28 Days Movie Analysis

The movie 28 Days allows viewers to gain perspective into the addictions recovery process. The main character, Gwen Cummings, a newspaper columnist, attends court ordered rehab for reckless driving while under the influence of alcohol. These writers diagnose Gwen with alcohol use disorder, opioid use disorder, and tobacco use based on several indicators.
Gwen exhibits several signs of the alcohol use disorder. In a beginning scene, she has beer bottles all over her apartment. On the morning of her sister’s wedding, she chases down a taxi while holding a beer bottle and continues to drink the bottle in the taxi. Furthermore, due to her intoxication at the wedding she makes a toast she cannot recall, ruins her sister’s wedding cake, and drives

a limo into a house. Last, when her boyfriend, Jasper, comes to visit her, he sneaks her out of the facility for her to return intoxicated later that night.
Regarding her opioid use disorder, one of the staff members finds Vicodin among her possessions. Gwen claims it is for back pain. After the staff member takes it from her, she writes a letter to Jasper asking him to sneak some to her on visitor’s day. Soon after obtaining Vicodin from him, she throws it out of her window. Later, she attempts to retrieve it by climbing down a tree, but ends up falling, which results in a severely sprained ankle.
Gwen shows signs of tobacco use disorder. Throughout the movie, she frequently smokes cigarettes. On her first day in rehab, she even attempts to bribe Cornell with money in order to get a cigarette from him. However, she does not know that Cornell is her addictions counselor at that point.
The movie accurately portrays the counselors. For example, Cornell gives her the AA Big Book, worksheets, and a daily journal to write in throughout her recovery process in rehab. In this way, his actions are realistic as he provides her with standard tools used in substance use disorder treatment. Overall, he is a well-balanced counselor; however, at times he uses sarcasm and acts impatiently with her. He seems fairly healthy, though he still smokes cigarettes. Prior to becoming an addictions counselor, he was very unhealthy. In one of his lectures, he discloses that he was an alcoholic and cocaine addict. He shares that one morning after using, he recalls being covered in blood and remembers hearing someone say, “this isn’t way to live, it’s a way to die.” After that experience, he decides to get clean and become an addictions counselor. Furthermore, the group counselors’ and leaders’ actions are also realistic throughout the movie. For example, the group counselor teaches the addicted group members word phrases and formats to use while talking to family members during family day.
The movie seems to promote an anti-drug and alcohol message. For example, the movie shows a scene of Gwen’s roommate, who died from overdosing on heroin. Also, it includes a scene showing lectures being given at the rehab facility over what happens to the human body when addicted to drugs and alcohol. Furthermore, it shows addicted individuals going through the withdrawal or detox phase of recovery. For instance, at the beginning of the movie, Gwen goes through withdrawal symptoms, such as hand tremors, nausea, sweating, and not being able to sit still. Also, her mind constantly races with memories of her mother drinking and herself partying. Additionally, the movie shows the negative effects that addictions can have on relationships, such as her relationship with her mother in childhood, her relationship with her sister, and her relationship with Jasper that ended because it failed to be conducive to her recovery.
The movie does not have any misconceptions about behavioral or substance abuse. The movie accurately portrays the therapy process in addictions recovery. For example, the support groups always begin with the serenity prayer. The program involves teaching the addicted individuals how to begin the process of reconciliation with loved ones and uses equine therapy to help addicted individuals learn how to approach the world outside of rehab. The movie also accurately portrays addicted individuals returning to rehab due to relapse. Last, it realistically shows how addicted individuals feel when someone they know dies from an overdose.
Diagnosis

F10.20 Alcohol Use Disorder, Mild (Principal Diagnosis); F11.10 Opioid Use Disorder, Mild; and F17.200 Tobacco Use Disorder, Mild

Treatment Plan

Problem 1: Client lacks a recovery support system.

Goal 1: To develop relationships with other individuals in recovery from substance addictions.
Objective 1a: Client will identify and attend two Alcohol Anonymous (AA) groups a week through July 20, 2017.
Intervention 1a: Counselor will assign client the task of identifying and attending two AA meetings a week through July 20, 2017. Counselor will follow-up with client to inquire about her attendance and experience at the meetings.
Objective 1b: Client will find a sponsor by August 1, 2017.
Intervention 1b: Counselor will instruct client to find a sponsor by August 1, 2017.
Problem 2: Client lacks friends who do not use substances.
Goal 2: To develop friendships with individuals who do not use substances.
Objective 2a: Client will attend an interest group to meet new people at least two times between now and July 22, 2017.
Intervention 2a: Counselor will recommend client attends an interest group to meet new people.
Objective 2b: Client will attend a weekly Bible study to develop new friendships four times between now and July 22,

2017.
Intervention 2b: Counselor will suggest client attends a Bible study to develop new friendships, as client expresses her desire to become active in church.
Problem 3: Client experiences high levels of stress and anxiety related to her past and current family relationships.

Goal 3: To develop stress management knowledge and skills to reduce internal stress.
Objective 3a: Client will make one journal entry a day using the “Mindful Journaling” activity until August 1, 2017.
Intervention 3a: Counselor will provide the client with the “Mindful Journaling” activity and recommend that she makes one entry a day until August 1, 2017. (See PowerPoint presentation Slide 1 for this exercise’s directions.)
Objective 3b: Client will engage in the “Taking a Daily Vacation” exercise every day until August 1, 2017.
Intervention 3b: Counselor will provide client with the “Taking a Daily Vacation” exercise and suggest she engage in it every day until August 1, 2017. (See PowerPoint presentation Slide 2 for this exercise’s directions.)
Objective 3c: Client will gain an understanding of lapses being an expected part of the recovery process.
Intervention 3c: Counselor will educate the client on the difference between a lapse and a relapse as this may help prevent the client from having a complete relapse.

Literature Review of Christian and Biblical

Interventions
As in the case of Gwen, who suffers from Alcohol Use Disorder, Opioid Use Disorder, and Tobacco Use Disorder, she may benefit from Christian and biblical interventions designed to treat substance use disorders, if she is open to them. The Christian community has contributed to the treatment of substance use disorders in various ways. In this section, several Christian and biblical interventions that have addressed or currently address substance use disorders will be discussed.
Residential Christian Faith-Based Substance Abuse Programs (RCFBSAPs) represent a significant contribution from the Christian community in the effort to treat substance use disorders. This type of program assists patients struggling with alcohol and other drug (AOD) problems by helping them develop their spiritual lives (Windsor & Shorkey, 2010). Some of the interventions employed to aid patients in deepening their spirituality include Bible studies, church services, spiritual growth classes, worship services, vespers and prayer meetings, and retreats (McCoy, Hermos, Bokhourm, & Frayne, 2004; Windsor & Shorkey, 2010).
Many of these faith-based treatment programs also draw on interventions used in secular treatment facilities, such as individual and group professional counseling (Windsor & Shorkey, 2010). The primary difference between the professional counseling used in faith-based and secular treatment facilities rests on the incorporation of spiritual references and themes in faith-based counseling (McCoy et al., 2004). One well-known example of a RCFBSAP is called Teen Challenge (McCoy et al., 2004).
Beyond residential treatment programs, the Christian community has developed a number of self-help support group programs. These groups often emphasize the Christian principles of forgiveness and purpose in life, which some researchers have found to be “spiritual mechanisms of recovery from substance use disorders” (Lyons, Deane, & Kelly, 2010, p. 528). Examples of Christian-based self-help support groups include Christian Alcoholics Victorious, Alcoholics Recovery, Overcomers Outreach, and Celebrate Recovery (Brown, Whitney, Schneider, & Vega, 2006). Celebrate Recovery, for example, offers weekly meetings, group self-help discussions, and individual sponsors (Brown et al., 2006). It promotes eight recovery principles drawing on the Bible to define God as the Higher Power (Brown et al., 2006).
One Christian intervention that has been used in the treatment of alcohol use disorder is Christian Contemplative Prayer (CCP) (Selvam, 2015). With the CCP intervention, Selvam (2015) conducted two case studies of a male and female who misused alcohol. The participants engaged in three types of CCP: labyrinth walk, the Jesus Prayer, and mindful journaling. First, during labyrinth walks participants engaged in a number of activities, such as quieting oneself, forgiving others, reflecting on the legacy they want to leave, and meditating on the direction of their life, and praying for others using prayer beads (Selvam, 2015). Second, the Jesus Prayer combines breathing exercises with quietly repeating, “Jesus, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me” (Selvam, 2015). Each session lasted 20 minutes. Third, mindful journaling consisted of a three step exercise with the purpose of aiding in recovery from addiction (Selvam, 2015). Based on the pre and post-AUDIT scores and interviews, Selvam (2015) found that both participants experienced a marked decrease in their alcohol misuse.