Addiction is one struggle that many of us have dealt with in our lives, either directly or through watching another person suffer from it.
In the film Pay it Forward (2000), an 11-year-old boy name Trevor has an alcoholic father and must deal with the results of that addiction. Trevor's parents divorced because of his father's violent and abusive behavior. This type of behavior is common in people who abuse alcohol, because it depresses inhibitions and clouds judgment; therefore, people, such as Trevor's father, are more likely to act in a way that is unusual and irresponsible for them.
People, when drunk, tend to feel stimulated because of the feeling that the alcohol gives them. That feeling destroys any recognition of consequences, so there are no longer any rules after there is enough alcohol in the system. This may explain why most alcoholics have violent behavior, such as Trevor's father. Once there are no longer any rules and your judgment is impaired, alcohol controls all of your behavior.
In Pay it Forward, Trevor's father, some time after the divorce, claims to have recovered from his alcoholism. That, however, turned out to be inaccurate, as he was not fully recovered. That lie is another example of a behavior not unusual in alcoholics. It is fairly common for them to lie and avoid the truth about their addiction at all costs, whether they are in denial about it or are intentionally withholding the reality of their addiction from other people.
In the end, alcoholics must receive a great amount of assistance in overcoming their addiction, assistance that Trevor's father never sought.
In Pay it Forward, Trevor's father, some time after the divorce, claims to have recovered from his alcoholism. That, however, turned out to be inaccurate, as he was not fully recovered. That lie is another example of a behavior not unusual in alcoholics. It is fairly common for them to lie and avoid the truth about their addiction at all costs, whether they are in denial about it or are intentionally withholding the reality of their addiction from other people.
In the end, alcoholics must receive a great amount of assistance in overcoming their addiction, assistance that Trevor's father never sought.
I remember seeing this movie, it was so sad. I don't remember a lot about the father but I remember about the message. It had a really powerful meaning behind the whole movie.
ReplyDelete