Unrealistic depictions of addiction in film

Addiction has a shattering effect on the lives of the people it touches. Cinema can depict this sensitively and accurately and provoke audiences to think deeply about it – but frequently, it doesn’t do this, relying on titillation, glamourisation or gaudy, excessive and exploitative stereotypes.

It’s not just addiction that’s depicted unrealistically in film. Other serious topics like war, sexual violence and mental illness often receive similar treatment. This reflects the medium’s limitations – drama and storytelling can take precedence over nuance. These shallow portrayals can have a wider impact, influencing public perception and sometimes even public policy.

Public perception

Cinema both reflects and reinforces public perceptions. Film can influence how people view addiction, but in turn, the audience’s perceptions of addiction can influence how they respond to a film.

Reefer Madness is an excellent example of this. Released in the 1930s as a propaganda piece against marijuana, it focuses on the excessive and unrealistic effects of cannabis, depicting users as violent and insane. The film was ‘based’ on a real-life case of a young man who killed his family, which was blamed on cannabis. It formed part of a cultural backlash that led to cannabis becoming illegal.

The film was revived in the 1970s, when cannabis usage was popular, widespread and destigmatised amongst American teenagers, and gained popularity again – as an unintentional comedy. It was screened at pro-marijuana festivals to ridicule outdated perceptions.The film hadn’t changed – but the ideas were received very differently 40 years later.

Tropes

Films are about characters and struggle to depict people in all their complexity. This is why cinema often relies on stereotypes – the tragic hero, the demonised user, the rebellious free spirit and the addict as a punchline.

Tropes are shortcuts, so, understandably, cinema makes use of them. It’s difficult to depict a complex, multi-dimensional character in 90-180 minutes. This is why television is sometimes better at depicting addiction – it can show a character over a much longer period, and explore how addiction interacts with other aspects of their lives.

Instantaneous recovery

Addiction and recovery can form the central theme of a film, which can result in a surface-level treatment of the struggle of recovery. Addiction is a chronically relapsing condition – and while it isn’t guaranteed that a person will relapse when attempting recovery, the process is rarely as smooth as it is often depicted in film.

This results in a common trope – instantaneous recovery. A person struggles with addiction, hits rock bottom,’ enters recovery and prevails, leaving substances behind forever.

The comedy-drama film 28 Days with Sandra Bullock is a good example of this trope in action. Sandra Bullock’s character, Gwen, ruins her sister’s wedding while intoxicated and enters rehab. Through a series of comedic events and a superficial engagement with therapy, Gwen recovers relatively quickly and painlessly. Critics found this treatment of addiction’ light and preachy’, and the film fails to depict or wrestle with any of the complexities of recovery.

Glamourisation

Glamourisation rarely appears alone in cinema – it’s usually the first half of a two-part arc. Addiction is depicted alongside obscene wealth and luxury – lavish parties, success and power – and followed by an inevitable downfall. Many films that follow this arc are critically acclaimed, but seen through this lens they can also be read as simplistic morality plays. The downfall means that the glamourous depictions of drug use can be shown without guilt and shields against accusations that the film promotes drug use. Stimulant drugs are usually the substances depicted in these films.

Scarface, The Wolf of Wall Street and Blow are all classic examples of the glamourous addict who then faces a downfall. Trainspotting is an example of this trope, which doesn’t use wealth or power but other elements to make drug use glamourous—the substance use is stylised, the characters are sexy, and the soundtrack is carefully chosen. The characters face horrific consequences for their drug use—but they look great doing it. While this makes for entertaining cinema, it’s far from realistic.

Stereotypical characters

Certain archetypes recur in cinematic depictions of addiction. They embody aspects of addiction, often exaggerated, while the character’s full humanity remains unexplored.

The hero

The hero is not always addicted – sometimes, they will struggle with other compulsions, mental health issues, or unfair ill-treatment by society. This is closely related to the concept of the tortured genius, whose virtuosity in their chosen field is accompanied by intense emotional pain. This trope is so pernicious it spills into how real people are perceived or remembered outside of cinema (Kurt Cobain, Alan Turing). This promotes the idea that these individuals were geniuses because of their ill-treatment, mental illness or substance abuse.

The rebel

Unsurprisingly, addiction often stands in for rebellion on-screen. Drugs place the user outside mainstream culture due to their legal status. Easy Rider is one of the clearest examples of the addicted rebel – and it has the effect of making drug addiction look aspirational by tying it to freedom and nonconformity.

The demonised addict

The most one-dimensional and reductive archetype of all, the demonised addict, often only has two traits – they consume substances, and they hurt people. As a result, they rarely appear as main characters. Alcohol addiction is commonly depicted in the demonised addict.

The character of Begbie in Trainspotting represents one of the few attempts to flesh out the stereotype of the demonised addict, but it’s still far from well-rounded. The demonised addict usually appears as a wife-beating drunk or a sadistic bully. A good example is Jenny’s alcoholic father in Forrest Gump or, outside cinema, Margaret Thompson’s husband in Boardwalk Empire.

The punchline

Withnail in Withnail and I is an alcoholic – and this is depicted as comedic. He stumbles between misadventures, utters many quotable lines, and has been treated as a semi-aspirational hero by British students since the film was released.

At the end of the film, Withnail retains his humanity. More frequently, the comedic addict is a simplistic caricature used for quick and easy laughs at the character’s expense.

Nuanced and simplistic depictions in one film

Requiem for a Dream is an example of cinema getting it right and making mistakes in the same film. Sara’s descent into amphetamine psychosis as she attempts to lose weight, unaware of the negative effects of the drug she is taking, is depicted with a degree of care even though the scenes are heightened for dramatic effect. Psychosis cannot be perfectly portrayed on screen, but the film makes a valiant attempt.

On the other hand, the film eventually descends into over-the-top horror that feels squalid and moralising – with amputated limbs, sexual violence, and the characters left weeping in the fetal position at the film’s conclusion. The film becomes exploitative, taking the most extreme outcomes of addiction and using them to shock the audience. The film remains critically acclaimed, but the film’s climax and conclusion feel cheap and lurid. Rather than depicting the horror of addiction, it uses addiction to horrify and titillate.

We understand the realities of addiction

On-screen addiction can be simplistic – but we know it’s a complex and deeply personal struggle. We offer evidence-based and non-judgmental treatment, so you don’t have to go it alone.

Reach out today to start your journey.