Then I don't understand why you said "If she cared about her daughter she would get herself clean and be a proper mother." That statement tells me you do NOT understand addiction.
Yes, I have watched Intervention and better yet, I have known addicts. I have gone to recovery groups for families of addicts. I know about addiction. Which is the reason I say your statement that if she cared about her daughter she would get clean and be a proper mother doesn't make sense. There are lots of addicts who care about their families but they aren't able to get clean. And though you say that by watching Intervention you see that the outcome is very optimistic, that is just not true. The truth is, most alcoholic/addicts are never able to achieve lifetime sobriety.
And smoking, drinking and eating too much does not make you an addict. There is a difference than just liking the effects of those things and knowing if you were told tomorrow that you needed to stop or you would do, that you could make the decision to stop, that you would stop. An addict usually isn't able to do that. People who have barely any liver left and are told they have to stop drinking, and cannot stop drinking, are addicts. Are you physiologically and psychologically dependent on alcohol, tobacco or food? If not, you are not an addict. And tell me, what "medicine" do you take that gets rid of addiction?