What Euphoria Gets Right —and Wrong—About Teen Drug Use and Addiction

Euphoria—the most tweeted-about TV show of the decade in the U.S.—has thrust teenage drug use into the cultural spotlight. The HBO show follows 17-year-old Rue Bennett, a sweet but troubled teen played by Zendaya, as she navigates a deepening drug use disorder. It’s not pretty. Rue takes the powerful opioid fentanyl, injects morphine, and drags around a suitcase filled with thousands of dollars worth of drugs (a stash she can’t resist dipping into). Meanwhile, she rips apart her life: tearing through her house, ransacking strangers’ homes, and screaming at the people she loves the most. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] Yet the show’s season two finale, which aired on Feb. 27, ends on a hopeful note for Rue’s recovery. Here’s what addiction experts who watch the show say that Euphoria gets right about teen drug use and treatment—and where it misses the mark. What Euphoria gets right: Drug use isn’t rare among teens The show has sparked controversy over how it portrays teen drug use. In January, D.A.R.E.—the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program—criticized the show for “glorify[ing]” high school drug use and making it seem “common and widespread in today’s world.” But drug use is not uncommon among high school students today. In the U.S., about 1.6 million kids ages 12 to 17—6.3% of the adolescent population—had substance use disorder in 2020, accordin...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized Source Type: news