Video recommendations about addiction
Trying to understand your own or someone else's drug, alcohol or gambling use can be very confronting.
Figuring out what to do or even where to start is an overwhelming process which may put you off from starting in the first place.
However, there is a lot of video content out there that you can access online that can be a great starting point. From short YouTube clips to extensive documentaries there are plenty of videos to choose from that can help educate you about substance use and gambling, in a way that is easy to digest. Here are some of our video recommendations to help get you started.
Videos starring Turning Point
Addicted Australia
Turning Point partnered with SBS and Blackfella films to produce a four-part documentary series called Addicted Australia. The series follows 10 Australians who participate in a holistic recovery program at Turning Point to help them manage their substance use and gambling. The series premiered in 2020 but you can still watch it today on SBS Demand.
A/Prof Shalini Arunogiri features on Insight
Last year, Hamilton Centre Clinical Director, Associate Professor Shalini Arunogiri, featured on an episode of Insight. In the episode A/Prof Arunogiri contributes to the discussion on why drug and alcohol deaths are at their highest in a decade and what can be done to prevent more deaths from happening.
Videos starring our Rethink Addiction partners
Sober in the Country: Shanna Whan’s alcohol recovery story | Australian Story
Founder of Sober in the Country and recipient of the 2022 Australia’s Local Hero Award, Shanna Whan, is always open about her struggles with alcohol. In this Australian Story segment she talks about her recovery journey and how her one-woman campaign to start a conversation about drinking culture in the bush turned into a national movement.
Living an awake life | Kate Seselja | TEDxCanberra - YouTube
Voices for Gambling Reform Manager at the Alliance for Gambling Reform Kate Seselja, opens up about her gambling in this inspiring Tedx Talk. In her speech, Kate opens up about how the stigma around gambling kept her from seeking help for 12 years, and what we as a society can do to support those who are affected by gambling harm.
‘You Can’t Ask That’: Gambling episode with Real Stories of Addiction participants Anna and Paul
‘You Can’t Ask That’ is a show that gives a voice to the most marginalised and misunderstood Australians by giving them the chance to answer questions about their lived experience. Real Stories of Addiction participants, Anna and Paul, both feature on the gambling episode where they speak candidly about their struggles with gambling.
‘You Can’t Ask That’ also features episodes on people who use prescription drugs, people who use ice and an episode about alcohol use disorder which you can also check out if you want to learn more about substance use.
Other helpful sources
Four Corners episode on gambling industry in NSW
For the first time, gambling reform was a key policy issue at this year's NSW state election. This Four Corners special explores how the gambling industry became so powerful in NSW and why politicians, activists and lobby groups are now speaking out against the harmful industry.
Everything you think you know about addiction is wrong | Johann Hari - YouTube
In our book recommendations we suggested you pick up Chasing the Scream by Johann Hari. However, if you aren’t much of a reader or don’t have the time, his Tedx talk is just as powerful. In his speech, Hari talks about the many misconceptions we all have about addiction and how his journey around the world helped him find the answer to this age-old problem.
Baby J
In this Netflix comedy special, world-famous comedian John Mulaney opens up about how his comedian friends had an intervention with him about his drug use. While touching on some very serious topics, Mulaney is still able to make his audience laugh while educating them about the harm addiction can cause and the importance of seeking help.
Louis Theroux - Drinking to Oblivion
In this documentary series, British journalist and documentarian, Louis Theroux, travels to Europe's largest liver transplant centre where he sees the physical side effects of alcohol use disorder. Through Louis’ interviews we learn about the challenges doctors, patients and their families face in trying to treat alcohol misuse. The series also does a great job highlighting that everyone in society is susceptible to alcohol harm.