On December 1 2000 my life changed drastically. I was 17 years old trying to hold on to the woman that meant the entire world to me as her life was slipping away. My Mom. She was not just my Mom but my best friend. I held her hand and hugged her as she took her final breathes of life and went to heaven. My whole world changed that day and not for the better.

I was hooked on alcohol from the moment I had my first beer at 14 years old. I loved it immediately and once I started I could not stop. I was the party girl who loved a good time. I drunk to feel happy, to relax, to feel special, to block out emotional pain and to avoid facing reality. My life spiralled out of control. Then late one night I was lying on the toilet

My journey with drugs /alcohol began when I was about 14 years old. I was molested from 14 years old up to 17 years old. I used drugs and alcohol to cope with it and thought that sex was love. I moved out when I was about 17 and went from streets, hotels, anywhere I could stay besides home. I went from one bad abusive relationship to another. I eventually got pregnant and had a

My name is Candice and I am 36 years old. I was a meth addict for at least 10 years. I lost my home, my job, my children, my family and friends, and eventually my freedom. After numerous trips to jail and one failed rehab attempt, I finally decided I was ready to be done for good. I went to another long term residential treatment center and I have now been clean since Feb 23,

Hollywood films reflect reality through dramatization. Therefore it comes as no surprise that films involving recreational drug use and addiction are on the rise, correlating with increased substance abuse in society. In the 1980s there were 52 films released featuring drug use. Compare that to 1990-2010 with a staggering 546 movies featuring drugs, there has been a huge rise in drugs being involved in movies. However, movies cannot be blindly categorized as glorifying drug use