One of the best ways to disconnect your mind from the idea that you are somehow different from your fellow man is to watch TV shows and movies about addiction and recovery. This will help you realize that you are part of a recovery community that is greater than yourself.
Drug and alcohol addiction has a way of tricking you into believing you are alone. It’s easy to become fixated on the past and believe no one in the history of the world has ever done the things you have, and that no one struggles the way you do. This is simply not true.
Millions of people around the globe know what it is like to have a substance abuse problem – and millions more are enjoying a life of freedom in sobriety right now. You are not alone. You are not unique. People from all walks of life understand your condition. They could tell you stories about things they did in their drinking or drugging days that would make you blush.
Our Favorite Films And Shows About Addiction And Recovery
1. Love
On this Netflix original series, Mickey (played by Gillian Jacobs) battles drug addiction, alcoholism, and sexual addiction. Many are raving about the show, saying it is a real-world depiction of how addiction can affect someone who has some success and manages their own life as a functioning addict.
2. 28 Days
This one is a classic recovery movie. Sandra Bullock stars in this dramatic comedy as Gwen Cummings, a newspaper columnist who is court-ordered to attend a 28-day rehab for alcoholism after she crashes a limousine and ruins here sister’s wedding. The movie (which came out in 2000) focuses on Cummings grappling with the reality that she has a substance abuse problem and provides a delightful comedic twist on her stay at rehab.
3. Nurse Jackie
This seven-season Showtime dark comedy (available on Netflix) stars Edie Falco (also a star on The Sopranos) who plays a nurse addicted to prescription opioids. Nurse Jackie does an amazing job of depicting how an addict will go to any lengths to stay loaded. The show demonstrates the downward spiral addiction always promises and then takes you through Jackie’s uphill recovery journey. AWESOME show. You’ll love to hate Nurse Jackie.
4. Basketball Diaries
Starring Leonardo DiCaprio in one of his earliest films (1995), this is the harrowing true story of poet and performer Jim Carrol’s descent into the hell of heroin addiction as a young teenager. The dark and gritty film shows the downside of drug addiction and will motivate you to want to stay clean and sober – one day at a time.
5. Intervention
This award-winning reality docu-series, which premiers on A&E, follows using addicts and alcoholics around as they drink and use drugs and ultimately face an intervention staged by family members. It’s one thing to understand and experience addiction, but it is another thing altogether to see it on television in all it’s destructive glory. We do want to warn you, however; that the show depicts extensive drug use. If you find you are being triggered by what you see, be sure to change the channel and watch something else.
6. My Name is Bill W.
This is a movie every recovering addict and alcoholic should watch. Starring James Woods and James Garner, this is the true story of Bill Wilson, the founder of Alcoholics Anonymous. The movie not only shows Bill W.’s personal struggle with alcoholism, it tells the tale of how AA was formed with just a small group of alcoholics who had a desire to stay sober one day at a time. It’s truly amazing to see how the worldwide fellowship of AA started in one man’s living room.
Invite Some Recovering Friends Over And Have A Movie Night
One of the best things to do when you are in recovery is to invite some sober friends over and have a movie or TV night. You can take in one of the flicks or shows we’ve suggested and talk about it afterward. This is sure to spark some interesting conversation and give you an opportunity to share about where you’re at in your recovery.