die soon. Yes. - Yeah.
- I'm also in recovery.
- You get it.
- In their younger years, there was...
sexual abuse and assault...
...to all three brothers.
- Yeah. - And there's a heavy resentment and anger...
within all three of them.
- That just breaks my heart. I just feel, like: How could I not know?
- Right? Oftentimes, it happens with trusted people. (both): Yeah.
- I'm here... 'cause...
...in a way, I've...
enabled... and lost myself...
(sniffling) ...and lost my best friend.
I miss the boys, too. They're all like brothers to me.
- So you're hoping they see the light tomorrow?
- Oh, yes. - Every time...
we see one of them getting sober,
they're faced with something that they're, like: Ooh.
And shortly after, it's a relapse again.
- And that's where, you know, treatment is so important.
- Yeah. - Taryn's a really good example of all this right now.
He's, like: "I don't need help. I'm good. Look at me. I'm great."
- Two weeks of sobriety is not gonna cut it.
- I need a stopping point. - You do.
- I need to be able to say you're either gonna take this help today,
or I am done.
- That's tough. It's gonna be tough. - Yeah.
- You're going to be writing a letter,
urging them to accept help.
At the bottom of each letter is something that's known as a bottom line,
where they're asked to make a choice...
...between their drugs and the people that love them.
- If-if things all went south, uh...
...only because I've been there...
I'm gonna be there for 'em.
- I know that by doing it that way,
we're gonna go through 20 more years of this,
or you're not gonna have a family to be around.
- It's so hard for me to step away from.
- The intervention is only as strong as the weakest link.
(both): Okay. - I'm ready to do what I have to do.
- That's what it's gonna take, right?
(Khori): We've given them all the help we can.
Brooks is just scared that he's gonna kill himself any day now.
Joel, I think, will jump at the opportunity to go to treatment.
But they all have excuses that they've made.
- I'm glad to be here to help. - I'm so glad you're here with me.
- Three brothers. - Three brothers.
- Big deal. - It's not been done before.
- I really don't care about this interview. Yeah, I know.
- So how's everyone doing? - Freaking out.
(laughter) - Gonna be stressful.
- I'm just trying to have that positive hope. - Let's hope they say yes.
All you need to do is follow my lead.
Hey, good morning, Taryn. - Good morning.
- Come on in. Nice to meet you. - Nice to meet you.
- Just have a seat there, okay? - How's it goin'?
- So, Taryn, how long have you been clean?
- For about two months now. - How's it feelin'? - Pretty good.
- You've been totally clean from everything?
- Well, no. I smoke weed, but...
- Think that doesn't count?
- I guess it does a little bit.
Come on in.
- Hi, guys. (Brooks mumbling) Joel, would you sit over here?
- Brooks, you sit over here, okay? Thank you.
My name is Maureen Brine, and I'm an interventionist.
I'm here with your... very loving family...
...to offer you some help today.
Um... and Taryn, I still think it would be good for you to get some help too.
- Mm.
- What I want you to do is just listen for a while.
Crystal?
- "Dear Brooks, Taryn and Joel,
this past year has been some of the scariest experiences
within this family.
I have spent 10 years loving all of you like my brothers,
and the fear I carry of losing any of you is a heavy pain."
(Maureen): Brooks, can you hold off on that? (whispering)
- I'm sorry, but, Brooks, I want you to hold off if you can. Okay?
Can you do that? - No. - Please do that for your mom.
- "Joel, Brooks, and Taryn..." (sniffling)
"...if you choose to not accept this help today, I can no longer support or enable.
There will be no money and no more coming to our home."
(Maureen): Yeah.
- "Dear Brooks, Taryn and Joel..."
(sniffling) "...this past year,
watching your addictions consume you, has been scary.
Brooks and Taryn..." (sniffling)
"...the big brothers I never had.
I learned to look up to you guys and confide in you.
Joel..." (sniffling)
"...my best friend,
love of my life,
you and I are connected on a level I've never felt before.
Joel...
if you do not accept this help today,
I will have to cut all ties."
(Khori): "Dear Brooks, Taryn and Joel,
I'm here to help try and break the cycle of addiction.
I'm here for Mom. But most of all,
I'm here because I love you and I want my brothers back.
Brooks, I'm scared for you the most."
(Maureen): Take your time.
(Khori): I'm sorry.
- Okay, no, you can't do that. Okay? Give me that lighter. Sorry. You'll just have to wait.
(Maureen): Okay. - "Dear Brooks,
Taryn and Joel...
...I love you all very, very much and always will.
Taryn, I know the dreams you have of being clean,
but I am concerned you are headed in the wrong direction--"
- "--to move forward." - Don't-- - Shut up and listen.
- Yeah, you gonna get knocked out right now? - Okay, guys--
- So stop it. - You are being an ignorant piece of (bleep).
- You can't even let him talk-- - Talk. I'm not. - You're still doing your same--
- Shut the (bleep) up, you (bleep) clown. - Okay. No. No, no, no.
No! (bleep) Sit down, Brooks.
- Taryn! - No. Taryn. Taryn, let's go. (crosstalk)
(bleep) - Shut up, Taryn!
(shouting) - No.
No. Brooks! Stop.
(bleep) Brooks. Guys!
- What you gonna do about it?! - Get the (bleep) off me.
- Let go. - Okay, guys.
(shouting)
- Taryn, go outside. - It's me, it's me! It's me.
- Piece of (bleep). - Hey. - Get out of my face!
- I'm done now. - Shhh. - I'm actually done.
- Sit down. - I don't accept your (bleep).
Have some (bleep) respect, you moron!
- Yeah? - He wants to (bleep) leave, let him (bleep) leave.
(Crystal): Please don't run.
- I'm not asking you to go anywhere! Just stand still.
(Maureen): No, no.
No. (bleep) Brooks, knock it off.
- I'll break everything here! - I'm gonna keep following you, because I'm not gonna give up!
I lied to save your life because I care!
- Brooks. - Get off of me! - Let him go, Crystal.
- (Bleep) off!
You dumb bitch.
(♪)
Crystal, you tried your best.
I'm sorry. - I'm really confused about Brooks.
- He's scared. He's scared.
- Okay if I sit here? - Yeah. - Okay, thanks, man.
- You can speak to Joel directly. Are you ready for that, Joel?
- Yeah, let's just go. - Okay.
- "Dear Joel, you can't see it yourself,
but you have become a ghost of your former self.
I'm so worried for your life.
I urge you to accept the help that will be offered today."
- What kind of help? (chuckling)
- To be admitted to a treatment centre today. - Like, today?
(sighing)
- Do you have a decision for me, Joel?
- Yeah, sure, I'll go to treatment.
- Good choice. Good choice.
- Thank you.
(indistinct chatter)
- So I just want you guys to follow my lead and see what he has to say.
(door opening)
Brooks, are you willing to accept help today?
- Yeah.
Yeah, I guess I'll go.
- Oh! - Yeah...
- This is your chance to say goodbye to your family, okay?
- It's great. - I love you. - Good luck, bro.
- I love you. - Love you. Hold onto that (indistinct).
- I will, baby.
- I love you. - (Indistinct)... even more.
(indistinct chatter)
- It's so hard. Got lots of people on your side, though.
- Yeah, I know. Come on.
- We'll see you soon, buddy. (sniffling)
- See ya in months. - We love you, Brooks!
- Yeah, love you too.
- I'm very proud of you.
(crying) I know.
I know, I know.
- Lots has changed. I feel really healthy.
No pain. I have such a clear mind.
The difference is night and day.
The biggest change in my mental state is just... acceptance of life.
I don't really think there's anything I can truly not deal with anymore.
Like, it's amazing. Hi, everybody.
(laughter) What's goin' on in here?
- I was here at the centre when Brooks first arrived.
He was in pretty rough shape.
Mentally, physically, emotionally, you could see it.
With detox, it was touch-and-go,
if was really gonna stay at the centre.
Once Brooks moved up into program,
he exceeded everyone's expectations.
- Addiction can really dull a person's sparkle.
And I think Brooks was dimmed for a very long time.
What we decided to do was to get him into some poetr.
- It seemed like a bad thing to try.
What if I don't like it? What if I die?
- He has taken a real liking to sharing his feelings, his thoughts through poetry.
- Just facing everyday life is exciting for me.
I don't have to worry about the shadow of my past.
- Just seeing the transformation,
even physically, he looks like a different person.
Emotionally, spiritually, and just his zest for life right now.
- Tonight is my first official call with my kids, and it's gonna be awesome.
I have dreams now, goals,
and I'm happy with myself now.
- Coming here was pretty awesome, 'cause they teach you the skils
to actually deal with the wound.
It was pretty eye-opening.
- Taryn's openness...
has been a total night-and-day difference.
He was having a very difficult time sitting in his own skin.
- I shared my life story with the group and we got to talk about it.
- It's a harrowing life stor, but the other guys,
the way they embraced him, was tremendous.
How was church? - It was very good, actually. - Moving forward,
it's gonna be very important for Taryn to continue to lead with his heart,
and with the courage that he's shown to live a fulfilling life.
- I feel blessed.
I'm starting to love myself, which is awesome.
- I feel really good.
It's kinda crazy, to be honest.
I'm like a totally different person. (laughing)
- Since the time Joel got here, there's been massive change.
- It's beautiful by the ocea. I love it.
Been able to go on walks and actually be there.
Be present is, I think, the best thing.
We still have bad days, but I'm really happy.
- Even though he's only 24,
I could see him doing big things in his life, provided that he stays sober.
We're all rootin' for him.
- I just wanna move forward. My brother Brooks, he's doing great.
And I just wish the best for Taryn too.
And I've been praying for them every day.
Subtitling: difuze