Hollywood's fascination with heroine addiction

What is Hollywood’s fascination with heroine addiction?

After watching another movie the other day, which completely centered on heroine addiction, I kept thinking to myself...how many times have I seen this before? I could probably name at least 50 movies where heroine addiction is either the main theme or there's at least one scene in the movie where a character (any character) shoots up. It's funny how they even take you through the whole process of how it's done, I feel like I've seen it played out so many times that if I ever did want to take up heroine, I'd know exactly how to do it even though I've never done it before. I can honestly say that if there's anything that movies have taught me is how to be a junkie.

Drugs these days happen to be a major theme in most movies whether directly or indirectly related but for some reason, heroine seems to be the drug of choice, not crack, not coke but heroine. The message seems to be you've really never hit bottom until you've taken up smack.

I dunno, just wondering what you guys think about that? Why heroine? and if you wanna start a list of movies that have heroine addiction in it. Like I said, I could prob name like 50.

Spun, Salton Sea, Requiem For A Dream, Trainspotting, Jesus' Son, and Finding Nemo are the ones that spring immediately to mind. Why? I guess because it's delicious and it makes you look really cool.

What are the ones you're thinking about?

Hmm...I knew I had already made a thread about this..Another topic that never quite caught on.

i think it gets so much attention over other drugs because people see Heroin as the worst of the drugs. Some movies do a brilliant job making the people seem real and the problem as serious as it really is (Trainspotting for example) but some people seem to think it has a mysterious and kinda sexy appeal.

^ Yeah, you should check out 'Broken Vessels'.

Tho seriously, I could prob name like 50 more.

I think it's because the average movie watching demographic has never tried heroin, nor do they ever intend to do so. Heroin is taboo to most of us, it's something that's out of the question, at least to me.

You see, a lot of movie goers know that smoking weed is harmless, therefore there is no dramatic element to that. Cocaine can be dangerous, but for the most part it is really fun and too many people have tried it so they wouldn't be intrigued by it's use in a film. Heroin, however, has all the dramatic elements perfect for characters and subplots etc., because of it's mystery. Though I do agree, it is way over used, even in t.v. with LOST and stuff like that. 😬

as soon as they need a bad guy they just bring in the guy who's addicted to smack. or if they need to make the audience sympathetic they use a "recovering" smack head.

Originally posted by -Tired Hiker-
I think it's because the average movie watching demographic has never tried heroin, nor do they ever intend to do so. Heroin is taboo to most of us, it's something that's out of the question, at least to me.

You see, a lot of movie goers know that smoking weed is harmless, therefore there is no dramatic element to that. Cocaine can be dangerous, but for the most part it is really fun and too many people have tried it so they wouldn't be intrigued by it's use in a film. Heroin, however, has all the dramatic elements perfect for characters and subplots etc., because of it's mystery. Though I do agree, it is way over used, even in t.v. with LOST and stuff like that. 😬

^ Yeah, that's a pretty logical explanation.

What get's me is why they feel the need to actually walk you through the steps of actually doing it. It's like a handbook on how to become a junkie or something.

Originally posted by Ya Krunk'd Floo
Requiem For A Dream

definitely what comes to my mind first.. man was his arm F*cked up