Video

Welcome to the video page. We add video presentations, TED talks, video lectures and power point presentations as well as trailers for films and TV shows and music promos related to alcoholism and addiction treatment, recovery and mental health well being regularly. The selection is broad, reflecting material that is informative, educational and entertaining – occasionally managing all three qualities at once. Suggestions for inclusion are welcome, use the contact page to make a recommendation.

A public flameout at a New York media company forces 20-something alcoholic Samantha Fink to move back home with her overbearing mother; Samantha then sets out on a path to figure out her best self while confronted with remnants of her old life.

The Flight Attendant is a story of how an entire life can change in one night. A flight attendant (Cuoco) comes out of alcoholic blackout in the wrong hotel, in the wrong bed, with a dead man – and no idea what happened. The dark comedic thriller is based on the novel of the same name by New York Times best-selling author Chris Bohjalian.

From the producers of Normal People, this moving comedy-drama is an irreverent, sharp and funny depiction of a family in various forms of denial. Shiv returns to Ireland for her grandmother’s wake, taking a break from London and her ‘career’ (with a small ‘c’) in art. Shiv is six months sober, and it is fair to say her life is not going as planned. Shiv’s family – who have never really dealt with or talked about the damage caused by the sudden death of her adored elder brother, not to mention her parents’ failing marriage or Shiv’s own chaotic behaviour – are wary of having her back.

Having recently taken a course with Sadhguru (online) through ISHA during lockdown in 2021 I was delighted to find this short clip of Sadhguru discussing “willingness”, and a suggestion for a way to make life a little easier by practicing willingness actively. The 12 Step program suggests that willingness is a spiritual principle, this talk makes it a very practical one.

Re-reading Victor Frankl recently, this stood out “[There are] three possible ways to find meaning in life even up to the last moment, the last breath, 1) a deed we do, a work we create; 2) an experience, a human encounter, and 3) when confronted with an unchangeable fate, a change of attitude toward that fate.” — Recollections. Andrew Solomon’s wonderful Ted talk about “forging meaning” seemed the perfect complement.

Lior Frenkel explains why being hooked to our Smartphones is the most interesting – yet silent – addiction of our times. Supposing the Smartphone is here to stay, he urges us to become aware of the addiction – and discuss how a digital diet should look like – a moment before technology becomes a part of our physical bodies. Continuing the digital “diet” theme we hope to add more talks related to this as well as articles on the blog over the coming months.

As we warm to our themes of digital “diet” and device management and their effects on recovery Adam Alter’s TedTalk seemed an apt presentation. His work focusses on human cognition and behaviour. Listening to this and putting it in the context of early recovery we think this is an area to give serious consideration.

Adam has authored of two books: Irresistible, (which considers why so many people today are addicted to so many behaviours, from incessant smart phone and internet use to video game playing and online shopping), and Drunk Tank Pink (which investigates how hidden forces in the world around us shape our thoughts, feelings and behaviours). 

Dr Cosmo Duff Gordon gave this presentation at the ICAAD Conference in London 2019. Alcoholism is understood in many different ways in contemporary society. This talk looks at the constructs developed over hundreds of years that effect to this day how society views alcoholism, and alcoholics and how tension between medical/psychological professionals and mutual help models of addiction and recovery effect the treatment of alcoholism. Understanding the historical background to models of addiction can help to develop an insight into engaging with the issue and the 12-Step solution. As well as being informative and educational, Dr Duff Gordon’s relaxed and intimate presentational style, and ready humour also qualifies this talk as an entertaining one.