Mom – A series I found one bored afternoon, perched on the couch, engaging in the all too familiar activity, of eating chips. A series I was sure, would deliver on my initial guess of constituting mindless gags – a series that would pass my fancy, before I eventually pried myself off the couch. Not only did Mom deliver on the gags – it offered a little extra – in the sense that before I knew it, it was dusk, and I was done with more than two seasons. I was wound into this tale of mother and daughter, in their slightly PG13 lives. And I say PG13- for both these characters – Christie and Bonnie Plunkett, are recovering addicts.
The first thing of note is the role of Alcoholics Anonymous. AA could very well be an actual character, for there is seldom any scene in the show that doesn’t mention this event in some way. AA comes up in almost every aspect of Christy’s life – she plans her days around these meetings, is in a constant state of trying to chart-and tell her children-the improvements she’s manged in herself because of it. Christy’s closest friends are fellow members of the AA program. Several scenes of the show are dedicated to Christy and her posse of recovering alcoholics, visiting a bistro to complain of their many hardships on the road to sobriety, and to eat pudding.
A day with Christy is a day spent observing the details of an AA meeting, from a front row seat. However, it is important to note- it is only by continuing to attend these meetings, which Christy manages to maintain her sobriety, throughout the seven running seasons of the show. Her mother Bonnie – a far more severe addict than Christie is at first reluctant to believe in the merits of AA. Bonnie falls off the wagon twice, in her attempts at abstinence. However, Bonnie does manage to stay sober for a longer time period of five seasons, after her second relapse in the second season.
It is by managing to stay sober, that Christie and Bonnie manage to resolve the contentions in their previously hostile relationship. And the only tool they’ve used this far in their recovery, is a commitment to the daily attendance, of Alcoholics Anonymous. Given the presence these meetings occupy on the show, it is impossible for the viewer to ignore the role of AA. This aspect of the show helps us to acknowledge the importance of group therapy in an addict’s life.
AA in Mom is depicted as a space, where addicts come to terms with their weaknesses- how they are powerless when in the presence of intoxicating substances. That their abuse of these substance is their own responsibility. It is a process that helps addicts identify, how they do, in fact, have a problem. This approach, towards the identification of an issue, is one that made me think of how addiction is tackled in my everyday context. The informal reaction is contempt, and a formal one usually comes in the form of arrests. Arrests are quite rampant, as can be seen in the example of Punjab’s overcrowded prisons, in the wake of its ongoing drug crisis.
This imprisonment however, does not go far in enforcing the detainee’s distancing from drugs – for there are ways to acquire intoxication, even within the confines of prison. One of the characters on the show, Regina, makes mention of “toilet wine” – a truly disgusting concoction made in prison, by marinating ketchup in a toilet bowl. An addict will find even this drink acceptable, for it is still a way to get high. Prison is thus not the solution-it arrests the addict, but the addiction persists. What the theoretical explanation of imprisonment of an addict is, is a rehabilitation of sorts – preventing the addict from further involvement with drugs – but the ‘prevention’ or ‘rehabilitation’ features are not very effective.
Bonnie was an absent mother. Chasing the next heroin high left her with little time to care for a daughter. However, in AA, Bonnie is compelled to acknowledge how addiction was often a greater priority, than her daughter. This helps her take responsibility for her mistakes. There is a shift from her defending her wild youth, to acknowledging how her substance abuse, harmed those around her. AA causes her some very difficult introspection – trying to find out why she drank and why she used. And eventually finding solace amidst her fellow alcoholics, all attempting to abstain, “one day at a time”.
AA, in Mom, paints a picture of catharsis – where a person manages to abstain, by answering where their addictions stem from, and then taking responsibility for the harm caused. It showcases the importance of an individual being allowed to learn from their experience. An individual now aware of their reaction to intoxication knows the damage that can be caused, if they indulge in this need. They’re aware, of how sobriety guarantees a better quality of life.
AA portrays this process of rehabilitation- once a person identifies a weakness, they can set about on rectifying it. Their awareness of dependence pushes them to eliminate it. In a way, offers a cure, an antidote, to this need. Portrayed by excellent performances by Anna Faris and Allison Janney, Mom gives us an answer. Of where this cure, could possibly come from.
Comments