“28 Days” by Betty Thomas: Abnormal Character Behavior

Introduction

Directors often turn to rather common psychological problems in their films in search of increased interest among the audience. Betty Thomas, in the movie 28 Days, shows the viewer the life through the eyes of an addicted woman being treated in a rehabilitation center. 28 Days is full of problems not only with alcohol but also with heroin. This essay aims to discuss the psychological aspect of alcohol and drug addiction.

Main body

Alcohol consumption in different historical epochs has taken certain forms, including religious rites, treatments, and cultural elements. Thousands of years of alcohol consumption have become an entrenched tradition. Dependence on alcohol is a chronic disease that develops as a result of the long-term abuse of alcoholic beverages with the pathological attraction to them. The protagonist of the 28 Days movie, Gwen Cummings, experiences similar problems and becomes so involved in alcoholism that she is responsible for an accident. At the same time, it should be understood that having consumed a small number of alcoholic beverages, the woman has hardly achieved such failures. In other words, alcohol intoxication is manifested by a variety of mental, neurological and somatic disorders, the severity of which depends not only on the dose of alcohol but also on the speed of its absorption from the gastrointestinal tract, as well as the sensitivity of the body to it. Some of them are caused by withdrawal syndrome, others by toxic poisoning and oxygen starvation of the brain.

There are two main reasons why people turn to alcohol. Depression, complicated relationships with loved ones and constant failures make people look for a way out with the help of alcoholic euphoria. On the other hand, overly reckless people who do not want to take responsibility can enjoy alcohol. Gwen and her boyfriend, Jasper, fall into the second category. The way these people think shows their unwillingness to work on themselves and improve their personalities. When talking about the world, Jasper says that ‘no one adult human being is happy,’” (Thomas, 2000). This further confirms the idea of how incapable alcoholics are of critical thinking. Alcoholics are characterized by complete social disadaptation, the sick are incapacitated, family ties are broken, and people lead parasitic lives. Moreover, liver cirrhosis and pronounced cardiomyopathy develop in almost all cases.

However, 28 Days not only depicts the dependence on alcohol but also psychological problems with heroin. The protagonist’s roommate, Andrea, is in a rehabilitation center for drug addiction treatment. From the point of view of psychology, it should be remembered that the person has psychological problems even before the start of heroin use. Often heroin use is perceived as a way of solving problems as an escape from difficulties in the alternative world. After all, when heroin is used, the person’s consciousness changes, the problems fall into the background, and the person feels more relaxed and confident. Often addicts seek euphoria alone, indulging in memories and desires. This phenomenon is caused by the peculiarity of the mechanism of action of opiates on the human body. However, the biochemical path of heroin does not end with gaining confidence, because with each dose taken the rate of synthesis of endorphins decreases.

Conclusion

The personality of an addict is characterized by physical destruction and spiritual degeneracy. Most often, they become slaves of the same rules, live a very primitive life. Adult addicts between the two drugs show infantilism in behavior, and this trait dominates their personality. All thoughts and actions of the patient focus on their character, which is why they are not able to fully communicate with other people. Such a person may suffer from a lack of self-respect, and due to the requirements of reality that exceed their adaptive capacity, they often fall into depression.

Reference

Thomas, B. (2000). 28 Days [Film]. Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc.

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StudyCorgi. "“28 Days” by Betty Thomas: Abnormal Character Behavior." February 14, 2022. https://studycorgi.com/28-days-by-betty-thomas-abnormal-character-behavior/.

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StudyCorgi. 2022. "“28 Days” by Betty Thomas: Abnormal Character Behavior." February 14, 2022. https://studycorgi.com/28-days-by-betty-thomas-abnormal-character-behavior/.

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