Today Sony Picture Classics is releasing SMASHED at Landmark Theatres in Midtown Atlanta. I had the opportunity to screen a pre-released copy this week in anticipation of the upcoming release.

I have to say, my expectations were very low when I heard it was another flick about how drugs and alcohol ruin someone’s life and the main characters struggle towards sobriety. There are quite a few downer films out there about the drug and alcohol scene. These films are all about how people around the addict see their life crumbling but the addict is seemingly blind to the self-destruction. My thought was, “It’s been done. We get it. Drugs and drinking are bad.”

However, I was pleasantly surprised at the depth of character development, and the realistic portrayal of the psychological process one goes through when they begin to realize they have a problem, don’t want to be an addict forever, and then try to change. In fact, SMASHED is such a realistic depiction of the addiction process, I hesitate to recommend it to those who are struggling with addiction or newly sober. That said, it will be a great insight for friends and family of addicts who don’t understand the draw which propels someone to choose substance over most everything else in their life.

The lead actor did an incredible job at showing the lies and pain the drinking requires, the struggle to find new ways of coping, the sacrifice of known community for sobriety, and the ultimate pursuit of “the boring life” (a concept I talk with clients about a lot). The drinking life seems glamorous and exciting when you are living it (from the outside it just looks like a lot of drama). Staying sober seems boring in comparison. However, there has to be an intentional choosing of “the boring life” in order to avoid the crashing into a wall of destruction.

This is a well-done film. If you want to understand the process of addiction and the journey (and struggle) towards recovery, I would highly recommend it.