The Film Is a Pretty Laughable Depiction of Alcoholism

Indeed I did mean JOHN. LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sorry for the error. I am something of a Harry Potter fanatic!

foster1234^

Good post and great points.

I suppose someone who finds such depictions as shown in this film as “laughable” or “overblown” may not have had personal experience with an alcoholic in the grips of it (or is in denial about it or is an alcoholic in denial or is just too immature and/or finds it too uncomfortable to grasp the tragic consequences portrayed). Granted, as you and others have posted, there are parts of this film that are dated as services for alcoholics have progressed since this film was made, but the effects of alcoholism as depicted are as true today as they were back then.

I have had very personal experiences with an alcoholic. There was nothing “laughable” or “overblown” about it. Too many stories to tell here. I will say that some of the experiences we went through were just as bad or worse than what was depicted in this film.

And, it’s not just about living as an alcoholic, but also dying as one.

My ‘alcoholic’ died at the age of 40, with a blown-out liver, bleeding throughout his body, and leaving broken hearts and bruised bodies and psyches along the way and to his grave, all as a direct result of his alcoholism.

When he tried to stop, I did not see him have any hallucinatory DT’s (although he would talk to people not there when he was blasted, and he was a ‘wired’ drunk, meaning the more he drank, the more energy he seemed to have and it was nothing for him to go around in a walking/talking black-out stupor for 3 days in a row without sleep), but I did see shakes and seizures when he would try to stop on his own. And, if you live long enough as an alcoholic, there is the danger of ending up with Korsakoff's Syndrome, which is basically a permanent form of neuronal/brain damage that is in no way fun for the sufferer or the people around him/her.

The alcoholic often tries to minimize his/her conduct when drunk, generally because often times they are not totally ‘there’ mentally when these things occur and they have a hard time believing what people tell them later. Videotaping can help an alcoholic to observe what others around him/her report, but the alcoholic’s denial can be so entrenched that s/he can find a way to minimize (at times even laugh off) some of the most beastly behaviors and even when witnessing them with their own eyes, after the fact.

This movie is the story of a tragedy that could have been prevented had the people involved who obviously had the ‘gene’ never cracked a bottle. I liked the 'which strawberry does it take to become allergic?' analogy in the movie.

I have nothing against drinking per se, but I have known and loved people whom I wished had never done so, either.

And, pointing to the ‘contributions’ of famous alcoholics offers little comfort when compared with the rest of what accompanies alcoholism and what late-stage alcoholism does to the person.

Are we supposed to believe that these contributions would NOT have occurred had these people NOT been alcoholics?

Or, are we supposed to think something along the lines of: “Sure he had a brain tumor. But that’s okay because look at all his contributions?”

And, there IS a difference between someone who has a few drinks every now and again and someone who is an alcoholic. If someone doesn’t know that difference, than either that person hasn’t been exposed to true alcoholism, minimizes alcoholism, and/or that person is in denial about what alcoholism is.

I can tell you from personal experience that in my early 20’s there were lots of folks who partied. After a few years, it was fairly evident who truly was a recreational (‘social’) drinker and who was an alcoholic (or other addict). After a while, it doesn't take long to pinpoint the person who is always the 'drunkest' person in the room. And, if the afflicted person did not get real help, there was always an inevitable decline and deterioration over time.

Not laughable and not overblown.




"I can't stand a naked light bulb, any more than..a rude remark or a vulgar action" Blanche DuBois

Sorry for not answering more quickly fast_fierce_and_funny, I haven't checked this for awhile. I guess I mean both kinds of despair, that which drives one to drink and that which results from the realization that one is trapped or relapsing - that the disease is always there waiting for you to come back. I think Leaving Las Vegas is great at showing the physical decline of an alcoholic; I'll Cry Tomorrow is great at showing the decent (the scene in the bar when the waitress tells Susan Hayward that she's sick because she just "needs a little drink, honey"; DOWAR is great at showing a total picture: decent, entrapment, relapse, despair.