I love to read. I really do. I read books of all kind, different genres, different authors, and just styles too. Most articles I do are based off of what I read. I had the chance of even reviewing a few for the newspaper at Scarlett. Though, what I’ve noticed now is that there are just way too many books about the use of drugs. Sure, they can be a good read to give yourself, the reader, a good confidence boost as long as you’re not in the same situation, but after the fourth or fifth, it gets a little tiring. So, this piece is more of another editorial.
In the entertainment business, a controversial subject has made it into the network spotlights and the editor’s table: Addiction therapy. Addiction therapy is getting more recognition than it ever has before. Addiction was once a taboo subject, hidden in the closet as the shame that tarnishes a family name. Recently, addiction therapy is sprawled all over MTV, bookstores, and news networks like CNN. What sparked this radical wave of entertaining ecstasy that we perversely enjoy so much is a mystery for many.
The craze may have started in early 2003 with the books Prozac Nation and Now, More, Again by Elizabeth Wurtzel and A Million Little Pieces by James Frey. The first memoir was made into an independent film in 2001 starring Christina Ricci. Readers polarized both books. Either saying Wurtzel was a narcissistic girl who cared only for herself; or it was a gritty and bluntly honest memoir. The latter, eventually found out as “not completely true”, was on Oprah Winfrey’s book talk on The Oprah Show. A Million Little Pieces sent the printing presses into a mad dash to search for any other stories like it, they searched everywhere for the next big addicting addiction memoirs.
But as popular as the books get, the programs on networks such as A&E and MTV are getting more and more attention with shows like Intervention and the fictional The Cleaner. In Gone Too Far, the late Adam Goldstein (DJ AM), with close family and friends, did a series of interventions for young drug abusers. Although it is ironic that AM died of a drug overdose, they will still show the first eight episodes created.
A good example of this is Dr. Drew Pinsky’s Celebrity Rehab and its spin-off, Sober House. These two shows have received noticeable attention of how dangerous and life changing a drug addiction can be. A former Grease member, Jeff Conaway, was a recovering addict in the late 80’s and then relapsed in early 2000.Going into Celebrity Rehab, he goes through all that had happened to him and how depressing things had become for him. Most of the recovering addicts went through almost the same events as Conaway had experienced, including a deeply abused childhood. Unfortunately, less than half of the patients made it through to the new show, Sober House. This show is a reality show of a halfway home for recovering addicts can live a decent life of being sober and halfway into the real world.
There are several reasons why we enjoy watching and reading about sick and addicted people attempting to recover. The first and main reason that might cause us to glue our faces to the tube when an addiction show comes on is the drama. Every single addiction therapy show (including addictions from alcohol to drugs, gaming to sex) has an immense shroud of drama hovering over each patient/member. The best example is family drama found on the show, Intervention. Members of the family try their best to convince the “black sheep” of the family to face their troubles to get some help. This just builds up suspense of “will they get better by going to rehab or not” “Will they continue to drink or get help,” normally questions that the sober consider as a simple yes or no, are turned into life or death questions (death meaning being sober) by the addicts.
The viewers’ interest in these shows may be connected to experience. Some viewers may know what some patients are going through (such as the painful detoxification process or the struggle to stay absolutely sober.) Perhaps they too know of someone with an addiction, an addiction that is eating away at family, friends, and the addicts themselves. Or maybe the viewer themselves are addicts and do not know what to do about it, wanting to stop but not allowing themselves to do it until they get serious help.
Although we do keep watching these shows, almost exploiting the addicts on TV, it may be healthy just to watch what happens when we take too much of the wrong kinds of drugs or too much of the right kind.
What do you think of these types of shows? Do you watch them? How do YOU think these shows impact our culture?
*Note from YouthAreAwesome.com: The views discussed above do not reflect the views of YouthAreAwesome.com or Child and Youth Friendly Calgary. YouthAreAwesome.com aims to give youth their own unique voice and the ability to discuss important topics that affect youth. Though this blog post can be considered controversial, it is not meant to offend anyone.*
As with most things, this is a double-edged sword.
Recent media attention on addictions of various sorts may be exploitative I think the current state of affairs may be better than the alternative.
As you mentioned, addictions were once taboo. They were never discussed in the public sphere and the individual had to deal with their affliction in private. When a society has this sort of attitude towards a subject it gets viewed as degenerate and the individuals associated are chastised (consider historical attitudes towards homosexuality).
Today, topics of alcoholism and drug addictions are very much out in the open. This provides an individual with an addiction the ability to more easily seek help and for those in an addict's life to be more willing to provide help. Where in the past such an individual would try their damnedest to keep their addiction a secret for fear of social ruin and public humiliation.
Media is quick to latch on to something they think they can sell just as quickly as the public is to buy it. The nature of our society makes such exploitation an inevitability, but it also opens up the minds of people and allows for addicts to receive help. In my opinion – the trade-off is worth it.
Thank you for a thought provoking read.
Correction:
First paragraph, second sentence should read: "… may be exploitative, but I think …"