American films and television programs increasingly feature characters recovering from addiction. These representations are based on previous depictions and help create a cultural understanding of addicts. This study analyzes the depiction of addicts and addiction in three Hollywood films whose narratives are largely situated within a treatment center: Clean and Sober (1988), When a Man Loves a Woman (1994), and 28 Days (2000). It concludes that the films depict a stock experience of treatment that is surprisingly univocal, as well as unrealistic when compared with the availability and realities of real-life programs. In addition, the films limit their representations of successful recovery to white, upper-class individuals and offer only one conceptual framework for addiction.
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