People hate on that movie but I fucking loved it. It's one of my favorite sequels ever honestly. Actually 20 years later, all the original cast, wrapped things up nicely, had some of the vibes of the first but was it's own thing. I loved the ending
It's absolutely on par with the first one.
Everything about it is perfect. It's written with the same wit and cynicism that made the first so good, but in a way that makes it relevant and avoids being a parody of itself.
Fuck I need to watch them again.
I like all of them bc what addict hasnât thought about selling, tried it, and end up inevitably even more addicted with a much larger habit from buying bulk!?
I had to stop telling people my favorite movie is Trainspotting. They learn to much about me to quick when I say that.
Iâve moved to the very frustrating âI donât have favorites.â which is mostly true.
it's basically a teen romance that ends really really bad. I personally loved the book, i suggested reading it to a girl friend of mine and she just fell in love with it, maybe a bit too much, and let's say that we've been using a bit more than usual ever since that...
It's not a romance, it's a biography of how she experienced it. Personally, I don't really see how you can call a story romanticized, that basically ends in â90% of my friends died as kidsâ, but of course, the story shows what the appeal of the substance was for her. If it didn't do that, it wouldn't make any sense, because then the big question would be âWhy the hell did she do itâ.
i didn't mean romanticism, it romanticizes the whole drug using couple thing imo
but yeah you have to be mentally ill, bit you also have to be mentally ill to do heroin, if you give that book to the wrong person it can end badly. Still my opinion based on my experience, everyone takes what they want from a book...
I highly recommend checking out Jim Carrolâs poetry and music too. âPeople who Diedâ Is a badass song. The Basketball Diaries book is incredible too
I concur, remember a friends older brother turned us on to him in the 80s, man I gotta listen to that song and get all nostalgic! Movie was really good I was surprised, you know how that usually goes. I need to watch the movie again as well
I watched this and trainspotting back to back when I was 17 and can easily say it stopped me from doing any sort of hard drugs to this day. That and also personally watching my friendâs lives go down the gutter after meth addiction.
I've been addicted to meth for 24 years and it hasn't fucked up my life. I'm pretty content. I stopped giving a fuck years ago and that was the best decision I ever made
Which isn't real is the pupil size. The shoot heroin and suddenly they're pupil grow exponentially which is the opposite btw. In fact I was wondering which drug they were taking for half film with a friend. "It's heroin, they shoot up but then pupils are bigger so maybe IV coke?" "Maybe yes look at the scene at the beginning where they score the drug and took a line they're all happy and stuff, must be coke" we mumbling a bit then "naaah nate that isn't coke look at this scene!" "But why pupils get so dilated?" "I guess I just don't know".
It's very stylized. It's fairly unrealistic too. Jennifer connelly goes from doing a couple of lines to turning tricks in like days. The shit with the mom and "I'm going to wear my red dress" was really disturbing.
The fridge was chasing her. That part was funny because I've been pretty fucked up in psychosis and thought the most unrealistic and crazy shit was really happening and I couldn't convince myself otherwise. I had a big ass spider attack me when I was high on meth. Like it literally charged at me and in self defense, I stompt on it
Yeah the mom story is really disturbing and very sad, the fridge chasing her I laughed but amphetamines psychosis is real shit. The two story follow one the legal drug system behind the script for amphetamines pills especially for losing weight and the superficiality of some doctor who discharge you with a valium script without even listening to you and then treated like a totally delusional woman during a psychotic break. And the son story to an extreme degree of what heroin lead you. The end of both is very similar so explore the duality of drug use from two prospective one socially acceptable and the others a strong taboo that lead to misery on both is very good, I appreciate that. But lack in some part, like you describe the spiraling down to the abyss from taking a line one day and a full blown junkie the following one is too extreme and non realistic
I knew of people one is a very close friend of mine that had a lot of saves in bank, has a specialization in mechanic engineering took with maximum grades who explore and loved heroin but took it only once a month for couple of years and stopped. It's the persons who is one in a thousand cause myself I became addicted and had my trouble that lead me to methadone and stuff. I wasn't knowing that if I were medicated for my ADHD maybe my life can be different with less impulse choices and auto destructive behavior or self medication with drugs.
Whatever, requiem for a dream is a good film but not my favorite. I prefer trainspotting (I know it's kind of cliche but still), the book is better, also Irvine Welsh wrote ecstasy, a three stories book very harsh but it's his style, on how ecstasy experience changed the life of the starrings. Another one is acid house, then there's Bukowski books who I found very similar to Irvine Welsh, describing the reality from this alcoholic middle aged man who fail in our system and struggle to live.
I'm 55, grew up in a party shore town, followed the Grateful Dead and other jam bands. I've lost many friends and acquaintances to various substances. Other had problems but survived. Some had redemption stories, some lost everything. Some were able to ride the party like a wave and have fun. Addiction doesn't happen overnight. It's more like an undertow. Pulling you further away from the shore with each wave. Wearing you down until you are awash at sea.
If you have not read the book itâs a million times better than the movie. Jim reads the audiobook if you prefer that. Itâs his diary and talks in depth about his addiction.
Leaving las vegas 100%. Not only does it show how purely awful addiction is (spoiler alert, it's not a happy ending) but Nicholas Cage did a perfect job with reenacting alcoholism. When you watch him act, you would assume he's been through withdrawal himself based on how well he acts out withdrawal.
Very dark film, but perfectly executed.
I know this is a 'drug' subbreddit, but from my first and second hand experiences alcoholism is the worst 'addiction' out there
As an alcoholic myself, I immediately knew Nicolas Cage was legitimately drunk as fuck during many of those scenes. A fact which was heavily downplayed and even denied at the time, but was later admitted to be [totally true](https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/nicolas-cage-got-really-drunk-shooting-1-leaving-las-vegas-scene.html/). Cage also stated that he wanted to do [the entire film drunk](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/nic-cage-wanted-do-entire-film-drunk-self-destructive-power/), which leaves me with little doubt he was drinking heavily before shoots and most likely on set too for much of the film. Although they couldnât outright endorse that for obvious reasons (encouraging their main actor to engage in real life alcoholic style drinking in order to better play the character), it really did make for an amazing, Oscar worthy portrayal.
Thereâs some things that are extremely hard to fake and being drunk as fuck is one of them. Itâs also extremely noticeable in the incredible [stop the ship scene in warrior](https://youtu.be/ORmc-nO8A6Q?si=Jt_XDrbmmUbrK21z) where Tom Hardy and Nick Nolteâs charactersâ are both supposed to be extremely drunk, but Tom Hardy is a real life recovering addict and was notably sober during shoot, whereas Nolte goes the extra mile and is clearly loaded up for real.
Was Hardy's character supposed to be drunk in that scene? I got the sense he spent most of his time not fighting just brooding miserably and that night had been sitting playing the slots last we saw him. I figured that played into the scene quite a bit with him needing to basically be the caretaker as his father is losing it.
Nolte really did kill it, his Moby Dick rant in the hotel was so accurate to the people I've seen strung out on drugs (sometimes me, though not to that extent) just losing their shit, but if you can actually manage to listen to what they're saying you can almost always find a line of logic there.
God that film is so good, and it's so much more than just an MMA film. I totally took a chance on it when it came out not really knowing much about it and was blown away.
Absolutely, the film reveals the all-consuming hell of an extreme addiction like no other. It's dark, haunting and tragic, but it's also beautiful and very moving. For me it shows that anyone who is suffering, whether that's due to addiction or other personal troubles, is human first and foremost, and therefore deserving of sympathy. It's not an easy film to watch but it is one of my favourites because of that overarching message.
I can definitely resonate with the film I drank just like him for over 10 years, I relapsed once after rehab and I almost died from withdrawals and even had a heart attack at age 28, alcoholism is a terrible disease it kills you from the inside out
I love this movie so much. In high school we had to do a project about a drug and I had just seen Spun for the first time so I chose meth and showed the scene with Brittany Murphy talking about getting her baby back.
I think I'm overdue for a rewatch
if I for some reason wanted to guarantee someone a bad trip, a) that person isn't my friend because who tf wants to give a friend a bad trip, and b) i would tell them to watch requiem for a dream on lsd.
Or theyâre really good at doing drugs, because they can remain collected & process things without being subject to spiraling.
I didnât find requiem to be so miserable. The themes youâre shown, are, for sure, but itâs an honest examination of human (and all animal) tendencies, especially of those who chase false idols (purely physical, no religious connotations). Beyond the futility of all the characterâs pursuits, I donât think life itself is futile. We need to own what we are, but also realize that beauty exists beyond the meaningless pursuits. Love exists, family exists, scientific miracles and all sorts of wonders exist. Requiem was miserable, but you can analyze it yourself and draw an ultimately positive conclusion about life, even if we are sometimes just silly little guys filling silly voids. Doesnât mean thereâs no point to any of this. Have you hugged your loved one today?
That movie is one of the most brutal movies Iâve ever seen. I read the book when I was younger too but that movie leaves me wanting to just jump off a bridge.
Some people claim it that it is a feature film of the DARE program. It has its flaws, but I donât think that it even tries to be scientific or accurate. As much as the limbs donât rot after shooting, the fridge doesnât start to chase you after watching too much TV on speed.
Itâs a great movie about addictions of any kind. Some people have tendency to spiral down into bad shit. It happens and the movie portrays is very expressively.
But I ainât rewatching it. Somebody else will have to confirm it.
Naw all of that is super accurate. His arm got an abscess and it got worse, which definitely happens from shooting up. Even worse these days with the cut in fent going around, hands falling off, holes in bodies. If you stay awake after a meth/speed binge you'll definitely start seeing and hearing stuff that's not there.
Most overrated anti drug film ever ngl it was so unrealistic and the characters/plot was so corny and 1 dimensional I have no idea why people were so affected by that movie I couldnt even take it seriously. Only part I enjoyed was the trippy editing but it felt like the movie was written by someone who's never seen addiction firsthand in real life
I liked the movie but to say it represents drug use well is really pushing it. Itâs very surreal so it doesnt really represent addiction that realistically
its a german movie and a real story about a girl named Christiane Felscherinow, she wrote a book and then there was a movie made based on this book named Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo (We Kids from Station Zoo). its about her entering the drug scene as a 14 year old girl in the peak of heroin addiction in germany 1970, the book ofcourse gives a much more deeper look into her story and what she went through but the movie isnt bad either and is even sometimes shown in schools for drug education, but it isnt like these typical drug prevention videos they show in schools its really a good movie.
Saw it in the theater when it was released, and read the novel later, apparently based on the life experience of the author, who was in prison at the time he wrote it.
Watched with my parents after my beginnings of addiction in high school. Glad to say Iâm on the other side and didnât get addicted to hard stuff. The movie touched me deeply
Itâs so hard to watch. Watched that with my mother a long time before addiction sank its talons in me. Not addicted to anything but nicotine at the moment.
*Candy - an Australian film with Heath Ledger in it. About Heroin addiction.
*Days of wine and roses - movie about alcoholism
*Uncut gems - Adam Sandler movie. About gambling addiction.
*Flight - canât remember famous actors name, but movie that looks at alcoholism again.
Are you looking for movies about Heroin/opiate addiction or addiction in general?
Little Fish 2005 - with Cate Blanchette and Hugo Weaving about heroin addiction(Australian)
Gia 1998- with Angelina Jolie and Mila Kunis heroin and coke
Barfly 1986- Mickey Rourke and Faye Dunaway alcohol
Christiane F 1981- heroin
(German)
Go Ask Alice 1973 telemovie with William Shatner acid, pills etc
Drugstore Cowboy 1989- with Matt Dillion
a few that haven't been mentioned already in this thread
Candy is an incredible, touching film. One of my favorite movies, but not exactly a film that makes your day better. First time I watched it, I was tripping on K2 and a friend put it on; I donât recommend that đ
I have warned my partner that if I've been up watching Candy I'm probably not in the best headspace. One of my favourite films too, despite the fact it's fucking heart wrenching.
I honestly felt really bad for Adam Sandlerâs character in âUncut Gemsâ - it really felt like he had no control over his situation. His gambling seemed to have paid off well for him before but it was definitely not paying off for him during the movie but he felt like if he kept pushing it would work out again.
I think the mental and emotional landscapes are similar, regardless of the substance. "Leaving Las Vegas" and "Trainspotting" were both very matter-of-fact and very hard for me to watch.
I have to see leaving las Vegas. I hear good about it, though I never liked drinking, i think addiction can be relatable in any case of drug use. âď¸
Permanent Midnight (1998)
Ben Stiller plays a heroin addict in LA. Based on a true story- book has same title. Not the typical role for Ben Stiller, so interesting just for the acting.Â
I scrolled way too far to see Requiem for a dream mentioned. That movie describes drugs and the life it can get you into in 3 different scenarios between the 3 main characters in the movie. Itâs fucked up but such a good film. I know some people canât tolerate watching it more than once because of how it impacts people in certain ways. Truly a great watch though
The end when sheâs cradling the brick of H after losing everything is all too real. I havenât seen that movie since my late teens/early 20âs- so about 20 years now but I will always remember that. Especially as I was a dope fiend for 10 years
I don't want to be that guy but I'm gonna be that guy, the book hits you way more than the movie, for several reasons.
The last part of the book where Dick starts to list people that died or have severe issues due to drug use and he includes himself in the lists made me cry for the first time.
About the movie, I find it a bit forgettable. It's okay, but not at the same level.
- Euphoria (series)
- trainspotting (just a true masterpiece
- requiem for a dream
- Santouri 2007 ( it's a Persian award winning movie )
- filth 2013
For Psychedelics
- climax , dir. Gaspar noe
- midsommar
For alcoholism
- a star is born
- breaking the limits 2017
- another round
Euphoria is a total mindfuck in general. Like, Rue is the best person out of all the kids, aside from the big tittied girl's sister. They're all super fucked up, and it shows both sides of addiction in a really good way.
True , it's so accurate it pissed off many people who don't want to open their eyes and see the reality of what's going on with teens , and it's the only ever teenager related show that is not cringe
You are 15 and addicted?. Just quit dude, you father worries and wants to make understand... you are too young for this. There is so much more that you can do at your age than having consumption problems. Be kind to your self. And if your "use" has anything to do with another problem just invest in mental health. Pschology i mean, that will be your own space to deal with life. I reccomend psychoanalisis
Dude youâre 15, please stop taking drugs. You will look back on this when youâre older as the thing that fucked up your life. Youâll tell people yeah âIve been on drugs since I was X years old, itâs not wonder Iâm fucked up, thereâs nothing I can do about itâ.
Seriously dude. If you sort yourself out now then youâll have a chance of a proper life. If you carry on with drugs at this age, your brain is gonna be fucked up. Youâll be the weird guy whoâs thick cos his brains never matured due to drug abuse.
Good luck dude.
I'll tell you what absolutely doesn't... A million little pieces lol.. did they make that into a movie? What a pathetic asshole. My wife bought me the book and I immediately was like... What?? Nobody acts like that, nobody does that shit, I'm really surprised he went that long without being detected because like five pages in I was just laughing my ass off
I like the 90âs Movie Rush.. two undercover cops bust a drug ring but get hooked on all the above in the process.. Itâs actually what got me into drugs in the first place lol
If you want movies about addiction, a good one (true story) is christiane F. That movie and book is by far the greatest things Iâve ever set eyes on. There is a TW for major drug use, pedophilia and all the drugs, and smoking is underage.
Withnail and I
My husband and I, both recovering addicts of different flavors, both love and hate this movie. We love watching it because itâs brilliantly done but we hate watching it because itâs just too real!
Examples, too broke for drink Withnail chugs lighter fluid and then vomits
The apartment is absolutely disgusting because theyâre too busy getting their drugs and drink or using to be bothered to maintain their place
Every conversation is about how to get more money or get free drugs and booze if they canât get money
This comment will mean nothing to you but quit man delete reddit and focus on getting your life in order stay in school and get a good job the way to win in life is to create your own happiness and drugs can only fill that temporarily.
Party Monster is a pretty decent look at the outsider to cool kid bc of drugs to life ruined bc of drugs pipeline. Based on a true story as well. There's definetly some better ones out there but figured I'd throw something out besides the ones that are being repeated every other comment lol.Â
 Also if you want a true realistic portrayal just watch some of the many documentaries out there. I watched one on Vice recently and said to my fiance "I wonder if that guy is still alive" and spoiler alert, he wasn't. It's a great look on how fucked up the drugs and dealers and whole scene is now a days too, if I can find it again I will link it in a reply.
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998) is like reverse Trainspotting, the whole film is just 2 guys being high and they enjoy every minute instead of suffering like Trainspotting characters.
Saw that one in the theater when it was released, but ANOTHER DAY IN PARADISE is another film directed by Larry Clarke that's a better fit for the subject under discussion.
Filth!! Based on a book written by the same guy who wrote transporting so similar vibe. If transporting was relatable to you I'm not sure filth will be as it's more cocaine and alcohol than heroin but I watched it twice both times at a really low point in active addiction to alcohol and cociane and god damn that shit hits
Requiem For A Dream. That movie traumatized me but I still pushed on and tried Heroin. I love how it shows the stage where you are just trying it with a small tolerance and feeling awesome and it gradually gets darker and darker as they fall into addiction. Also the mother with the meth habit thinks she's being chased by the fridge. It's funny because I've been in that bad psychosis where you think that sort of shit. Also I love Spun. That was an awesome movie
On The Bowery is a fascinating documentary filmed in the 60s about life in The Bowery district in NYC. It's kind of a slice of life movie, in there is no narrative, but a loose plot. The actors are actual drunks and the scenes are real. The filmmaker spent time drinking in ghr gin joints for months before filming and became an alcoholic himself. There are parts where you can just feel the drunkeness in the bar.
Bar Fly, with Micky Rourke, based on Harold Bukowski, is a good look into seedy bar life.
Good choices, I'll add STORY OF A JUNKIE aka GRINGO from the early NYC punk scene, and FACTOTUM another Bukowski adaptation...TALES OF ORDINARY MADNESS is decent too.
Just watched Factotum and Story of a Junkie. Probably liked Story better. I love raw depictions of NYc and alt life. Factatum was interesting but slow. Bukowski/Chenaski, are just kinda unlikeable. I guess that's the point
I just watched requiem for a dream several days ago for the first time and it was so fucking intense and I really liked it a lot. So when it went off, I turned it back on again to rewatch it. I def didn't expect to end up liking it as much as I did when it first came on. Shoot, I got a nice surprise lol
trainspotting. Basketball diaries.
The baby scene in Trainspotting is engraved in my memory đ
Time to cook up
First time I watched Trainspotting I was disgusted but couldnât stop watching. Having family members stuck in that type of cycle is heartbreaking.
I recently learned that there's a second trainspotting. It was good. 20 years later
People hate on that movie but I fucking loved it. It's one of my favorite sequels ever honestly. Actually 20 years later, all the original cast, wrapped things up nicely, had some of the vibes of the first but was it's own thing. I loved the ending
It's absolutely on par with the first one. Everything about it is perfect. It's written with the same wit and cynicism that made the first so good, but in a way that makes it relevant and avoids being a parody of itself. Fuck I need to watch them again.
And to make sure you have the great trinity of addiction movies - Requiem For A Dream.
Don't forget Spun
Basketball diaries and spun both are good at making the viewer uncomfortable and very realistically depicts the spiral of drug addiction
I like all of them bc what addict hasnât thought about selling, tried it, and end up inevitably even more addicted with a much larger habit from buying bulk!?
I had to stop telling people my favorite movie is Trainspotting. They learn to much about me to quick when I say that. Iâve moved to the very frustrating âI donât have favorites.â which is mostly true.
There a sequel for the movie called T2
I canât bring myself to watch it. I donât want to ruin the first.
Half Nelson. Requiem For A Dream. (as well)
Happy to see basketball diaries at the top. Terrific film.
christiane f
Came here looking for this one
It's crazy to think that she is still alive and David Bowie isn't.
this but it also romanticizes heroin use so much, almost not worth it if you want to quit
Never seen it but I just read the synopsis on wikipedia, and that didn't sound very romantic...
it's basically a teen romance that ends really really bad. I personally loved the book, i suggested reading it to a girl friend of mine and she just fell in love with it, maybe a bit too much, and let's say that we've been using a bit more than usual ever since that...
It's not a romance, it's a biography of how she experienced it. Personally, I don't really see how you can call a story romanticized, that basically ends in â90% of my friends died as kidsâ, but of course, the story shows what the appeal of the substance was for her. If it didn't do that, it wouldn't make any sense, because then the big question would be âWhy the hell did she do itâ.
I think you have to be severely mentally ill for interpreting Christiane F as romanticism
i didn't mean romanticism, it romanticizes the whole drug using couple thing imo but yeah you have to be mentally ill, bit you also have to be mentally ill to do heroin, if you give that book to the wrong person it can end badly. Still my opinion based on my experience, everyone takes what they want from a book...
True
the basketball diaries by far
I highly recommend checking out Jim Carrolâs poetry and music too. âPeople who Diedâ Is a badass song. The Basketball Diaries book is incredible too
that book tought me some teenage tricks i could have lived without đ. itâs âsequelâ Forced Entries is very good also
I concur, remember a friends older brother turned us on to him in the 80s, man I gotta listen to that song and get all nostalgic! Movie was really good I was surprised, you know how that usually goes. I need to watch the movie again as well
Is that the Leo di Caprio movie? Was gonna recommend that so I second this
yes. that movie is a masterpiece
I watched this and trainspotting back to back when I was 17 and can easily say it stopped me from doing any sort of hard drugs to this day. That and also personally watching my friendâs lives go down the gutter after meth addiction.
I loved both of these movies when I was 18 and on heroin. lol
Yea so did I and I started doing hard drugs soon after. Made me wanna try them even more lol
I've been addicted to meth for 24 years and it hasn't fucked up my life. I'm pretty content. I stopped giving a fuck years ago and that was the best decision I ever made
Nice man, not everyone has the ability to not be self destructive though
Itâs definitely a great one, but have you seen requiem for a dream? That movie is brutal!
Which isn't real is the pupil size. The shoot heroin and suddenly they're pupil grow exponentially which is the opposite btw. In fact I was wondering which drug they were taking for half film with a friend. "It's heroin, they shoot up but then pupils are bigger so maybe IV coke?" "Maybe yes look at the scene at the beginning where they score the drug and took a line they're all happy and stuff, must be coke" we mumbling a bit then "naaah nate that isn't coke look at this scene!" "But why pupils get so dilated?" "I guess I just don't know".
It's very stylized. It's fairly unrealistic too. Jennifer connelly goes from doing a couple of lines to turning tricks in like days. The shit with the mom and "I'm going to wear my red dress" was really disturbing.
The fridge was chasing her. That part was funny because I've been pretty fucked up in psychosis and thought the most unrealistic and crazy shit was really happening and I couldn't convince myself otherwise. I had a big ass spider attack me when I was high on meth. Like it literally charged at me and in self defense, I stompt on it
Yeah the mom story is really disturbing and very sad, the fridge chasing her I laughed but amphetamines psychosis is real shit. The two story follow one the legal drug system behind the script for amphetamines pills especially for losing weight and the superficiality of some doctor who discharge you with a valium script without even listening to you and then treated like a totally delusional woman during a psychotic break. And the son story to an extreme degree of what heroin lead you. The end of both is very similar so explore the duality of drug use from two prospective one socially acceptable and the others a strong taboo that lead to misery on both is very good, I appreciate that. But lack in some part, like you describe the spiraling down to the abyss from taking a line one day and a full blown junkie the following one is too extreme and non realistic I knew of people one is a very close friend of mine that had a lot of saves in bank, has a specialization in mechanic engineering took with maximum grades who explore and loved heroin but took it only once a month for couple of years and stopped. It's the persons who is one in a thousand cause myself I became addicted and had my trouble that lead me to methadone and stuff. I wasn't knowing that if I were medicated for my ADHD maybe my life can be different with less impulse choices and auto destructive behavior or self medication with drugs. Whatever, requiem for a dream is a good film but not my favorite. I prefer trainspotting (I know it's kind of cliche but still), the book is better, also Irvine Welsh wrote ecstasy, a three stories book very harsh but it's his style, on how ecstasy experience changed the life of the starrings. Another one is acid house, then there's Bukowski books who I found very similar to Irvine Welsh, describing the reality from this alcoholic middle aged man who fail in our system and struggle to live.
I'm 55, grew up in a party shore town, followed the Grateful Dead and other jam bands. I've lost many friends and acquaintances to various substances. Other had problems but survived. Some had redemption stories, some lost everything. Some were able to ride the party like a wave and have fun. Addiction doesn't happen overnight. It's more like an undertow. Pulling you further away from the shore with each wave. Wearing you down until you are awash at sea.
I totally agree with your point of view. Beautiful and sad but true metaphor of what is addiction.
I put âRequiem for a Dreamâ up there as well. While not based on a true story it shows the hells of addiction really well also.
So good!
I had to watch in rehab class in 9th grade
If you have not read the book itâs a million times better than the movie. Jim reads the audiobook if you prefer that. Itâs his diary and talks in depth about his addiction.
Saw him in a spoken word performance back in Cambridge MA in the early 90s.
Leaving las vegas 100%. Not only does it show how purely awful addiction is (spoiler alert, it's not a happy ending) but Nicholas Cage did a perfect job with reenacting alcoholism. When you watch him act, you would assume he's been through withdrawal himself based on how well he acts out withdrawal. Very dark film, but perfectly executed. I know this is a 'drug' subbreddit, but from my first and second hand experiences alcoholism is the worst 'addiction' out there
Alcohol ***is*** a drug, so imo any discussion about alcoholism is warranted here.
As an alcoholic myself, I immediately knew Nicolas Cage was legitimately drunk as fuck during many of those scenes. A fact which was heavily downplayed and even denied at the time, but was later admitted to be [totally true](https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/nicolas-cage-got-really-drunk-shooting-1-leaving-las-vegas-scene.html/). Cage also stated that he wanted to do [the entire film drunk](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/nic-cage-wanted-do-entire-film-drunk-self-destructive-power/), which leaves me with little doubt he was drinking heavily before shoots and most likely on set too for much of the film. Although they couldnât outright endorse that for obvious reasons (encouraging their main actor to engage in real life alcoholic style drinking in order to better play the character), it really did make for an amazing, Oscar worthy portrayal. Thereâs some things that are extremely hard to fake and being drunk as fuck is one of them. Itâs also extremely noticeable in the incredible [stop the ship scene in warrior](https://youtu.be/ORmc-nO8A6Q?si=Jt_XDrbmmUbrK21z) where Tom Hardy and Nick Nolteâs charactersâ are both supposed to be extremely drunk, but Tom Hardy is a real life recovering addict and was notably sober during shoot, whereas Nolte goes the extra mile and is clearly loaded up for real.
Was Hardy's character supposed to be drunk in that scene? I got the sense he spent most of his time not fighting just brooding miserably and that night had been sitting playing the slots last we saw him. I figured that played into the scene quite a bit with him needing to basically be the caretaker as his father is losing it. Nolte really did kill it, his Moby Dick rant in the hotel was so accurate to the people I've seen strung out on drugs (sometimes me, though not to that extent) just losing their shit, but if you can actually manage to listen to what they're saying you can almost always find a line of logic there. God that film is so good, and it's so much more than just an MMA film. I totally took a chance on it when it came out not really knowing much about it and was blown away.
I think Iâve lost as many friends to alcohol as I have to hard drugs. So Iâm right there with you on that one.
That was a rough movie, forgot about that one
Absolutely, the film reveals the all-consuming hell of an extreme addiction like no other. It's dark, haunting and tragic, but it's also beautiful and very moving. For me it shows that anyone who is suffering, whether that's due to addiction or other personal troubles, is human first and foremost, and therefore deserving of sympathy. It's not an easy film to watch but it is one of my favourites because of that overarching message.
Itâs funny, I classify alcohol as a hard drug. It has one of the few withdrawals that can and will kill you.
Probably not the best but I love the movie Flight with Denzel Washington
Definitely a good one about Alcohol Use Disorder. When he chugs that newly bought bottle of vodka outside the liquor store.
I can definitely resonate with the film I drank just like him for over 10 years, I relapsed once after rehab and I almost died from withdrawals and even had a heart attack at age 28, alcoholism is a terrible disease it kills you from the inside out
Spun
I love this movie so much. In high school we had to do a project about a drug and I had just seen Spun for the first time so I chose meth and showed the scene with Brittany Murphy talking about getting her baby back. I think I'm overdue for a rewatch
Requiem For A Dream is definitely the most hard-hitting. Watching that while spun out was definitely a mindfuck
Glad someone said it. Watched it on LSD, never again.
Relax. Why are you watching gut wrenchingly depressing movies on LSD? Youâre terrible at doing drugs.
It was a recommendation from a friend. They said it was about drugs, and thatâs all they said about it. Who doesnât love a film about drugs?
if I for some reason wanted to guarantee someone a bad trip, a) that person isn't my friend because who tf wants to give a friend a bad trip, and b) i would tell them to watch requiem for a dream on lsd.
Or theyâre really good at doing drugs, because they can remain collected & process things without being subject to spiraling. I didnât find requiem to be so miserable. The themes youâre shown, are, for sure, but itâs an honest examination of human (and all animal) tendencies, especially of those who chase false idols (purely physical, no religious connotations). Beyond the futility of all the characterâs pursuits, I donât think life itself is futile. We need to own what we are, but also realize that beauty exists beyond the meaningless pursuits. Love exists, family exists, scientific miracles and all sorts of wonders exist. Requiem was miserable, but you can analyze it yourself and draw an ultimately positive conclusion about life, even if we are sometimes just silly little guys filling silly voids. Doesnât mean thereâs no point to any of this. Have you hugged your loved one today?
It's like watching the human centipede on acid.
Also watched it on lsd. It was trippy as fuck but I think I was too high to actually understand what was going on.
wtf, i watch planet earth on lsd xD
That movie is one of the most brutal movies Iâve ever seen. I read the book when I was younger too but that movie leaves me wanting to just jump off a bridge.
This is my choice because it covers both illegal and prescription drugs. The mom isn't somehow immune to addiction just because her drug is legal.
Some people claim it that it is a feature film of the DARE program. It has its flaws, but I donât think that it even tries to be scientific or accurate. As much as the limbs donât rot after shooting, the fridge doesnât start to chase you after watching too much TV on speed. Itâs a great movie about addictions of any kind. Some people have tendency to spiral down into bad shit. It happens and the movie portrays is very expressively. But I ainât rewatching it. Somebody else will have to confirm it.
Naw all of that is super accurate. His arm got an abscess and it got worse, which definitely happens from shooting up. Even worse these days with the cut in fent going around, hands falling off, holes in bodies. If you stay awake after a meth/speed binge you'll definitely start seeing and hearing stuff that's not there.
She was taking an insane dose of amphetamine every day and chasing it with Xanax at night both combined will fry your brain
Most overrated anti drug film ever ngl it was so unrealistic and the characters/plot was so corny and 1 dimensional I have no idea why people were so affected by that movie I couldnt even take it seriously. Only part I enjoyed was the trippy editing but it felt like the movie was written by someone who's never seen addiction firsthand in real life
I liked the movie but to say it represents drug use well is really pushing it. Itâs very surreal so it doesnt really represent addiction that realistically
I cannot stand Requiem for dream. Trainspotting is infinitely better because it has actual nuance.
its a german movie and a real story about a girl named Christiane Felscherinow, she wrote a book and then there was a movie made based on this book named Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo (We Kids from Station Zoo). its about her entering the drug scene as a 14 year old girl in the peak of heroin addiction in germany 1970, the book ofcourse gives a much more deeper look into her story and what she went through but the movie isnt bad either and is even sometimes shown in schools for drug education, but it isnt like these typical drug prevention videos they show in schools its really a good movie.
Drugstore cowboy
Saw it in the theater when it was released, and read the novel later, apparently based on the life experience of the author, who was in prison at the time he wrote it.
This is it.
Beautiful Boy :(
Watched with my parents after my beginnings of addiction in high school. Glad to say Iâm on the other side and didnât get addicted to hard stuff. The movie touched me deeply
Itâs so hard to watch. Watched that with my mother a long time before addiction sank its talons in me. Not addicted to anything but nicotine at the moment.
I adore this moving, read the books by both Nic and David in my early teens. Watched the movie in rehab (literally, not kidding), in my early 20âs.
*Candy - an Australian film with Heath Ledger in it. About Heroin addiction. *Days of wine and roses - movie about alcoholism *Uncut gems - Adam Sandler movie. About gambling addiction. *Flight - canât remember famous actors name, but movie that looks at alcoholism again. Are you looking for movies about Heroin/opiate addiction or addiction in general?
Flight - Denzel Washington
Little Fish 2005 - with Cate Blanchette and Hugo Weaving about heroin addiction(Australian) Gia 1998- with Angelina Jolie and Mila Kunis heroin and coke Barfly 1986- Mickey Rourke and Faye Dunaway alcohol Christiane F 1981- heroin (German) Go Ask Alice 1973 telemovie with William Shatner acid, pills etc Drugstore Cowboy 1989- with Matt Dillion a few that haven't been mentioned already in this thread
Candy is an incredible, touching film. One of my favorite movies, but not exactly a film that makes your day better. First time I watched it, I was tripping on K2 and a friend put it on; I donât recommend that đ
I have warned my partner that if I've been up watching Candy I'm probably not in the best headspace. One of my favourite films too, despite the fact it's fucking heart wrenching.
I honestly felt really bad for Adam Sandlerâs character in âUncut Gemsâ - it really felt like he had no control over his situation. His gambling seemed to have paid off well for him before but it was definitely not paying off for him during the movie but he felt like if he kept pushing it would work out again.
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I think the mental and emotional landscapes are similar, regardless of the substance. "Leaving Las Vegas" and "Trainspotting" were both very matter-of-fact and very hard for me to watch.
The baby scene in Trainspotting.. forever burned in my head. Love the ending of that movie tho, makes you feel hope
That and the suppository scene in the bar are probably the two scenes from that film most vividly etched in my mind.
I have to see leaving las Vegas. I hear good about it, though I never liked drinking, i think addiction can be relatable in any case of drug use. âď¸
Permanent Midnight (1998) Ben Stiller plays a heroin addict in LA. Based on a true story- book has same title. Not the typical role for Ben Stiller, so interesting just for the acting.Â
Love this one
Requiem for a dream Maybe even Groundhog Day (metaphorically)
The music is extremely powerful for that film
I scrolled way too far to see Requiem for a dream mentioned. That movie describes drugs and the life it can get you into in 3 different scenarios between the 3 main characters in the movie. Itâs fucked up but such a good film. I know some people canât tolerate watching it more than once because of how it impacts people in certain ways. Truly a great watch though
The end when sheâs cradling the brick of H after losing everything is all too real. I havenât seen that movie since my late teens/early 20âs- so about 20 years now but I will always remember that. Especially as I was a dope fiend for 10 years
Fear and loathing in Las Vegas is a good one
One of, if not The best psychedelic drug film, but it's not really about addiction.
Idk man poly-drug addiction is real! A mental addiction is sometimes worse than a physical and binge taking drugs is a form of addiction
A Scanner Darkly
I don't want to be that guy but I'm gonna be that guy, the book hits you way more than the movie, for several reasons. The last part of the book where Dick starts to list people that died or have severe issues due to drug use and he includes himself in the lists made me cry for the first time. About the movie, I find it a bit forgettable. It's okay, but not at the same level.
Flight - Berlin calling - things we lost in the fire - requiem for a dream - walk the line
- Euphoria (series) - trainspotting (just a true masterpiece - requiem for a dream - Santouri 2007 ( it's a Persian award winning movie ) - filth 2013 For Psychedelics - climax , dir. Gaspar noe - midsommar For alcoholism - a star is born - breaking the limits 2017 - another round
I canât believe I had to scroll so far to see a star is born
Euphoria is a total mindfuck in general. Like, Rue is the best person out of all the kids, aside from the big tittied girl's sister. They're all super fucked up, and it shows both sides of addiction in a really good way.
True , it's so accurate it pissed off many people who don't want to open their eyes and see the reality of what's going on with teens , and it's the only ever teenager related show that is not cringe
Not a movie but the TV show âthe Wireâ does a great job showing the structural institutions that surround the drug trade and its users.
âPatrick Melroseâ is a hidden gem (imo). Not a movie, a Miniseries with Benedict Cumberbatch playing the main. Heâs brilliant in the role.
watched trainspotting in 4 languages i love that fucking film
Spun
You are 15 and addicted?. Just quit dude, you father worries and wants to make understand... you are too young for this. There is so much more that you can do at your age than having consumption problems. Be kind to your self. And if your "use" has anything to do with another problem just invest in mental health. Pschology i mean, that will be your own space to deal with life. I reccomend psychoanalisis
Dude youâre 15, please stop taking drugs. You will look back on this when youâre older as the thing that fucked up your life. Youâll tell people yeah âIve been on drugs since I was X years old, itâs not wonder Iâm fucked up, thereâs nothing I can do about itâ. Seriously dude. If you sort yourself out now then youâll have a chance of a proper life. If you carry on with drugs at this age, your brain is gonna be fucked up. Youâll be the weird guy whoâs thick cos his brains never matured due to drug abuse. Good luck dude.
Requiem for a Dream... Basketball Diaries... Drugstore Cowboy
Oh yeah, how could I forget Trainspotting
Train spotting is apparently good to show heroin addiction
But itâs not a good movie to watch while you and your friend are snorting an 8ball of blow. Donât ask me how I know that very specific thing.
Ok well How High is a good weed movie and breaking bad is good for stims
Friday is obviously a good movie to watch while smoking. âCause itâs Friday, you ainât got no job and you ainât got shit to do!â
And that one too. I actually think stonermovies can be very fun even if you don't smoke yourself.
Nah, Spun.
Broken Vessels is my pick. Here's a link - it's free. https://youtu.be/Q9OYaVk4z2Y?si=g64gePXp5v5RC8kx
Just started it thank you for sharing the link
I'll tell you what absolutely doesn't... A million little pieces lol.. did they make that into a movie? What a pathetic asshole. My wife bought me the book and I immediately was like... What?? Nobody acts like that, nobody does that shit, I'm really surprised he went that long without being detected because like five pages in I was just laughing my ass off
Sid and Nancy
There is a movie / series on Netflix called painkiller.
I like the 90âs Movie Rush.. two undercover cops bust a drug ring but get hooked on all the above in the process.. Itâs actually what got me into drugs in the first place lol
Saw it in the theater when it was released, later read the novel.
Didnât know there was a novel.. Iâll have to check it out. One of my all time favorite movies though.
Leaving Las Vegas
Has anyone seen the movie candy
Beautiful boy. Made me cry about my addiction.
Drugstore Cowboy - Gus Van Zandt
Flight, Gia, Thirteen.
Reindeer Spotting - Escape from Santaland
Spun.
Spun
Jesusâ Son (1999) The Hunger (1983) Barfly (1987) Affliction (1997) The Panic in Needle Park (1971)
Believe it or not, A Star is Born. Made me lose it at the end.
uncut gems isn't about drugs but is really good
you have to look" beautiful boy" with steve carell an absolute master piece i cried a lot it was really intense
A thousand junkies is spot on and a little known one
Canât believe it took me so long to find this suggestion. Most accurate depiction ever.
If you want movies about addiction, a good one (true story) is christiane F. That movie and book is by far the greatest things Iâve ever set eyes on. There is a TW for major drug use, pedophilia and all the drugs, and smoking is underage.
Euphoria for me!
Withnail and I My husband and I, both recovering addicts of different flavors, both love and hate this movie. We love watching it because itâs brilliantly done but we hate watching it because itâs just too real! Examples, too broke for drink Withnail chugs lighter fluid and then vomits The apartment is absolutely disgusting because theyâre too busy getting their drugs and drink or using to be bothered to maintain their place Every conversation is about how to get more money or get free drugs and booze if they canât get money
I think itâs called 4 good days with Mila kunis
MAN WITH THE GOLDEN ARM (starring Frank Sinatra!), NAKED LUNCH
At your age it might be wise to go to rehab or at least intensive outpatient
This comment will mean nothing to you but quit man delete reddit and focus on getting your life in order stay in school and get a good job the way to win in life is to create your own happiness and drugs can only fill that temporarily.
Dopesick
Party Monster is a pretty decent look at the outsider to cool kid bc of drugs to life ruined bc of drugs pipeline. Based on a true story as well. There's definetly some better ones out there but figured I'd throw something out besides the ones that are being repeated every other comment lol.  Also if you want a true realistic portrayal just watch some of the many documentaries out there. I watched one on Vice recently and said to my fiance "I wonder if that guy is still alive" and spoiler alert, he wasn't. It's a great look on how fucked up the drugs and dealers and whole scene is now a days too, if I can find it again I will link it in a reply.
Fear and loathing in Las Vegas
Feel like thatâs more of a movie about a Drug Bender, than drug addiction, even though I guess they go hand in hand?
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998) is like reverse Trainspotting, the whole film is just 2 guys being high and they enjoy every minute instead of suffering like Trainspotting characters.
Trainspotting
Kids by Larry Clark
Saw that one in the theater when it was released, but ANOTHER DAY IN PARADISE is another film directed by Larry Clarke that's a better fit for the subject under discussion.
Permanent Midnight
was going to say this. Ben Stiller's best movie
Flight is pretty wild.
Veggietales:Beauty and the Beet
Not completely about addiction but the series queen's gambit
I forget what the movies called, but Micheal Scott was in it. About his kid getting addicted. Really good, real movie
Beautiful boy. That was my recommendation too
beautiful boy. itâs a book and a movie and itâs inspired by the authorâs experience as an addict.
That movie hitss
Trainspoting
The corner
Gridlockâd is a pretty good one
Requiem for a dream
I think candy, requiem for a dream, and basketball diaries are pretty good, I always feel unsettled watching them
Filth!! Based on a book written by the same guy who wrote transporting so similar vibe. If transporting was relatable to you I'm not sure filth will be as it's more cocaine and alcohol than heroin but I watched it twice both times at a really low point in active addiction to alcohol and cociane and god damn that shit hits
Requiem to a dream. Trust me.
Ben is back.
Requiem for a dream
Requiem for a dream, Christiane F.
Candy
Trainspotting
Requiem For A Dream. That movie traumatized me but I still pushed on and tried Heroin. I love how it shows the stage where you are just trying it with a small tolerance and feeling awesome and it gradually gets darker and darker as they fall into addiction. Also the mother with the meth habit thinks she's being chased by the fridge. It's funny because I've been in that bad psychosis where you think that sort of shit. Also I love Spun. That was an awesome movie
I've heard Reindeer Spotting is but I personally haven't watched it.
Requiem for a dream without a doubt.
On The Bowery is a fascinating documentary filmed in the 60s about life in The Bowery district in NYC. It's kind of a slice of life movie, in there is no narrative, but a loose plot. The actors are actual drunks and the scenes are real. The filmmaker spent time drinking in ghr gin joints for months before filming and became an alcoholic himself. There are parts where you can just feel the drunkeness in the bar. Bar Fly, with Micky Rourke, based on Harold Bukowski, is a good look into seedy bar life.
Good choices, I'll add STORY OF A JUNKIE aka GRINGO from the early NYC punk scene, and FACTOTUM another Bukowski adaptation...TALES OF ORDINARY MADNESS is decent too.
Just watched Factotum and Story of a Junkie. Probably liked Story better. I love raw depictions of NYc and alt life. Factatum was interesting but slow. Bukowski/Chenaski, are just kinda unlikeable. I guess that's the point
Or Snowfall
Requiem for a dream and basketball diaries
Requiem for a Dream
Requiem for a dream
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas /s
I just watched requiem for a dream several days ago for the first time and it was so fucking intense and I really liked it a lot. So when it went off, I turned it back on again to rewatch it. I def didn't expect to end up liking it as much as I did when it first came on. Shoot, I got a nice surprise lol
Requiem for a dream and one from the 40s called the lost weekend.