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    #1

    The Anonymous People (a film about addiction)

    Has anyone seen, or heard about, this film?

    | Tricycle

    I haven't seen it yet (I watched the trailer linked above). Seems to me that just as we know that alcoholism is a d-i-s-e-a-s-e (that is treatable) and not a moral failing, its about time that the stigma of addiction was erased.

    Everyone would be better off.

    Cass
    With profound appreciation to Dr Olivier Ameisen for his brilliant insight and courageous determination
    Tags: None
    #2
    The Anonymous People (a film about addiction)

    Cassander;1690555 wrote: Has anyone seen, or heard about, this film?

    | Tricycle

    I haven't seen it yet (I watched the trailer linked above). Seems to me that just as we know that alcoholism is a d-i-s-e-a-s-e (that is treatable) and not a moral failing, its about time that the stigma of addiction was erased.

    Everyone would be better off.

    Cass

    Hi Cass -thanks for the post.

    I watched the trailer and then looked to see where I could view it in total. The documentary is for sale on I-Tunes but then I found it on Netflix -which I have access to.
    I watched part of it and will watch the remainder tonight.

    I hope the people in this world will continue to change regarding their views of diseases. How truly sad it is that people in this world have to hide in shame or disgrace because of their disease. This not only applies to alcoholics and/or other addicts, it applies to OTHER mental illnesses. Just take a look at diagnosed depression and those who have to presumably live in shame because of it.

    THE ANONYMOUS PEOPLE     available on Netflix and Amazon and ???

    Thanks for the resource.

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      #3
      The Anonymous People (a film about addiction)

      I watched some of it. I stopped after the AA stuff. Can't we have a movie w/o AA?? Guess not, because it won't sell to the masses.

      Sam

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        #4
        The Anonymous People (a film about addiction)

        What Sam said

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          #5
          The Anonymous People (a film about addiction)

          Samandkatharine;1691019 wrote: I watched some of it. I stopped after the AA stuff. Can't we have a movie w/o AA?? Guess not, because it won't sell to the masses.

          Sam
          I read a great book by Steven Pinker called "The Blank Slate" where he deconstructs 3 deeply treasured myths with modern scientific findings. The myths are "the blank slate" (we are all born equal and only become unequal through experience), "the noble savage" (we are born good and civilization corrupts us), and "the ghost in the machine" (we have an otherworldly spiritual nature that has no rooting whatsoever in the physical realm).

          He argues that we don't want to let go of these beliefs because they allow us to deny our moral and physical limitations with vague excuses. AA plays into this.

          "You just need to get right with the higher power and everything will be ok! Now surrender and be compliant- we're counting on you to think all is right with the world!"

          I love confronting 12 steppers with a simple question when they say that they are spiritual but not religious: "What exactly is the difference?"

          Either they have a set of beliefs they are ritualistically forcing on others (religion), or it's so vague it does not mean anything at all. And it's not harmless- the blind acceptance of that mentality has held back medicinal cures for addiction for god knows how long?

          Like MLM schemes, crash diet plans or online dating, an idea does not have to work to sell- people just have to want 12 step programs to work.

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            #6
            The Anonymous People (a film about addiction)

            I was able to watch the majority of the film. I think that the film is spot on regarding people being ashamed of having an addiction disease and not coming forward -openly- to let others know it is a disease and that no one chooses to suffer as an addict. I think the great part about AA is the fact that people suffering a shared affliction can get together and share information, strength, and hope.

            After watching, I wanted to find out what others thought. Here is just one review:

            Greg Williams presents an alternative to AA's way of thinking about addiction and recovery.

            The Anonymous People: Film Review - The Hollywood Reporter

            "Untold millions of people addicted to drugs and alcohol have turned their lives around with the help of a program whose very name, Alcoholics Anonymous, establishes an ideal of private insulation from the outside world. In The Anonymous People, first-time filmmaker Greg Williams challenges that part of the 12-step approach, arguing that the world will only get better at dealing with addiction once addicts can speak openly without fear of stigmatization.             The resulting doc, while hardly exciting in cinematic terms, is informative enough to be a useful conversation-starter; it should be warmly embraced by many in the recovery community and have a long life on video."

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              #7
              The Anonymous People (a film about addiction)

              I'm in the middle of watching this movie. It's worth watching past the AA stuff- particularly around the 32 minute mark, there's some really interesting stuff about the history of alcoholics in the public eye etc. Just fast forward a bit if the AA stuff isn't your bag-- there's other worthwhile stuff in this documentary so far.

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