I think you're referring to Brad. If so then you probably meant alcohol and weed. I felt bad for him. That shit that he seen and did over in Iraq just fucked him up even more.
I know on the surface it is easy to take your opinion (not that it is bad but just a different perception) but when dealing with a hardcore addict it is not that easy. You would not care what your family would think and your journey to recovery would be a series of lies interspersed with "I am trying can I borrow some money?" couple that with stealing from family and friends. It is not pretty and is hard on the family. To what extent would you sacrifice personal pride and humiliate yourself in order to help your brother/sister? The family suffers and suffers along with the addict. I believe the addict themself agrees to the filming and does not know about the intervention part. So they are going to be shown at their worst with their own permission. I used to agree with your opinion BTW but the more I watched the show the more I realized that the addicts (at least the majority) were truely grateful. The show (to me) gives hope to families who are suffering from like circumstances and hopefully can follow the example set for them.