Movies about alcohol use disorder and addiction can offer important insight into these illnesses that impact millions of people.

Some movies, like28 Days, highlight the rehab experience and how important it can be to recovery.

Other movies, likeMy Name is Bill W., highlight the hope that exists in recovery and mutual aid.

Ewan McGregor as Mark Renton, smoking a cigarette at a nightclub in ‘Trainspotting’

Image via Miramax Films

The movie follows a group of individuals who live with substance abuse in Edinburgh.

Trainspottingis such an essential movie about addiction because it highlights the relationship between poverty and substance use.

It is an unflinching look at the realities of leaving this illness untreated.

The lads from Trainspotting stand smoking in a wide open field

Image via PolyGram Filmed Entertainment

The movie is a meditation on the power of connection and community when it comes to recovery from addiction.

Crazy Heartis a must-watch movie about addiction because it emphasizes how important relationships are to the recovery process.

She chooses rehab and meets other patients who are facing their own challenges.

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As Carroll becomes more ill, his life spirals increasingly out of control.

The Basketball Diariesis an important movie about addiction because it highlights how devastating addiction is at any age.

The movie’s non-judgemental tone makes it a necessary story about addiction.

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After living life on the edge in London, Rona attempts to come to terms with her troubled past.

Adapted from Amy Liptrot’s bestselling memoir.

The movie is based on a Washington Post article, “How’s Amanda?

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The movie does not sensationalize the recovery process.

After his firing, he makes his way to Las Vegas with the intention of dying by suicide.

The movie emphasizes the fact that, like physical illnesses, addiction can be life-threatening and ultimately terminal.

Jeff Bridges on a cropped poster for Crazy Heart

Image by Fox Searchlight Pictures

The movie follows these two as they connect over their shared illness.

NEXT: The 10 Most Underrated Movies of 2021, Ranked

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Sandra Bullock in 28 Days

Image via Netflix

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Leonardo DiCaprio as Jim in The Basketball Diaries leans against a wall, looking at the camera.

Image via New Line Cinema

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David and Nic from “Beautiful Boy”, smiling at the camera

Image via Amazon MGM Studios

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Rona (Saoirse Ronan) listening to music in ‘The Outrun’

Image via Sony Pictures Classics

The Outrun movie poster

After living life on the edge in London, Rona attempts to come to terms with her troubled past. She returns to the wild beauty of Scotland’s Orkney Islands (where she grew up) hoping to heal. Adapted from Amy Liptrot’s bestselling memoir.

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A man holding a distraught woman while looking in the mirror in Days of Wine and Roses

Image via Warner Bros.

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Ben and Sera sitting together on a couch in Leaving Las Vegas

Image via MGM

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Image via Hallmark

Movie

Trainspotting

Crazy Heart