Alcoholism, or alcohol use disorder, impacts millions of people around the world.
TV series have portrayed the illness with various results.
Unfortunately, alcohol use disorder is often not taken seriously or played as comedy.
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Fairly early on in the series, it is established that this character lived with alcohol use disorder.
From the early days ofThe West Wing, Leo acknowledges his history with alcohol use disorder.
It comes out that he also struggled with addiction to other substances.
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ThroughoutThe West Wing, Leo is shown to be open and honest about his alcohol use disorder.
Watching Bonnie (Allison Janney) earnestly celebrate her friend and how influential she is.
This penultimate episode is also a showcase of how powerful mutual aid is in recovery.
“A Horse Walks into a Rehab” is a turning point forBoJack as a character.
His time in a rehab facility shows that recovery is hardly ever a linear process.
Frank (William H. Macy) repeatedly showed how alcohol use disorder impacted his life.
He showed that this disorder was a barrier to him being a father.
This episode brings Fiona and Lip’s respective struggles with alcohol use disorder and recovery into focus.
“The Hobo Games” is a boiling point for Fiona and Lip.
The premiere episode ofThe Flight Attendantshowcases the chaos that so often comes with alcohol use disorder.
As the series continues, however, Don’s struggles become progressively harder to hide behind a dapper veneer.
This marks the first time that Don’s alcohol use has been called out so directly.
It is heartbreaking to watch Strauss try so hard to conceal her struggles for so long.
Annalise’s alcohol use disorder impacts her life in subtle ways as the series goes on.
As she deals with a death and a disappearance, she decides to go to rehab.
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Watching Annalise learn and use these skills makes her an even more dynamic character to root for.
NEXT: The 10 Best Movies That Accurately Portray Alcoholism
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