Drug Addiction On The Big Movie Screen: How Film Represents Substance Abuse – Drug Rehab Programs for recovering addicts in British Columbia and Alberta – Options Treatment Center in Kelowna, British Columbia treating drug, opiate, fentanyl, heroin and alcohol addiction and recovery.
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Movies can not only entertain us but can also raise awareness on topics that are relevant to people across the world. As for substance abuse, Hollywood highlights this disease and the many effects it has had on people, societies, and countries. Although this topic has been covered on the big screen, the growing catastrophe of the OxyContin/Opioid addiction crisis has drawn more attention to films on the subject.
Here are 2 dramas that raise awareness about Substance Use Disorder (SUD) and the lives it affects:
Sports drama in high school
Addiction is at the heart of this sports drama in which the main actor is the center of attention. This film tells the story of a man, a hardworking builder, who spends his days and nights drinking until he gets the chance to become a basketball coach at his old high school. However, this is not your great sports movie. What sets this film apart from many others is how well it shows the many stages of addiction, the reality of relapses, and the role that unresolved trauma (PTSD) plays. The hero’s heavy drinking begins with the death of his son, and his inability to cope with grief is what sends him into a spiral with alcohol abuse and addiction.
While getting into training seemed like his saving grace at first, the coach returned to drinking after visiting his late son’s friend in the hospital. Being in the same corridor where his son died reminded him of the trauma he went through and trauma (PTSD) he never fully considered. With no proper tools to deal with feeling overwhelmed, the coach runs to his usual bar for booze entertainment.
While not everyone who struggles with addiction issues will relapse, it is not uncommon. Everyone has a different experience, but there are common factors that increase the risk of reuse, such as trauma or PTSD without treatment. One message throughout the film is clear and sobriety is not the end of the journey to recovery; that’s just the beginning of a long road.
Musical biographical drama
This biographical music film shows the musician’s rise to international superstardom. For those who don’t know the singer’s story, addiction plays a big role. Like millions of people with addiction disorders, the musician’s substance abuse is driven by the need for self-medication to handle and cope with difficult emotions. Alcohol and drug use served as coping mechanisms for him by numbing the emotional pain caused by strained relationships with his parents, sexual identity struggles, and abuse by romantic relationships. The addiction leads him to isolate himself from family and loved ones and to hide his illness from everyone.
Interesting and cathartic moments in the film are when he is undergoing treatment and attending group meetings. Although this entire scene was an invention of his imagination, it was a breakthrough that demonstrated his desire to do whatever he could to live a life of recovery. In the scene, family members and ex-partners enter the room and express negative opinions about him, which he has kept secret about himself for a long time. After confronting everyone and rejecting the idea that being different is bad, his younger self emerges. Ignored and neglected by his mother and father, the younger self asked the older self, “When are you going to hug me?” When they hugged, he took a major step towards recovery and showed that he finally accepted and can love himself. Ultimately, self-acceptance and love are essential to achieving and maintaining sobriety in the long term. More than 30 years of sobriety on the part of this musician/singer is proof that healing is possible when one lives an authentic life.
After all, movies have the power to bring people together and motivate them to fight for something bigger than themselves. By raising awareness of substance abuse, these dramas can educate the masses about this all-too-common disease (It Is A Disease.) and help challenge the lies that come with it. Since stigma is often a barrier that prevents people from seeking help, these films are a great first step in building a non-judgmental society for those in need.
Drug Addiction On The Big Movie Screen: How Film Represents Substance Abuse
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