10 Excellent Movies About Drug Addiction

Whether you’re a drug user or not,  if you want to watch a movie that can make you sick to your stomach, watch a drug addiction movie.   I think one of the main draws to these movies is not only the excess they portray, but these movies dive into worlds that we never thought were possible.

I mean when you think your life is down, just see what happens to people who you think have lives twice as good as yours get completely wrecked by their addictions.   It’s truly disturbing and yet these movies are very important to relay how destructive drug addiction can be.

Here are 10 great movies about drug addiction.

Less than Zero

Interesting that in real life, this movie was pretty accurate concerning Robert Downey Jr.’s life.  Downey plays a guy named Julian who comes from a wealthy family in Beverly Hills.    Julian is involved with his ex best friend’s ex girlfriend Blair.  Blair warns his ex best friend, Clay, about Julian’s problems.  The movie gets pretty graphic and you certainly question the use of drugs.  It gave great exposure to the drug lives of young wealthy post college grads in the 80s.

Rush

Just a disturbing movie all around.  Jason Patric plays an undercover cop set to bust a girl named Kristen (Jennifer Jason Leigh) when he winds up getting addicted himself and falling in love with Leigh in the process.

Trainspotting

One of my favorite movies about drug addiction, Trainspotting explores heroin at its finest.  The process of getting the drug, the ritual of doing the drug, and how the drug sucks you back in time after time.  And the backdrop is the poor town on Edinburgh.  Excellent supporting cast in Ewen McGregor’s first spotlight movie.

Permanent Midnight

This movie just messed me up all around.  Ben Stiller did an excellent job going from comedic actor to serious drug addict role.  There’s just too much detail in this movie for me to handle.  Lots of needle and insertion of needles.  And the scene in the office where Stiller and dealer are jumping against windows is insane.

Requiem for a Dream

Four people who are doing their best in the world wind up succumbing to drugs.  Despite the fact they have lofty aspirations, these four people wind up getting into the dirtiest, and most disturbing parts of the drug underworld.  One of Arnofsky’s finest cinematic accomplishments, Requiem remains and will remain a cult classic.  Great soundtrack too.

Traffic

Traffic takes a look at drugs from all angles.  From the source, to the fight against drugs, to drugs in the home, Traffic is one of the finest movies about drugs in history.  Of the three angles of drugs the movie portrays, I particularly find Erica Christensen’s character to relate to this article.  The movie sort of gives the message of “it just goes to show you, even the best and brightest can get sucked into the world of drugs.”  And not only that, be taken to the worst places imaginable, all under the eye of a drug czar.

Pure

In short the movie is about a boy who is trying to deal with his mother’s heroin addiction.    His mother is dependent on a pimp and dealer which forces the boy (who is 10) to take care of his mother and younger brother.  Even though he’s so young, the boy takes serious action to prevent his mother from dying (as his father did).

The Basketball Diaries

Great look at a true story here.  Leonardo Dicaprio plays a star basketball player and poet who falls into the sordid world of drug addiction in Manhattan.  He goes from being a high school phenom to complete junkie in a matter of months resorting to violence, stealing, and selling his own body just for a hit.  It’s an excellent story and Dicaprio is excellent (as is Mark Wahlberg as his prick friend).

Drugstore Cowboy

A “heroin driven” Bonnie and Clyde.   A couple must finance their drug habit and to do so they rob drug stores.  Eventually however, luck runs out.

Midnight Cowboy

One of the first movies that portrayed gritty, urban heroin addiction with all its associated despair on full display. It remains one of Dustin Hoffman’s finest roles, and the only movie with an “X” rating to ever receive an Academy Award for Best Picture.