Alcoholism crosses many boundaries within our society. It effects persons from every socioeconomic standpoint, religious background and race. It is the most extensively abused substance in our society that creates turmoil and conflict in our interpersonal relationships. The depiction of alcoholism in "When a Man Loves a Woman" exemplifies that the abuse of alcohol is not a unilateral disease in society, but multilateral in it's effects.
"When a Man Loves a Woman" depicts alcoholism and the stages of breaking the addiction in a truthful and emotionally powerful way. Meg Ryan's portrayal of Alice Green, the protagonist, illustrates the emotional complexities that effect the family structure. The most prominent scene that illustrates the destruction of alcoholism on the family is when Alice hits Jess, her young daughter and consequently overdoses on alcohol and aspirin in the shower. Frustration and anger are depicted as the underlying cause of Alice's alcoholism, which in turn she realizes and accepts that she does have a chronic problem with alcohol. It exemplifies how often, the person, as with Alice, must endure "rock bottom" before coming to terms with their addiction.
The effects of alcoholism within the family unit are dealt with emotionally through the illustration of Alice and Michael's marriage post-rehab. Again, the film does an excellent job in portraying how not only the addiction affects the family unit but the recovery as well. The last half of the movie unfolds how Alice's identity of herself has been changed and her ability to accept her new identity of a recovered alcoholic is intertwined with Michael's acceptance of Alice's transformed identity. This transformation of each of their roles is not black and white, as often seen in movies, but illustrates the complexities that the road to recovery can bring.
"When a Man Love's a Woman" is a visual depiction of an Alcoholics Anonymous participant. The last scene exemplifies this with Alice recounting her personal struggle with alcohol to an AA meeting on her 184th day of sobriety. As well, Michael's participation with Al-Anon, the support group for people affected by loved one's with addictions, shows all the positive abilities of group therapy in the AA setting. The stages that Alice goes through are part of the 12-step program, although it shows the struggles that the person must succumb to at each step.
"When a Man Loves a Woman" depicts alcoholism and the stages of breaking the addiction in a truthful and emotionally powerful way. Meg Ryan's portrayal of Alice Green, the protagonist, illustrates the emotional complexities that effect the family structure. The most prominent scene that illustrates the destruction of alcoholism on the family is when Alice hits Jess, her young daughter and consequently overdoses on alcohol and aspirin in the shower. Frustration and anger are depicted as the underlying cause of Alice's alcoholism, which in turn she realizes and accepts that she does have a chronic problem with alcohol. It exemplifies how often, the person, as with Alice, must endure "rock bottom" before coming to terms with their addiction.
The effects of alcoholism within the family unit are dealt with emotionally through the illustration of Alice and Michael's marriage post-rehab. Again, the film does an excellent job in portraying how not only the addiction affects the family unit but the recovery as well. The last half of the movie unfolds how Alice's identity of herself has been changed and her ability to accept her new identity of a recovered alcoholic is intertwined with Michael's acceptance of Alice's transformed identity. This transformation of each of their roles is not black and white, as often seen in movies, but illustrates the complexities that the road to recovery can bring.
"When a Man Love's a Woman" is a visual depiction of an Alcoholics Anonymous participant. The last scene exemplifies this with Alice recounting her personal struggle with alcohol to an AA meeting on her 184th day of sobriety. As well, Michael's participation with Al-Anon, the support group for people affected by loved one's with addictions, shows all the positive abilities of group therapy in the AA setting. The stages that Alice goes through are part of the 12-step program, although it shows the struggles that the person must succumb to at each step.