It confuses me much, that the movie is so against alcohol, but shows cigarettes as big fun. I know, it is realistic, that many or even most ex-alcoholics smoke, but I think it had been better, if the movie had remind you, that smoking is unhealthy, too.
"Hooters, hooters, yum yum yum
Hooters, hooters, on a girl that´s dumb!"
The Bundy credo
We all know that already. But it was the movie's mission to show things as they are in reality and in rehab centers cigarettes are the only drug that you can use. It's bad for you, but it's the only thing that can help you when no other medication or drug to relax is allowed.
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Smoking is bad for you but it doesn't alter your mind like alcohol and drugs do.
shareI disagree. Cigarettes are very much a mind/mood altering drug.
Have you ever seen a chain smoker when they couldn't light up? They can get extremely verbally abusive and combative. And it doesn't end until they have that hit of nicotine that lets them relax.
And that is not a Volvo.
that would be the whole addiction thing kicking in, ie the effects of the withdrawl of the drug, rather thant the effects of the drug itself. Nicotine does have some sort of chemical effect on the human body, but to call it mood altering would be incorrect....
shareBut people regularily claim that they have a cigarette to deal with stress, that it calms them. I think it could be argued that it is mood altering, however it's only a minor and short-lived effect, not even close to harder drugs.
And that is not a Volvo.
perhaps there is an almost imperceptable mind altering effect.
The reason people smoke to deal with stress is probably a combination of two or three things.
1, the stress of withdrawl is relieved by smoking - again, the addiction thing.
2, a "placebo stress release" - people associating cigarettes with stress release (as it does release stress when they are stressed from withdrawl) in circumstances when cigarettes do no such thing (during an argument, for example...)
3, a period of time away from the stressing situation - people will often go outside for a cigarette, away from their desk/partner/whatever other external situation is causing the internal conflict. A sort of out-of sight/out of mind thing....
Ya, I had that thought to of "so it's okay to smoke but not drink?" I guess it's in human nature to have an addiction to something, and smoking can be the "next best thing" so to say. Just like how Andrea used chocolate to help her. You push one addiction off onto another.
shareThank you all very much!
"Hooters, hooters, yum yum yum,
Hooters, hooters, on a girl that´s dumb!"
The Bundy credo
lbaxter-3 posted:
Ya, I had that thought to of "so it's okay to smoke but not drink?" I guess it's in human nature to have an addiction to something, and smoking can be the "next best thing" so to say. Just like how Andrea used chocolate to help her. You push one addiction off onto another.
It isn't "promoting smoking," but in a rehab situation they try to do small steps. In addition to her pills and alcohol addiction there is a distinct possibility that the cessation of smoking would be "too much" for a lot of people.
I have no experience with hard drugs (I am a cigarette smoker tho) but I have witnessed heroine withdrawal. It is... ugly. Days, sometimes weeks of gut wrenching pain, vomiting, diarrhea... physical pain consisting of sever cramps, shaking.. sweats. It truly is ugly. I have heard that some of the chemicals in chocolate can actually help with certain withdrawals. Maybe that was part of it?
Peace
I don't think they were promoting smoking but simply refleting the addictive personalities that many of the patients have. A lot of people in rehab centres have more than one addiction, whether those substances are legal or illegal.
They may depend on the smoking to help overcome those more (short term) serious addictions but many people try to kick smoking eventually too.
there are some that believe (and i'm not one of them) that the only reason (beyond feeding your nicotine addiction) cigaretettes "calm" you is because you're breathing heavier.
inhaling, forcibly exhaling, etc.
these people claim that if you did the same thing withOUT the cigarette, you would become just as calm.
but screw that.
when i wanna smoke, i wanna smoke.
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It was WRONG that they allowed smoking but the coffee had to be decaf.
BS!
I have to agree that everything you say is correct, however unfortunately it is very much true. I have personally been in a rehab facility and they aloud cigarettes, yet did not allow energy drinks, etc. However they did allow regular coffee, but it does depend on the facility's rules and restrictions. Some do not allow smoking today, but most do allow it. The concept is to rid the body of all the life altering substances. Most men and women are not stricken with an addiction to tobacco that effects them in the similar ways as drugs and alcohol. Although the numbers in those dying from the use of tobacco are frighteningly high. Although I agree with your statement, I was just hoping to give some insight into why the film was given those rules and restrictions.
shareI know what you mean, I have seen a film called Saving Grace (Loved it by the way, it was so funny), I loved the scene where these two old ladies get stoned by accident after drinking tea using a marijuana plant. But after I stop laughing and remind myself that my sister had to go into rehab for drinking and some small drug problems, I realizes that drinking, getting high and wasted isn't all ways fun and something to laugh about. Someone could get hurt, someone could get rape, someone could get KILLED and then it is all 'I am so sorry! I will never do this again, I promise'. Seeing Gwen's behavior was a terriable reminder of my sister.
shareThe comparison does not even make sense. Smoking, you set a bad example, pass on a little second hand smoke and kill yourself. Drinking alcoholically you wreck lives.
shareIt shows cigarettes as big fun? And what scene shows this? There are people smoking in the film, and she asks for one from the counselor, but I still didn't see any scene that shows smoking is big fun.
Also, the movie wasn't about smoking, or the effects of smoking, so them having a scene showing that smoking is unhealthy is completely unnecessary.
Promiscuous sex isn't good either, but they didn't address that. Eating too much red meat isn't healthy, but they didn't address that. Eating too much candy is bad for your teeth...darn them that they didn't address this.
The plural of mouse is mice. The plural of goose is geese. Why is the plural of moose not meese?
The smoking wasn't shown as being great; it was shown as being acceptable. It isn't hard to understand why smoking would be allowed in rehab.
shareI've had contracts with rehabs. the sentiment tends to be to prioritize what needs to be confronted and dealt with, don't try to tackle too many issues at once.
Substance abuse for drugs and alcohol is considered a priority over tobacco, caffeine and candy which are seen as less risky for the immediate problems. Cigarettes, coffee and sweets are legal and not controlled substances warranting field sobriety tests for DUIs
Drugs and alcohol abuse habits also have an oral component and people get used to putting something in their mouth constantly - smoking and drinking coffee helps with that, and in some rehabs candy is actually encouraged to help stabilize during transition
the down-side to this approach is the addiction can get transferred. Gwen wasn't really depicted as a smoker until she got into rehab. the same thing was shown in When A Man Loves A Woman - she returned to an old habit of smoking after returning home.
It is not unusual for recovering addicts to gain weight, and in team meetings the lead counselors and doctors will often tell the dietitian or nutritionist to back off, because they'd rather not make everything so strict for the recovering addict that they become less likely to advance through the various stages successfully.
one of the biggest complaints about rehabs that people stay at for a month or more - they create a false environment that isn't the real world people have to deal with -- some experts think day rehab programs are better for that reason
8 of 10 People in Addiction Treatment Smoke, Study Finds
https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_154830.html