Addicted Australia - Episode 1

[Bamboo [facilitator]]

Welcome everyone. Airing tonight at 8:30pm Addicted Australia, is a four part series aiming to bring the conversation about addiction into the public consciousness. The series, a joint project between Turning Point and SBS, will follow 10 Australians and their families as they live with addiction and engage in recovery. Addiction is one of Australia’s most misunderstood health conditions. We want to change the conversation about addiction and tackle the stigma and misinformation that stops people getting the help they need. If you can take the time to watch the series drop by the Forum later, we know watching the episodes will have an emotional impact as the issues and topics discussed are real for many of us. Join the conversation as we debrief and gather ourselves, we know the story of addiction is powerful and we want to strengthen the story of recovery.

[Calvino01]

Hello to all of the members on the forum!

Tonight at 8:30pm the first episode of the 'Addicted Australia' Documentary will be premiering on SBS and will have a running time of 60min.
This is a chance to view other people's journey through alcohol, drug or gambling addiction.

We encourage you to watch this documentary and afterward you'll be given the chance to discuss your thoughts, insights, questions with eachother. For some people you may have similar experiences to the participants on the documentary and although this can be relatable and helpful, some may find this triggering. If you find yourself feeling triggered by any content on the documentary, take a short break to ground yourself and we can help support you on on the forums after the episode has finished.

Take notes of any themes you think are important to focus on

[Calvino01]

Hello everyone!

What were your thoughts on the first episode of 'Addicted Australia'?

Some common themes that I had noticed whilst watching was that there's a common element of shame when it comes to discussing addiction issues with the people closest to us. Not being sure of how they would react, if you would get judged, fear of rejection and basically not feeling understood of the struggle you experience through addiction.
Another theme would be the importance of peer support and networking. It was great to see everyone being so open and honest in a group setting where they may not personally know eachother but instead share that bond of understanding eachother's struggles.

One of the participants explained about changing her own language by distinguishing between 'needing' a drink versus 'wanting' a drink. I think this was great point to focus on, its a way of shifting the way we think about substances and why we may use them.

What points did you find helpful throughout the documentary? Did anything trigger you? Did it motivate you and how so?

Tell us your thoughts

[Bamboo [facilitator]]

Hi everyone if you missed last night's Addicted Australia episode you can view it online, click here Let us know your thoughts.

[Leonarda]

Hi everyone,
Well we are up to episode 2 of Addicted Australia - what did everyone think of the portrayal of the 10 Australians doing it tough? They are certainly brave individuals in letting themselves be filmed with such raw emotion, right?
You can catch the episodes on SBS ondemand if you missed it, in any case
https://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/video/1 ... lia-s1-ep2