By Valerie Milano

Airing: March 16, 2010

HOLLYWOOD,CA (Hollywood Today) 3/10/10 — Jonathan Koch feels very fortunate to have the opportunity on TLC as they have enjoyed the freedom to treat each family based on their particular needs. The production schedule was long, but each addict was afforded care while the cameras were rolling and afterwards as well. “The truth is I practically stalked TLC about this project because they are about families, and it is a very important distinction to make about our show that we take people, entire families, in Kristina’s very unique approach and treat them separately and bring them back together in a better place than they were when we first found them, and I think that’s the most important distinction.”

Riding on the coattails of a very successful 2009 for ratings, TLC will be bringing back many of their hit series as well as adding a few new ones, one of which they’re particularly excited about: “Addicted”. Steve Cheskin, Executive Vice President of programming for TLC, announced they would be airing new episodes of “Police Woman”, Toddler & Tiaras”, “Cake Boss”, “LA Ink” and “American Chopper”.

Premiering this month in March, “Addicted” will feature interventionist Kristina Wandzilak as she explores the lives of six families dealing with addiction. Produced by Jonathan Koch, they explore the lives of the addict and their families on their road to recovery. “Addicted” is an honest look at what can happen when young people experiment with drugs.

16 years ago, Kristina Wandzilak was a down-and-out addict living on the streets of San Francisco.  After completing treatment she became curious about the disease of addiction and how it took over her life and the life of her family. As she began to study addiction she found herself wanting to learn how to motivate those who may not want to be motivated. She felt that if she could overcome the odds and find redemption, then anyone can.

Kristina believes, from experience, that addiction is a family disease, “I believe addiction doesn’t just happen to individuals, but to family systems and, therefore, each person needs intervention.” She further states, “The easiest part of intervention is getting an addict to a treatment facility. The real work begins once they arrive. And inspiring a hopeless person to continue to move forward when, frankly, it might be easier to lay down and die, to inspire the idea of possibility that recovery and change is possible. The real work is challenging families to look at their part in the addiction.”

The difference between this “Addicted” and “Intervention”, already on the air, is the family and the addict knows there is an intervention, whether the addict comes to the intervention or not, the family is involved. Then the series follows 6 families through treatment and recovery.

According to Kristina , “..you absolutely no longer have to live held hostage by the disease of addiction.  You can be free. And that is what “Addicted” is about. It’s about freeing families. Family intervention sets families free.”

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