At some point in my recovery, I stopped obsessing about “girl gets the guy” aspirations and changed to “girl gets dry” goals. It was the best decision I ever made. Changing my focus from the external and coming to grips with what needed to change on the inside is really when the rubber hit the road in my recovery.
Movie of the week: Smashed
Smashed is a perfectly heartbreaking reflection of what that storyline looks like “in real life” and a heartwarming example of the beauty and authenticity of relationships formed inside 12 step meetings—not sold yet? One of the main characters is Aaron Paul, the dreamboat you fell in love with watching Breaking Bad. Still not convinced. You’ll also recognize a few other key characters played by Octavia Spencer, Megan Mullally, and Nick Offerman.
When the film aired in 2012, somehow I missed it the first time around. (Seriously though, how did I miss this all-star lineup?) But timing is everything, and it’s exactly what I needed to watch this week.
Smashed Movie Poster
Kate, our leading lady played by Mary Elizabeth Winstead, accurately portrays a young woman in the throes of full-blown alcoholism. If that’s a language you speak then this film will tug at your insides. Hooked from the get-go, I found myself cheering on her character. The movie chronicles her failure as an elementary school teacher, smoking crack for the first time, hitting her bottom, and that oh-so-hard first year of sobriety.
Once Kate comes to terms that she needs to stay sober, the movie fast-forwards over how hard those first 12 months of recovery can be, but if you’ve lived it, you already get it. Don’t we all want to fast forward past the hard stuff? If only it was that easy.
I’m a little bummed this movie isn’t accompanied by a soundtrack because it would have been a good one, but it’s still well worth the $3.99 rental on Amazon Prime. If you’re looking for a compelling tale surrounding life in recovery and how things really look after the pink cloud dust of sobriety settles, then you’ll want to add this movie to your watch list.
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If you or someone you know is experiencing difficulties surrounding alcoholism, addiction, or mental illness, please reach out and ask for help. People everywhere can and want to help; you just have to know where to look. And continue to look until you find what works for you. Click here for a list of regional and national resources.