MovieChat Forums > Days of Wine and Roses (1963) Discussion > Realistic depiction of alcoholism, up to...

Realistic depiction of alcoholism, up to a point.....


...but people don't go through hardcore withdrawal after one night of drinking. Both times Jack Lemmon relapses, after long stretches of sobriety, he goes through INSANE DT's. NOPE. Ain't happening. Other than that, it's a good movie but the withdrawal crap was overdone.

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Yes that kinda ruined it for me. I'm a nurse and I've seen the DT's. It happens after a very long period of chronic alcoholism and then sudden withdrawal. It takes 72 hours to detox. We would give IV Librium or Ativan to calm them. As soon as the shakes were over they would pull out the IV and leave to go drink again

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Well, I never drank at work (Construction -- all level, swinging a hammer to Superintendent)
I'd get out of work, stop have a couple beers go home and have a couple shots then bed. That was enough for a long time
5 years before I quit, something happened within my family I couldn't take --- THAT brought back memories I thought I'd buried. I increased my consumption, After 5 years I was at a 6 pack of pounders and a bottle of Scotch between 5 pm and midnight Wake up, take a shower, be at the jobsite bt 7 when the hourly workers show upI was real fun in the lornings till about 9, then I was clear, BUT started getting anxious by 4
Had 2 DWIs, spent 3 days in jail Couldn't afford rehab with fancy drugs I white knuckled it,and when I came out I was shaking pretty bad, got home drank a 1/2 pint down in about 1 swallow The shakes stopped . I had 6 pounders and 1 bottle of Johnny Walker Blue I was saving for a special Time and figured the last Drunk was special enough. Went to my 1st meeting and 5 the next afternoon I was starting to shake and they didn't stop for over a week --- THAT was 14 1/2 years today

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Dare I say that movies about special subject areas are almost never true depictions. I was a teacher and I can tell you films about high school are full of errors. and not just differences one would encounter from state to state or school to school. Lawyers say the same thing about movies with trials. Cops, hospital workers, soldiers and on and on probably all point out the things that would never ever happen in movies about their line of work. What to do? dunno. enjoy the drama. It's usually harmless, but when one realizes how so many Americans get their ideas on the world from film, maybe directors should make more accurate films.

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