Addiction: Treating Stimulant Addiction

HBO, 2007

SYNOPSIS

In partnership with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), HBO’s ADDICTION project is an unprecedented multi-media campaign aimed at helping Americans understand addiction as a treatable brain disease, as well as spotlighting new medical advancements.

This 14-part series showcases the work of many of today’s leading documentary filmmakers in an eye-opening and extensively researched guide to navigating the often confusing world of addiction treatment and recovery.  

In our hour-long film we spend time at the MATRIX Institute on Addictions in San Bernardino, California, where addicts attend evidence-based behavioral therapy groups. Focusing on four participants in the program from a wide variety of backgrounds, we become involved in their lives and the challenges of overcoming addiction to methamphetamine and cocaine.  In the absence of medical treatment, cognitive behavior therapy offers hope for recovery.