RE 65: Movies about alcohol, sobriety, recovery, drunkness, and getting sober

by Paul Churchill | May 16, 2016 | Podcast

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In this episode Angela, with nearly 10 months of sobriety, shares how she did it.

Here are some great movies about alcohol, sobriety, recovery, drunkenness, and getting sober!

Thank you to Marueen from Cafe RE who helped put this list together!

1. Burnt (2015) Bradley Cooper 1 hour, 40 minutes Comedy/DramaSynopsis:
   Adam Jones (Bradley Cooper) is a chef who destroyed his career with drugs and diva behavior. He cleans up and returns to London, determined to redeem himself by spearheading a top restaurant that can gain three Michelin stars.
   Director: John Wells
   Writers: Steven Knight (screenplay), Michael Kalesniko (story)
   Stars: Bradley Cooper, Sienna Miller, Daniel Brühl | See full cast & crew »2.  Smashed (2012) Aaron Paul 1 hour, 21 minutes DramaSynopsis:A married couple whose bond is built on a mutual love of alcohol gets their relationship put to the test when the wife decides to get sober.
   Director: James Ponsoldt
   Writers: Susan Burke, James Ponsoldt
   Stars: Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Aaron Paul, Nick Offerman | See full cast & crew »3.  Everything Must Go (2010) Will Farrell
   Comedy/DramaSynopsis:

   When an alcoholic relapses, causing him to lose his wife and his job, he holds a yard sale on his front lawn in an attempt to start over. A new neighbor might be the key to his return to form.
   Director: Dan Rush
   Writers: Dan Rush, Raymond Carver (short story “Why Don’t You Dance”)
   Stars: Will Ferrell, Rebecca Hall, Christopher Jordan Wallace | See full cast & crew »

   4.  Shakes The Clown (1991) Bobcat Goldthwait Drama/Comedy/Murder

   Synopsis:

   Shakes plods about his duties as party clown, and uses all of his free time getting seriously drunk. Binky, another clown, wins the spot on a local kiddie show, which depresses Shakes even more, and his boss threatens him with unemployment if he can’t get his act under control. When someone murders Shakes’ boss and makes it look like Shakes did it, he goes undercover, posing as a hated mime, and tries to find information that will clear his name.
   – Written by Ed Sutton <

   5.  My Name Is Bill W. (1989) James Woods
   Drama (TV Movie)

   Synopsis:
   Based on the true story of Bill W. (James Woods), a successful stock broker whose life falls apart after the stock crash of the 20’s and how he comes to grips with his alcoholism. Along with a fellow alcoholic (James Garner) he forms a support group that would eventually become Alcoholics Anonymous.
   – Written by Humberto Amador

   6.  Barfly (1987) Mickey Rourke
   Drama  1 hour, 40 minutes

   Synopsis:
   Based on the life of successful poet Charles Bukowski and his exploits in Hollywood during the 60s, 70s, and 80s.
   Director: Barbet Schroeder
   Writer: Charles Bukowski
   Stars: Mickey Rourke, Faye Dunaway, Alice Krige | See full cast & crew »

   7.  Crazy Heart (2009) Jeff Bridges,
   Drama/Music/ Romance  1 hour, 52 minutes

   Synopsis:
   A faded country music musician is forced to reassess his dysfunctional life during a doomed romance that also inspires him.
   Director: Scott Cooper
   Writers: Scott Cooper, Thomas Cobb (novel)
   Stars: Jeff Bridges, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Colin Farrell | See full cast & crew »

   8.  Days of Wine And Roses (1962) Jack Lemmon, Lee Remick
   Drama/ Romance

   Synopsis:
   An alcoholic falls in love with and gets married to a young woman, whom he systematically addicts to booze so they can share his “passion” together.
   Director: Blake Edwards
   Writer: J.P. Miller (as JP Miller)
   Stars: Jack Lemmon, Lee Remick, Charles Bickford | See full cast & crew »

   9.  Drunks (1995) Richard Lewis, Liza Harris    Drama

   Synopsis:
   At the beginning of a nightly Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, Jim seems particularly troubled. His sponsor encourages him to talk that night, the first time in seven months, so he does – and leaves the meeting right after. As Jim wanders the night, searching for some solace in his old stomping grounds, bars and parks where he bought drugs, the meeting goes on, and we hear the stories of survivors and addicts – some, like Louis, who claim to have wandered in looking for choir practice, who don’t call themselves alcoholic, and others, like Joseph, whose drinking almost caused the death of his child – as they talk about their lives at the meeting.
   – Written by Gary Dickerson <slug@mail.utexas.edu>
   10.  Rachel Getting Married (2008) Anne Hathaway
   Drama 1 hour, 53 minutes

   Synopsis:
   A young woman who has been in and out of rehab for the past 10 years returns home for the weekend for her sister’s wedding.
   Director: Jonathan Demme
   Writer: Jenny Lumet
   Stars: Anne Hathaway, Rosemarie DeWitt, Debra Winger | See full cast & crew »

   11.  Unguarded – The Chris Herren Story (2013) Chris Herren
   Drama

   Synopsis:
   Chris Herren was a “can’t miss” basketball superstar until drug addiction eventually destroyed his career. With the support of his wife and family, Herren struggles to conquer his demons and reclaim his life.
   Director: Jonathan Hock
   Stars: Chris Herren, Rick Pitino, Bill Reynolds |See full cast & crew »

   12.  28 Days – Sandra Bullock (2000) Drama/Comedy 1 hour, 43 minutes

   Synopsis:
   A big-city newspaper columnist is forced to enter a drug and alcohol rehab center after ruining her sister’s wedding and crashing a stolen limousine.
   Director: Betty Thomas
   Writer: Susannah Grant
   Stars: Sandra Bullock, Viggo Mortensen, Dominic West | See full cast & crew »

   13.  When A Man Loves A Woman – Meg Ryan,  Andy Garcia (1994)
   Drama 2 hours, 6 minutes

   Synopsis:
   An airline pilot and his wife are forced to face the consequences of her alcoholism when her addictions threaten her life and their daughter’s safety. While the woman enters detox, her husband must face the truth of his enabling behavior.
   Director: Luis Mandoki
   Writers: Ronald Bass, Al Franken
   Stars: Meg Ryan, Andy Garcia, Ellen Burstyn | See full cast & crew »

   14.  Leaving Las Vegas – Nic Cage,  Elizabeth Shue (1995)
   Drama 1 hour, 51 minutes

   Synopsis:
   Nicolas Cage garnered a Best Actor Oscar for his hauntingly disturbing “Leaving Las Vegas” is a dark and tragic film that shows you how low you can fall and just how bad things can get. It portrays a dead-on picture of alcoholism and what exactly one goes through when they’ve hit rock bottom. As tragic as it is, this is a very beautiful and well-done film that keeps your attention to the bitter end.
   Ben Sanderson (Nicholas Cage) is an alcoholic who has nothing left to live for but the very booze that seems to be the only happiness he can find. His friends want nothing to do with him and women are disgusted by him. After being let go from his job, Ben burns all of his possessions and moves to Las Vegas, where his only plan is to drink himself to death. In a short amount of time he meets Sera (Elisabeth Shue), a lonely hooker who has been through it all. An unexpected bond is formed between the two and love falls upon them that can only end in tragedy.
   Boy, was this a hard movie to watch, but it was so well-done and executed. You are able to sympathize with both Ben and Sera, despite the paths they have chosen. Nicholas Cage was amazing and brilliant. No wonder why he won an Academy Award for his performance. You really buy into the fact that he is this sad character who wants nothing more but to destroy himself by the only thing that can bring him some sense of false happiness. Shue is also terrific in her role and should be applauded as well. The two are explosive as a team and can really bring the house down.
   The DVD is fair; nothing too special. You can have your choice of either watching the movie in widescreen or full screen. The picture for the most part looks good; not the best, but good. The main special feature this DVD offers is a trailer for the film and a bonus secret page.Read more ›

   15.  Clean And Sober – Michael Keaton  (1988)
   Drama 1 hour, 51 minutes

   Synopsis:
   Nicolas Cage garnered a Best Actor Oscar for his hauntingly disturbing
   A hustling drug addict checks himself into rehab to escape trouble with the law, and realizes that it’s exactly what he needs.
   Director: Glenn Gordon Caron
   Writer: Tod Carroll
   Stars: Michael Keaton, Kathy Baker, Morgan Freeman | See full cast & crew »

   16.  The Basketball Diaries – Leonardo DiCaprio   (1995)
   Drama/Biography 1 hour, 42 minutes

   Synopsis:
   Nicolas Cage garnered a Best Actor Oscar for his hauntingly disturbing
   A teenager finds his dreams of becoming a basketball star threatened after he free falls into the harrowing world of drug addiction.
   Director: Scott Kalvert
   Writers: Jim Carroll (novel), Bryan Goluboff (screenplay)
   Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Lorraine Bracco, Marilyn Sokol |

   17.   The Lost Weekend (1945) Drama 1 hour, 41 minutes

   Synopsis:
   The desperate life of a chronic alcoholic is followed through a four day drinking bout.
   Director: Billy Wilder
   Writers: Charles R. Jackson (from the novel by), Charles Brackett (screen play) |1 more credit »
   Stars: Ray Milland, Jane Wyman, Phillip Terry | See full cast & crew

   18.   Shame (2011) Drama 1 hour, 41 minutes

   Synopsis:
   In New York City, Brandon’s carefully cultivated private life — which allows him to indulge his sexual addiction — is disrupted when his sister arrives unannounced for an indefinite stay.
   Director: Steve McQueen
   Writers: Steve McQueen, Abi Morgan | 1 more credit »
   Stars: Michael Fassbender, Carey Mulligan, James Badge Dale | See full cast & crew »

   19. Postcards From The Edge   (1990) Drama 1 hour, 41 minutes

   Synopsis:
   A substance-addicted actress tries to look on the bright side even as she is forced to move back in with her mother to avoid unemployment.
   Director: Mike Nichols
   Writers: Carrie Fisher (book), Carrie Fisher (screenplay)
   Stars: Meryl Streep, Shirley MacLaine, Dennis Quaid | See full cast & crew

   20. Flight   (2012) Drama
   2 hours, 10 minutes

   Synopsis:
   An airline pilot saves almost all his passengers on his malfunctioning airliner which eventually crashed, but an investigation into the accident reveals something troubling.
   Director: Robert Zemeckis
   Writer: John Gatins
   Stars: Denzel Washington, Nadine Velazquez, Don Cheadle | See full cast & crew

   21. Thanks For Sharing  (2013) Drama/Comedy 2 hours, 10 minutes

   Synopsis:
   A romantic comedy that brings together three disparate characters who are learning to face a challenging and often confusing world as they struggle together against a common demon: sex addiction.
   Director: Stuart Blumberg
   Writers: Stuart Blumberg, Matt Winston
   Stars: Mark Ruffalo, Tim Robbins, Gwyneth Paltrow | See full cast & crew

   22. Suck It Up Buttercup  (2014) Drama 1 hours, 27 minutes

   Synopsis:
   Drug addiction’s collateral damage is starkly revealed when a former honor student, newly addicted to prescription pills, triggers a chain of events that devastates her friends and threatens to tear her family apart.
   Director: Malindi Fickle
   Writers: Malindi Fickle, Kris Lienert
   Stars: Lacy Marie Meyer, Robyn Ross, Gregory Konow | See full cast & crew

   23. Half Nelson (2006) Drama 1 hours, 46 minutes

   Synopsis:
   An inner-city junior high school teacher with a drug habit forms an unlikely friendship with one of his students after she discovers his secret.
   Director: Ryan Fleck
   Writers: Ryan Fleck, Anna Boden
   Stars: Ryan Gosling, Anthony Mackie, Shareeka Epps | See full cast & crew

   24. Amy (2015) Documentary 2 hours, 8 minutes

   Synopsis:
   The story of Amy Winehouse in her own words, featuring unseen archival footage and unheard tracks.
   Director: Asif Kapadia
   Stars: Amy Winehouse, Mitch Winehouse, Mark Ronson | See full cast & crew

   25. The Anonymous People (2013) Documentary 1 hour, 28 minutes

   Synopsis:
   Recovery is OUT – to change the addiction conversation from problems to SOLUTIONS. An independent feature documentary about the over 23 million Americans living in long-term recovery from alcohol and other drug addictions.
   Director: Greg D. Williams
   Writers: Aaron Cohen, Bud Mikhitarian | 2 more credits »
   Stars: Tom Coderre, Tara Conner, Laurie Dhue | See full cast & crew »

Here are some movie titles I recommend to shy away from in sobriety!

Beer Fest, American Pie 1-11, PCU, Teen Wolf, Mean Girls, Rules of Attraction, Dazed and Confused, Boogie Nights, Trainspotting, Eurotrip, Weird Science, Clueless, Superbad, Sixteen Candles, Old School, House Party, Bachelor Party, Roadtrip, Revenge of the Nerds, Can’t Hardly Wait, Animal House, 21 and Over, Project X, Great Gatsby, This is the End, 21/22 Jump Street and Wolf on Wall Street.

Don’t isolate yourself and join the discussion in the Recovery Elevator Private Forum.

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This episode was brought to you by Cafe RE and get your daily AA email here!

RE 487: How Would You Walk?

by Kris Oyen | Jun 17, 2024 | Podcast

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Episode 487 – How Would You Walk?

Today we have Sarah. She is 45 and lives in Indiana. She took her last drink on December 31^st, 2022.

Let’s talk AF International travel with Recovery Elevator. We’ve got some incredible trips in the works. We’re going to Vietnam for 12 days in January 2025. Then Back to Costa Rica for our 4th trip to the Blue Zone in April 2025, and then, we’re going back to Peru in October 2025 where we’re going to the Inca Trail and work with Non-profit Peruvian Hearts again.

Athletic Greens

The World Heart Federation published a policy brief in 2022 staying there is “no level of alcohol consumption that is safe for health.” There was and still is a collective belief that alcohol is good for you. This is especially prominent in the wine culture.

The paradigm is slowly cracking which is a huge step in the right direction. When Paul started Recovery Elevator in 2015, you couldn’t find that line anywhere. It was almost customary to see a line that says something like “studies show moderate alcohol consumption can improve heart health and longevity”.  Today the tides are turning and a narrative that alcohol can wreck your world (aka, the truth) is emerging. People are waking up to the lies that Big Alcohol has sold us.

Check out this recent article about a new phenomenon called BORGS explains what these are and then follows it up with the snippet about alcohol being shit.

Sarah is 45 and lives in Indiana. She is married with two kids and works in marketing. When she isn’t running the kids to their practices and games, she enjoys exercising, reading and backpacking.

Sarah parents divorced when she was 11 and she grew up with her mother who she was very close with. She doesn’t recall alcohol being very present in their lives. Sarah didn’t drink much in high school but in college and into her 20s, everything she and her friends did involved alcohol. She always knew her drinking looked a little different than everyone else’s, but didn’t identify it as a problem.

When Sarah was 35, her mother was diagnosed with brain cancer. Sarah quit working so that she could care for her mother through the diagnosis. Her drinking increased as she dealt with being a caretaker, having a family in addition to not working.

After her mother died four years later, Sarah says she did not know how to deal with life. She would drink into a blackout almost daily and was stuck in the cycle of wanting to quit but not being able to. Sarah began to worry that it might not be possible for her and worried that she would disappoint her mother if she wasn’t able to quit.

In time, Sarah found sober podcasts and tried medications to help. She says Antabuse worked, but she would stop taking it in order to drink. No one knew she was taking it to try and quit and Sarah feels that by not sharing, she always left the door open to drink again.

Sarah knew something had to change and decided to come clean with her husband. Being active in the Café RE community helped Sarah gain the courage to choose a quit date and write a letter to her husband letting him know what was going on. Sarah says she received a lot of support from him.

After the physical withdrawals, Sarah felt hopeful. As the months went on, she protected her sobriety by avoiding situations where there was drinking, and she began to gain more confidence. Sarah says that when she has thoughts of drinking, she does chooses to put her energy into her sober resources instead.

Sarah’s best sober moment: experiencing the Northern Lights with her son

Sarah’s parting piece of guidance: never quit quitting.

Paul invites listeners to answer some questions not with words in their minds, but in how they carry themselves.

How would you walk if…….?

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RE 483: NA Beers

by Kris Oyen | May 20, 2024 | Podcast

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Episode 483 – NA Beers

Today we have Tyler. He is 37 and lives in Phoenix, AZ. He took his last drink on November 28^th, 2023.

Recovery Elevator welcomes Danielle Marr to the team! She now writes the bi-monthly newsletter for RE which always has journalling prompts at the end. She taught our DTB writing course this last fall and does Instagram posts a couple days a week. She was also interviewed on episode 464.

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Better Help:  www.betterhelp.com/elevator – 10% off your first month. #sponsored

Paul shares with us the history of NA beers and how they were created to pacify the Mothers Against Drunk Drivers campaign back in the 90’s. The companies had zero intention of scaling this segment of their business and it has been said that the purposefully made the beer tasteless and bland.

Those days are gone. Non-alcoholic beer sales have been growing every year by 30-40% since 2019. Many of the major beer brands are investing time and money into creating their own NA products and there are more breweries popping up that are 100% dedicated to making an AF craft beer.

There is no need to explore the NA beer world in the early days of your alcohol-free life because it can be triggering. There is trace amount of alcohol in many of the NA beers (usually less than 0.5%) and you would have to drink 25-30 of them to reach the legal BAC. Check out this Instagram post where someone drinks several NA beers and stills blows zeros into a breathalyzer.

What the AF beer world exploding shows is that people are waking up to the fact that alcohol is not good for you and big alcohol sales are reflecting that. The stigma around alcohol addiction is also crumbling. We as consumers decide every move a business makes – start asking for more AF options at restaurants and grocery stores. Start asking and you will receive.

Go Brewing. Use the code ELEVATOR for 15% off.

Tyler is 37 years old and lives in Phoenix, AZ and has a six-month-old daughter. He does maintenance for a homeowners association. Tyler is also a musician and enjoys performing, writing, and recording music.

Tyler had his first drink when he was in high school as simply a fun thing to do with friends. A health scare which ended up with tumor removal drove Tyler to feel he needed to live life to the fullest. He says his drinking increased as it was associated with having fun, and he discovered his passion for being a musician. That found him romanticizing alcohol, drinking more after gigs, and acquiring DUIs. Since a lot of people he knew had DUIs, it was considered normal and wasn’t taking seriously.

When he lost a close family member to cancer, Tyler says his drinking evolved from good and bad to ugly. He and his girlfriend went out often, and his drinking became more frequent both while out and while at home. Tyler had a lot of anger that would come out while drinking. These issues eventually found Tyler and his girlfriend splitting up.

Tyler started going to therapy and discovered that the loss of his aunt affected him more than he realized. He was able to process some of his anger and cut back on his drinking. He and his girlfriend got back together and six months ago their daughter was born. Tyler began to realize that his drinking was interfering with this new life and told his girlfriend he was ready to quit. At this time, he also reached out to a supportive cousin that has over 20 years in recovery.

Tyler says AA didn’t resonate with him, but books, podcasts and other peoples’ stories have been very helpful. He believes in recovering out loud.

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Go big because eventually we’ll all go home.