Sober living

Great Movies about Alcoholism and Drug Addiction

There has been a wide range of movies about alcoholism and alcohol abuse or misuse over the years. Some heavy drinking and alcohol-related films are funny and light-hearted, Easy bruising: Why does it happen? while others depict a more serious and somber tone. Everyone knows Andy Garcia as Terry Benedict from ‘Ocean’s Eleven’ but this film has him in a completely different role.

Thomas Vinterberg’s Another Round opens in this mode, but like so many films before it, soon takes a darker turn. It’s that aspect – the demons that drive us to drink despair and beyond – that so many movies about alcoholism explore. Too much of alcohol may not be good for health but it is definitely great for cinema. Alcoholics receive more audience attention than any other ordinary character. It feels like alcoholism adds layers to the character and gives a dark edge to the story.

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Slade is a reckless alcoholic and this nature of his continuously troubles the student but they eventually develop a bond. The film gives a general idea of how a retired army man’s life loses purpose and he drowns himself in alcohol for this reason. The film received multiple accolades with Al Pacino bagging the Best Actor Oscar for his portrayal of the blind lieutenant colonel. As a result of this, you save films like “Pollock,” which depicts the anguish and desperation of an alcoholic painter. This film, starring Ed Harris as a painter, tells the story of his early attempts to become a successful artist. It was Harris, not Marcia Gay Harden, who won the Academy Award as Best Supporting Actress for her work in the picture.

alcoholism movies

Requiem for a Dream deals with a multitude of dark themes akin to the human psyche. Our desperate need for love, acceptance and joy is contorted into a feverish longing that only drugs can cure. Darren Aronofsky’s psychological thriller is based on the 1978 novel by Hubert Selby Jr., and has gained quite a cult following since its release. Requiem for a Dream traces different characters in parallel storylines—predominantly a self-medicating widow and her heroin-addicted son. The U.S. opioid epidemic began in the late 1990s, where pharmaceutical companies implored that their medications were not addictive.

The 5 Best Movies About Alcoholism

Director James Ponsoldt demonstrates in this novel adaption his considerable knowledge of alcoholism. Although it explores the dangers of alcohol consumption in young people, ‘The Spectacular Now’ is mostly about the blossoming romance between an alcoholic and his quiet, reticent lover. While Miles Teller shines as the party prankster, Shailene Woodley plays the quiet girl with ease.

Don is propelled into an infernal weekend break, attempting to get cash to maintain his addiction. He is taken to the emergency room where he sees at first hand the monstrosities of alcohol addiction. It compels the addict to do awful things to sustain their drinking routine and sometimes conceal their addiction. It trashes intimate relationships and household unions and is an omen of disaster. The classic adventure tale seems to have been sidelined these days, but ripping yarns were once box office dynamite.

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“The part he was more comfortable with was the sexual part and I wasn’t, so we had to teach each other about the other.” At 13 years old, Shields sought out help for her mother and went to a facility close to their home where she learned how to stage an intervention. Teri agreed to stop drinking, but Shields said her sobriety didn’t last much longer than a few weeks. “It wasn’t abusive, but it was emotionally abusive because I felt sort of abandoned every time she wasn’t herself.” An aging, disillusioned alcoholic (Nolte) gets a younger friend (Morgan) and wants him to pose as his son at a school reunion.

  • A real estate developer who enjoyed short-lived success seeks to regain his edge by using cocaine, but takes himself to new lows as he gets lost in the downward spiral of drug addiction.
  • Both Jack Lemmon and Lee Remick received Oscar nods for their performances in this classic.
  • Director and screenwriter Kashyap are practically flawless, but the soundtrack takes the experience to a whole new level.
  • The film compellingly goes into the abuse she suffered from her husband during blackouts.
  • At the investigative hearing, Whitaker admits that he was drunk on the day of the crash, as well as during the hearing itself.

In the meantime, it may help to find out what the 5 best movies about alcoholism are. Hopefully, these movies can give you some insight into alcoholism and getting treatment. The film takes us on a journey through his life as a young man, discovering music and becoming a star. However, the main focus is on his love for June Carter (Reese Witherspoon) and his struggle with drug and alcohol addiction. This is another film depicting a woman’s journey of accepting her addiction and getting sober. The main character Kate, (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) enjoys a carefree drink fuelled life of fun and music with her husband Charlie (Aaron Paul) but faces a series of ‘shameful’ events brought on by alcohol and drug abuse.

Some inspirational, others tragic, many of these films are based on true stories. In this article, we’re going to look at fifteen great films that cover themes of addiction and alcoholism. Prepare https://trading-market.org/alcohol-intolerance-diagnosis-treatment/ to shed a little tear watching these movies, but also take away some life-changing lessons. If you are looking for movies about alcoholism on Netflix, Flight is a great movie to watch.