How Euphoria depicts drug use isn’t ‘problematic’, it's extraordinary

By Karen Thompson

 

“Euphoria” at its core tells a story of grief, drug addiction, and depression, particularly through the experiences of Rue Bennett, portrayed amazingly by the lead actress Zendaya.

In the series, we’ve seen a deep examination of Rue’s descent into drug use; a response to grief over the tragic death of her father. 

 

In Emily St. Martin’s opinion (a writer), “Euphoria, unlike almost every other depiction of drug use I’ve seen in pop culture, is doing the necessary work to shift the views of addiction. It’s making addicts and the people who love them feel less alone, and it’s illuminating the dark reality of addiction for people who might be struggling to understand. The show’s not just entertainment—I’d argue it has the power to change people’s lives.”

 

In January, D.A.R.E.(The Abuse Resistance Educational program) found the show ‘problematic’, saying the show was glorifying high school drug use, making it seem “common and widespread in today’s world”. But drug use isn’t uncommon among high school students today.

 

 According to Dr. Lynn Fiellin, professor of medicine at the Yale School of Medicine and Child Study Center, who is trained in addiction medicine and behavioral health (and who is a fan of the show)- “Euphoria depicts exactly what is going on” she says.

 

The intensity of Rue’s character and the excesses of her behavior is an important breakthrough in how young drug users are represented on screen. The reality is that in recent years, cinematic depictions of drug use and addiction haven’t been as realistic, insightful and as authentic as they have been portrayed in Euphoria.

 

Denayja Reese, a writer, and producer amongst other things, outlines the following in her article (see below) – “I can say from firsthand experience that Rue’s story is an authentic portrayal- my own addiction issues manifested themselves in similarly extreme ways. I once jumped off a 30-foot cliff while high. I felt the same relenting self-loathing that Rue expresses in the show. I, like Rue, was using drugs as a sort of time-release suicide plan.” 

 

The star, Zendaya responds to D.A.R.E’s critique on Entertainment weekly saying the feeling behind Euphoria is to hopefully help people feel a bit less alone in their experience and pain. There are many parallels with 'Rue', many people relate to ‘Rue’. 

 

“We can’t leave her here,” Zendaya said, noting Rue’s withdrawal in Episode 5, Season 2. “it’s really important that there’s light at the end of the tunnel for her, because I think she has a lot of beauty inside of her. Whether or not she quite sees that yet”

 

 

Sources –

https://time.com/6152502/euphoria-hbo-teenage-drug-use/

https://edition.cnn.com/2022/03/04/opinions/euphoria-addiction-grief-zendaya-depression-reese/index.html

https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/zendaya-depends-euphoria-glorifies-drug-use-1235174922/

https://www.cosmopolitan.com/entertainment/tv/a39224751/euphoria-teen-shows-addiction-essay/