ADDICTION {NINE SHORT FILMS} (TV)

Summary

This documentary feature, comprised of nine short films by noteworthy American directors, explores the many different aspects and challenges of drug and alcohol addiction and the roads to recovery. Several experts open the film with comments about how lifelong addiction usually begins between the ages of 18 and 25, adding that, contrary to popular opinion, one does not need to hit "rock bottom" before seeking help.

In the first film, "Saturday Night in a Dallas ER," Dr. Larry Gentilello explains that a large percentage of patients' injuries are caused by drug and/or alcohol use, describing addiction as an "expensive disease." Noting that 95% of adult alcoholics begin drinking before the legal age of 21, Gentilello decides to find a counselor for a man who claims his snapped ankle is unrelated to his heavy drinking, and then struggles to process the death of a young man, killed in an accident caused by mere marijuana usage.

Next, in "A Mother's Desperation," Donna explains that she is now willing to take the drastic step of having her daughter Aubrey, who has struggled with addiction for seven years and has made many trips in and out of rehab before fleeing to the streets, arrested by the police in order to force her into treatment. She explains that Aubrey "never liked herself" despite her many personal and academic accomplishments, and Aubrey eventually decides that she is "done running" and turns herself into the police. She is released into her mother's care, and the two agree to work together to attempt a recovery.

In "The Science of Relapse," crack cocaine addict William describes feeling like he "didn't win" every time he resumes using drugs after a period of abstinence, and Dr. Anna Rose Childress explains how the "go / stop" functions of the brain are disconnected by drug use, thus making it extremely difficult to stop using. William undergoes a University of Pennsylvania brain-imaging study, which shows how one's cravings can be triggered "under the radar," without the person's conscious awareness, with split-second suggestive imagery. A new drug, Baclofen, attempts to "reset the brain" by dialing down the craving for the drug to a manageable degree.

In "The Adolescent Addict," Dr. Nora Volkow explains why the still-developing adolescent brain is so prone to poor impulse control and addictive behavior, and 15-year-old Dylan and his family explain that his father's abrupt departure prompted a multitude of problems, including rage issues, cutting and drug and alcohol use, forcing his mother Paige to call the local sheriff after one incident. Dr. Michael Dennis notes that few teen addicts receive proper help, as their families believe that they will "grow out of it," and Dylan and several other teens and their families attend meetings at the Phoenix House Academy as Volkow describes why supportive family interventions, rather than anger and punishment, are necessary for recovery.

In "Brain Imaging: Brookhaven National Laboratory," Volkow interviews an incoming patient who discusses his addiction to cocaine and methamphetamine, and she takes images of his brain activity to examine the "magnitude of the surge" of his desire for the drugs, noting that his brain has the appearance of that of a much older person. The man admits to having ambivalent feelings about actually stopping his drug use, and Volkow notes that denial and resistance to sobriety are a very common part of the addiction process.

In "Opiate Addiction: A New Medication," Dr. Charles O'Brien explains how methadone was discovered in the 1960s to be an effective treatment for opiate addiction, and young couple Amanda and Justin, both opioid addicts in the heavily drug-affected state of Maine, head to Acadia Hospital for treatment and attend a group meeting, discussing how replacement therapy is one of the few useful treatments for preventing irresistible relapse. Justin and Amanda both begin taking Suboxone, a combination of buprenorphine and naloxone, and six months later they are both doing well on the drug and have remained clean, though Justin explains that he may switch to methadone, as it is less expensive than the Suboxone.

In "Topiramate: A Clinical Trial for Alcoholism," Dr. Mark Willenbring discusses medical treatments for alcoholism, describing the different uses of disulfiram, acamprosate and naltrexone, all of which attempt to curb a person's desire to drink. Self-described alcoholics Tom and Adam talk about their respective descents into addiction and visit a Virginia clinic, where they begin a 12-week trial of the new drug Topiramate, which also helps to lessen withdrawal symptoms. Adam talks with Dr. Bankole Johnson about the process, and both men begin showing signs of improvement with the drug. However, several doctors note that there is no "single cure" for any form of addiction.

In "Steamfitters Local Union 638," Long Island company director Don Perks explains that, in the early days of his working life, drinking on the job and enabling one another's dangerous behavior was commonplace, leading to accidents and eventual addiction for many. Perks explains that he now works to help his colleagues and neighbors with their addiction issues, even manning a 24-hour hotline on which people can call for help. He grows emotional remembering a 33-year-old friend who died by suicide after struggling with alcohol problems, and a bunch of steamfitters gather in an after-care meeting and attempt to shed their "tough-guy" personas in order to sincerely discuss their issues.

Finally, in "Insurance Woes," political representatives and families gather at the capitol building in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania to demand the passage of Act 106, a bill relating to insurance coverage for outpatient treatment of drug and alcohol addiction. Several parents testify about how their insurance companies refused to fully cover their kids' treatment, in one case only allowing a week of rehab, as opposed to the recommended 28 days, leading to several tragic and preventable deaths. Charges of involuntary manslaughter are debated, and one mother acknowledges that parenting is largely "guesswork" and that they intend to continue fighting for the ability to help their children when they are in need.

Details

NETWORK: HBO
DATE: March 15, 2007 9:00 PM
RUNNING TIME: 1:26:20
COLOR/B&W: Color
CATALOG ID: B:91298
GENRE: Public affairs/Documentaries
SUBJECT HEADING: Public affairs/Documentaries; Addiction; Talk/Interview; Short films; Rehabilitation
SERIES RUN: HBO - TV, 2007
COMMERCIALS: N/A

CREDITS

Sheila Nevins … Executive Producer
John Hoffman … Producer
Susan Froemke … Producer
Micah Cormier … Co-Producer
Michael Feldman … Music by
For "Saturday Night in a Dallas ER":
Jon Alpert … Producer, Director
Shannon Sonenstein … Associate Producer
Larry Gentilello … Interviewee
For "A Mother's Desperation":
Susan Froemke … Producer, Director
Rob Meyer … Associate Producer
Albert Maysles … Director
For "The Science of Relapse":
Etienne Sauret … Producer
Geoffray Barbier … Line Producer
Eugene Jarecki … Director
Susan Froemke … Director
Anna Rose Childress … Interviewee
For "The Adolescent Addict":
Kate Davis … Producer, Director
David Heilbroner … Producer, Director
Katherine Linton … Co-Producer
Nora Volkow … Interviewee
Michael Dennis … Interviewee
For "Brain Imaging: Brookhaven National Laboratory":
Rory Kennedy … Producer
Liz Garbus … Producer, Director
Jed Rothstein … Co-Producer
Nora Volkow … Interviewee
For "Opiate Addiction: A New Medication":
Frazer Pennebaker … Producer
Walker Lamond … Associate Producer
Chris Hegedus … Director
D.A. Pennebaker … Director
Charles O'Brien … Interviewee
For "Topiramate: A Clinical Trial for Alcoholism":
Susan Raymond … Producer
Alan Raymond … Producer, Director
Mark Willenbring … Interviewee
Bankole Johnson … Interviewee
For "Steamfitters Local Union 638":
Craig Hymson … Producer
Barbara Kopple … Producer, Director
David Cassidy … Co-Producer
Don Perks … Interviewee
For "Insurance Woes":
Susan Froemke … Producer, Director
Rob Meyer … Associate Producer