Most Realistic Portrayals of Alcoholism in Movies

Alysse Bryson is a strong woman in recovery, an innovative media maven, marketing guru, and gal about town. “I’m just a laid-back old school Seattlite…with sober superpowers. You can take the girl out of the party, but you can’t take the party out of the girl.” If you have a favorite you think we need to see, please email us at or DM us on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest.

You might find it uncomfortable and hard to watch, most stories involving addiction are. I found this to be a pretty accurate portrayal of the real hardships that come with the struggles of recovery. These struggles exist for both the person struggling with the addictions and the people struggling with the person addicted. In mystery thriller, The Girl on the Train, English actress Emily Blunt plays a witness to a serious crime. While the movie is ostensibly about the crime and the impact witnessing it has upon the main character, her alcoholism plays a prominent role throughout the entire movie.

Alcohol Poisoning

If you or a loved one suffer from addiction or substance abuse, it’s important to reach out for help, and hopefully these movies will motivate some people to do just that. Cruel to the brothers in their childhood, things haven’t improved in the intervening years, which has had lifelong repercussions for the sons, especially Wade (Nolte). The boys’ mother, Glen’s wife, dies, likely as a result of Glen’s neglect, and the years of abuse Wade suffered at his hands come to a head. Coburn is excellent as the unrepentant patriarch, and it’s a telling look at how alcoholism does not limit itself to destroying just the alcoholic, but can take down whole families as well. After crashing the stolen limousine, Gwen had a choice to attend rehab or spend 28 days in a jail cell. It is important to note that while the movie focuses on serious disease, alcoholism, there are also funny moments.

Marwood (the storyteller) is Withnail’s fellow star friend who stays with him and attempts to alleviate his most awful excesses. Nicolas Cage certainly was worthy of the Oscar for his character of Ben – he manages to communicate self-destruction and disaster in amazing torturous performing. We believe trust, meaningful connections, and kindness are the essentials to beginning a journey in recovery.

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In the film, Henry lives in a rundown apartment and works menial jobs. In the evening Henry would go to local bars and often get in trouble, hence the name, Barfly. These are some of the other movies that can help give you a glimpse into alcoholism and rehab centers. Paul Newman received a nomination for Best Actor for his role as Boston lawyer Frank Galvin, in the 1982 film, The Verdict. Newman’s character is a down-on-his-luck alcoholic and ambulance chaser involved in a mutually destructive relationship with Laura Fraser, played by Charlotte Rampling.

A college freshman returns home to Los Angeles for the holidays only to find life as he knows it to have changed completely. He discovers that his high school girlfriend and former best friend have not only been sleeping together, but are both addicted to drugs. A comedy writer (Stiller) battles to overcome his substance use disorder (SUD) with heroin.

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Unable to piece the night together, she begins to wonder if she could be the killer. The story of a cannibalistic serial killer named Jeffrey Dahmer, a.k.a. the https://curiousmindmagazine.com/selecting-the-most-suitable-sober-house-for-addiction-recovery/ Milwaukee Monster. There’s strength in numbers — if you plan to attend any festivities this holiday season, bring a sober buddy with you, experts suggest.

Ray Milland gives a remarkable performance as Don in the final of our movies about alcoholism. He changes himself into a raving junkie and he is not intimidated to reveal the despair and grubbiness of the alcoholic’s life. Movie Director Mike Figgis takes care never to make an ethical judgment regarding his characters. It is an illustrative and sincere demonstration of alcohol addiction and people who have given up all hope. If you watch any of these movies with alcoholics and realize you need addiction help, turn to Harmony Health Group today.

In the morning, Don steals his girlfriend’s leopard coat and pawns it for a gun. After a struggle over the gun with Helen, Don bitterly declares that Don Birnam is already dead. She then reminds him that there are two Don Birnams, and that he should not sacrifice one for the other. He resists a glass of whiskey and then begins to compose his “lost” weekend story. Lisa Laman is a life-long movie fan, writer, and Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic.

• He returns to Wanda who attacks Tully when she comes searching for him.
• Chinaski looks down on anyone that makes a big to-do about how they’re feeling, so no surprise when he harasses a couple necking in a car stopped at a red traffic light.
• By film’s end, he’s reestablished and even wins back his former sweetheart.
• For one thing, James referring to alcoholism as “a sickness” is a notable feat since the American Medical Association wouldn’t get around to labeling this condition a disease until 1956.
• A West Texas single mother wins the lottery and squanders it just as fast, leaving behind a world of heartbreak.

The film, which was based on a novel by John O’Brien, is careful to avoid making moral judgments about the characters and is a graphic and honest portrayal of alcoholism and a person in its grips who has lost all hope. The couple is desperate to be sober and does manage for a while until the lure of alcohol leads them to drink again. Joe checks into rehab and begins attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. But he is determined to work and care for his daughter while Kirsten is totally lost to alcoholism, and the film’s ending shows Kristen entering a bar. Still, Henry goes to yet another bar where he meets a fellow alcoholic named Wanda (Faye Dunaway), a “kept woman” who buys copious amounts alcohol with her lover’s money.