Addiction and Requiem for a Dream

Requiem for a Dream depicts four individuals and their addictions to cocaine, heroin, and diet pills. Set in Brooklyn, New York, the characters each have their own dreams and addictions and their drugs are easily attainable trapping them in a cycle of dependence. The central character, Harry Goldfarb, is a young man who lives in virtual poverty because every cent he earns or steals goes toward his next high. He dreams of making a big enough score selling dope that will lead him to becoming financially stable and "on Easy Street" as he makes a home with his girlfriend. Tyrone, his best friend and business partner shares many of Harry's aspirations and addictions. Marion Jones, Harry's girlfriend, is an addict like her boyfriend and dreams of starting her own clothing business. The couple's addiction to drugs leads to the breakdown and ultimate demise of their love. Harry's widowed mother, Sara Goldfarb is as addicted to television as her son is to drugs. Following a visit her doctor concerning her weight, she is on her way to becoming hooked on the uppers and downers given to her to aid in her weight loss.
Drug addiction is a medical disease characterized by biochemical changes in brain chemistry that play a significant role in the physical symptoms of addiction, including cravings, seeking, withdrawal, and the persistent use even in the face of negative consequences. Whatever the drug of choice, its abuse can be identified by the maladaptive way in which it takes over the user's life, disrupting his or her relationships, daily functioning, and mental state. Drug addiction can be physical and/or psychological. Physical addiction characterized by tolerance and withdrawal, while psychological dependence consists of the user's need of the drug to maintain mental well-being. The signs and symptoms of drug addiction are tolerance, withdrawal, inability to stop using, preoccupation with using, giving up of or reducing activities that were once enjoyable, failure to

Cited: Retrieved April 12, 2007 from source. Davison, Gerald C., Johnson, Sheri L., Kring, Anna M., & Neale, John M. (2007). Abnormal Psychology: the Tenth Edition National Institute of Drug Abuse. (2005). Research Report Series – Therapeutic Communities Abuse. Retrieved April 12, 2007, from the World Wide Web: http://www.drugfree.org/Intervention/ Watson, E., & Aronofsky, D. (2000). Requiem for a Dream. United States: Artisan Entertainment.