Film is an art form, an expression of possibilities, and a way to imitate real life. Film as a medium is humanity’s first real go at recreating life and the human experience as we understand it.
Films are moving pictures and images that are directed by a person with similar thoughts and emotions to everyone. Stories that entertain, frighten, thrill, and fascinate us — retellings, elaborations, and imaginations of real-life events, and so much more.
Film is important to our culture. It encapsulates audiences. More so, it demonstrates themes and teaches cultural lessons. These lessons relate to specific time periods, like how war movies are commonly created with the first and second world wars in mind. These lessons span generations, too, like what is seen in the all so popular Forrest Gump, teaching worldliness, equality, and generosity.
For this reason, because we can be specific yet broad in our discussion about film, we are talking about it in relation to sobriety. Movies and media depict substance abuse and addiction with varying degrees of authenticity.
Substance Use in Media and Film
Drinking, smoking, and using illicit substances are trends in the media. These influence adolescents’ perceptions of substance use that partaking in it is widespread and expected in maturing. This influence directs adolescents to create positive associations with substances.
In this context, media poses an environmental risk factor from which early stages of substance use derive. When considering the effects of media in influencing substance use in adolescents, we cannot ignore film and television as a facet of this.
Whether intentional or unintentional, film teaches lessons about unhealthy substance use. Portrayals of characters in film vastly differ in accurate versus inaccurate depictions of somebody experiencing substance use disorder (SUD). For adolescents, discerning the difference between accurate, inaccurate, healthy, and unhealthy use of substances in film is more difficult than for adults.
Often, characters in television are caricatures. A few examples that are directed toward adolescents include:
- Barney Gumble from The Simpsons, a character suffering from severe alcohol use disorder (AUD), is addicted to drinking in part as a coping mechanism for a life filled with depression and made the butt of jokes.
- Brain Griffin from Family Guy, the talking pet dog who has had his fair share of addictions, including alcohol and cocaine, portrays a fully functioning “person” whose substance use is not included in his key criticisms.
Characters in Film Suffering from Substance Use Disorders
When a film takes a serious role in the portrayal of a person experiencing addiction, how the story develops is key to understanding any possible lessons to be learned. This portrayal includes a character’s backstory, the character’s goal, outside influences on the character, and the story’s conclusion.
The character’s backstory shapes who the character is and how they react to the world around them. Their goal is directly reflected in what they want out of the world. It is their drive, passion, or dream. Outside influences on a character will determine whether the character is able to obtain their goal.
Now, with the premise in mind that a major character in a film suffers from addiction, what types of stories develop? Here are a few interesting examples.
Alcohol Addiction in A Star Is Born
In the 2018 film, A Star Is Born, starring Bradley Cooper, the story of a country music star who is heavily in the throes of alcohol use disorder (AUD) is told, supplemented by a newfound, strained relationship with another rising musical artist, played by Lady Gaga.
How this film accurately depicts AUD is through the portrayal and resilience of addiction, shown in scenes where the main character heavily drinks on multiple occasions, ultimately influencing the story’s narrative. Under the influence of alcohol, he strains a relationship with his older brother, his new significant other, his work relationships, and eventually ends his life due to alcohol-influenced depression.
Does A Star Is Born depict an accurate or inaccurate portrayal of AUD? Although the genre of the film is a romantic drama, the story diverges toward melodrama. The characters live an exciting, sensational life that most people do not experience; however, the characters themselves are grounded through sensitivity, relationships, and struggle.
Alcohol and Substance Addiction in Walk the Line
In the 2005 film, Walk the Line, the biographical story of the 1950’s country-music icon, Johnny Cash, is told, starring Joaquin Phoenix. The story revolves around Cash as a rising star and his struggles with addiction, marriage, and fatherhood. As a touring musician, he came into contact with drugs, abusing amphetamines, barbiturates, and alcohol. The film settles with him going into detox and being given a second chance by his eventual wife, June Carter.
Walk the Line falls into a category similar to A Star Is Born in that it depicts a rising star; however, due to the biographical nature of Walk the Line, it is even further grounded in reality, following an actual life story of a person experiencing AUD and SUD. On this list, Walk the Line is perhaps the most accurate in its portrayal of addiction. It develops a real-life struggle into a realistic hero’s journey, such that Johnny Cash came back from the depths of addiction.
Heroin Addiction in Trainspotting
The film, Trainspotting, starring Ewan McGregor as a man with an addiction to heroin, is a story about lives invested in and the culture surrounding hard drug use. McGregor’s character rides ups and down with fellow friends who also experience addiction. He tries several times over to wean himself off heroin, but his attempts at recovery prove unsuccessful — even relapsing and coming close to death — until he is forced to go cold turkey by his parents.
Even after McGregor’s character gets clean, has begun working to support himself, and starts a relationship, he finds himself feeling absent of purpose when without drug use. He reconnects with old friends from his previous circle, finding some have died and others are looking to expand themselves in the drug culture. Through the narrative, he is given a decision — will he revert back to addiction or move forward in sobriety? He chooses sobriety.
However, that final question prompted by the film is one that any person experiencing addiction is capable of debating for themselves. You go through ups and downs. You try getting sober. You relapse. You try again. McGregor’s character is not the perfect person. He fails time and again in Trainspotting, but his character is an accurate portrayal of the struggle.
Similarly, the supporting cast and characters gave accurate depictions of communities based on drug culture. These communities have a pull to them — one that drags you to relapse. The contrast we see between McGregor’s character when he was experiencing addiction versus when he had his life together is night and day.
Alcohol and Cocaine Addiction in Flight
The 2012 film, Flight, starring Denzel Washington, depicts a pilot experiencing intense alcohol and cocaine addiction. Driving the movie’s narrative is that the commercial airliner he was piloting came to a near-crash due to him being under the influence. The film demonstrates the darkness of alcohol addiction. Even on the evening before his hearing, deciding whether or not he will be imprisoned for his abuse of position and intoxication, he uncontrollably drinks until blacking out, only to be awoken by his friends dosing him with cocaine. Subsequently, he is imprisoned.
The way in which Flight poses an exaggerated tale of what it is like to be a person going through multiple substance use disorders is that the main character’s experiences are all extreme. For instance, a minor fraction of the population is pilots — an even smaller fraction battles SUD.
From the Washington Post, “authorities say it’s highly unusual to find an intoxicated pilot… 99 [of nearly 117,000 tested between 2010 and 2018] were found above the legal limit.” The legal limit for intoxication of an airline pilot is no higher than 0.04 blood alcohol concentration. Punishment is harsh and prompt when a pilot is found under the influence. Beyond suspension, if the pilot is found guilty, their license to fly is revoked, and can be imprisoned for up to a year.
Heroin and Amphetamine Addiction in Requiem for a Dream
The film, Requiem for a Dream, follows four main characters, a mother, her son, her son’s girlfriend, and her son’s friend. The mother aspires to find fame by appearing on her favorite game show, and the latter three aspire to make money for their individual goals by pushing heroin. In her mind, to gain a positive reception when appearing on the game show, the mother begins losing weight, assisted by amphetamines prescribed to help her appetite. She quickly escalates to abuse, dependency, and addiction, eventually spiraling until she is admitted to a psychiatric institution.
The son and his friend go to lengths to be able to buy a large amount of heroin to resell, including persuading the son’s girlfriend to prostitute herself, which she eventually does. The three end up being unable to purchase anything, as the two men are arrested and experience heavy withdrawals, among other health complications within the prison. The girlfriend finds herself in a drug and sex-fueled depression.
Requiem for a Dream has no happy ending. Each major character in this film “loses.” Their aspirations were pure, but the methods for attaining such were not. It is a quick lesson in how addiction quickly perverts the sense of self and the wellbeing of others.
For those unlucky, like the characters in this film, you never have a chance to see the other side of the rainbow — the sober side. Is this film accurate? Yes, though you don’t see every person with a heroin addiction trying to sell more heroin to make a profit.
However, it highlights the risks of taking heroin and amphetamines, including the medical complications that arise. In this case, the son had an arm amputated due to a gangrenous infection caused by heroin injection, and the mother fell into a catatonic state due to amphetamine psychosis.
How addiction, recovery, and sobriety are portrayed in film can be misunderstood. Characters who experience addiction as a disease are reflections of us, though not perfect. Their exaggerations might show audiences a false narrative of what addiction and recovery look like. At Real Recovery Sober Living, we separate fact from fiction. We understand the trials and tribulations you faced throughout addiction.
Much of our professional support staff lived through it themselves. In our community, we provide you with support throughout all stages of your recovery process. As Florida’s best-rated sober living home, our facilities and community provide you with a safe and stable environment for long-term sobriety. Take back control of your life. No longer will addiction be the director of your life. Finally, you can start writing your life the way you want to. If you are interested in a better, sober life, please reach out. Call us at (727) 290-9156 for more information.
