The Basketball Diaries
Lizzie Janes
Drugs and Behavior
Within Hollywood’s movies depiction of drug addiction, many have failed to represent all true aspects that come along with such lifestyles. The movie, The Basketball Diaries, is based off a novel Jim Carroll wrote from his own diary entries. As a teenager growing up in the sixties, Carroll reveals his progression of drug abuse which eventually leads him addicted to heroin.Heroin is a white powder derived from morphine found in opium. It is commonly prescribed as a painkiller, but is also a popular street drug.The director casted Leonardo DiCaprio as Jimmy, and concentrates on creating the character as a stereotypical drug abuser. DiCaprio’s most captivating scene is when he is going through heroin withdrawals. The viewer also get an accurate depiction of heroin when Jimmy is describing his first time using heroin.Overall the movie is probably one of the best at revealing the realities of drug abuse by not glamorizing it but by showing the downward spiral it can cause on ones life. By analyzing Jimmy’s first time using and eventual dependence of heroin it is easy to see there are realistic and unrealistic scenes to The Basketball Diaries. The movie follows Jim Carroll through his progression of drug use and the circumstances that led to him to finally become sober. At the beginning, Jim has many friends, attends a Catholic School, and is a star on his basketball team. Even with such protective factors in play, Jim finds himself and friends taking drugs and participating in risky behavior. He starts off huffing, moves to snorting cocaine, takes barbiturates, and eventually become heavily addicted to heroin. His addiction slowly takes over his life, as he stops playing basketball, drops out of school, and get kicks out of his house. After going through an intense withdrawal, he still abuses drugs and does not become sober until after getting arrested. In the end Jim is seen talking to others about his addiction, in hopes to
Drugs and Behavior
Within Hollywood’s movies depiction of drug addiction, many have failed to represent all true aspects that come along with such lifestyles. The movie, The Basketball Diaries, is based off a novel Jim Carroll wrote from his own diary entries. As a teenager growing up in the sixties, Carroll reveals his progression of drug abuse which eventually leads him addicted to heroin.Heroin is a white powder derived from morphine found in opium. It is commonly prescribed as a painkiller, but is also a popular street drug.The director casted Leonardo DiCaprio as Jimmy, and concentrates on creating the character as a stereotypical drug abuser. DiCaprio’s most captivating scene is when he is going through heroin withdrawals. The viewer also get an accurate depiction of heroin when Jimmy is describing his first time using heroin.Overall the movie is probably one of the best at revealing the realities of drug abuse by not glamorizing it but by showing the downward spiral it can cause on ones life. By analyzing Jimmy’s first time using and eventual dependence of heroin it is easy to see there are realistic and unrealistic scenes to The Basketball Diaries. The movie follows Jim Carroll through his progression of drug use and the circumstances that led to him to finally become sober. At the beginning, Jim has many friends, attends a Catholic School, and is a star on his basketball team. Even with such protective factors in play, Jim finds himself and friends taking drugs and participating in risky behavior. He starts off huffing, moves to snorting cocaine, takes barbiturates, and eventually become heavily addicted to heroin. His addiction slowly takes over his life, as he stops playing basketball, drops out of school, and get kicks out of his house. After going through an intense withdrawal, he still abuses drugs and does not become sober until after getting arrested. In the end Jim is seen talking to others about his addiction, in hopes to
Cited: Grilly, David M., J. D. Salamone, and David M. Grilly. Drugs, Brain, and Behavior. Boston: Pearson, 2012. Print. "Heroin Overview : Pharmacology | Methoide." Heroin Overview : Pharmacology | Methoide. Family and Community Medicine, n.d. Web. 26 Nov. 2012. .