3 TV Series that Depict the Dangers of Drug Use
Young people are easily influenced by their peers, or even through movies or TV shows, but certain TV shows depict the dangers of drug use. This article will tell you about the three TV series that do precisely this.
There is no doubt that drugs are dangerous, and many TV series show this risk. It might seem exaggerated, and while it is to an extent, in reality, many of them do show the type of effects drugs can have on a person’s life.
Being accused of possession with intent to supply can land you with life imprisonment. But more importantly, using drugs can have a detrimental effect on your body, both mentally and physically. Statistics show that the UK has one of the highest rates of drug-induced deaths across Europe, with 76 deaths per million reported in 2019.
This is why it’s so important for people to see the dangers first-hand. TV is integral to our lives, so this can be the ideal place to highlight, rather than glamourize, these dangers. Keep reading to learn of the three TV shows that depict the dangers of drug use, but beware – there maybe a couple of spoilers ahead.
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3 TV Series That Show the Dangers of Drugs
Skins
Skins is one TV show that has been around for a while and shows the excessive use of drugs in almost every episode. While it seems like a light-hearted and fun TV series, many scenes show the sad truth about drug use.
Chris is one of the show’s characters going through a tough time in his life. With a dark backstory, his brother died when he was young, his parents divorced, his father abandoned him, and then, one morning, he wakes up to his mum gone and an envelope of £1000 cash to live off. He copes with his struggles through countless house parties where he abuses alcohol and drugs, including prescription drugs.
The excessive use of drugs in the series can also be seen through the character of Effy, who portrays the reality of even younger children experimenting with drugs.
Euphoria
If you want to see the reality of drug use, the potential problems it can cause the users, and the impact their addiction has on family and friends, the series Euphoria shows precisely this. The teen drama’s main character is Rue (played by Zendaya), who has a drug addiction that stemmed from a young age when she started taking her dad’s Xanax and worsened through her dad’s death.
There are many significant scenes in the two released seasons of the show that show Rue’s problem with addiction. For example, Rue is found by her younger sister unconscious from a drug overdose, having a summer stint in rehab, the suffering she goes through trying to stay clean, and the relapse she faces repeatedly.
A lot of young people can relate to the problems Rue suffers from, such as mental health issues, the loss of a parent young, young love, and experimentation with drugs. Studies into mental health show that self-harm and mental health problems are on the rise among British teenagers.
The Queens Gambit
The Queens Gambit is another series that shows the issue of drug addiction, and it has many dark elements to it. The main character is Beth Harmon (played by Anya Taylor-Joy), who had to move into an orphanage after her mum took her own life. During the course of her time there, she and the other girls were force-fed pills that they called ‘vitamins.’
Beth, like many real-life individuals, suffers from a prescription pill addiction that we see throughout the series takes over her life, with her hallucinating an interactive chessboard on the ceiling after taking a large dosage.
Along with illicit drug addiction, many individuals in the UK and worldwide face prescription drug addiction, alongside Beth Harmon. This is because it is possible to now easily obtain prescription drugs through the means of the internet and drug dealers instead of from a doctor. The UK Addiction Treatment Centres provide advice and statics on prescription drug addiction and abuse.
Series that Depict the Dangers of Drug Use: Don’t Let Drugs Put Your Life in Danger
What we can conclude from this article is that yes, these are only TV shows and are not real-life stories of people’s experiences with drugs. However, these kinds of situations happen every single day. There are people out there struggling with drug addiction and other aspects of their lives which it has significantly impacted by the use of drugs.
There is so much more to life than falling into an addiction hole. If you want to experience new things, go traveling – even if you can’t go far, such as abroad or to a different state, and can only explore places closer to home. We guarantee you’ll be able to find something new that you didn’t already know existed.
You don’t have to use drugs to experience happiness or a thrill, or even to escape everyday life; the world has so much to offer us. Take advantage of it, and use these TV shows to help you steer clear of the consequences of drugs that these characters face.
