I don’t want to belittle Nic’s affectedness by the situation, or anyone’s (myself included) but as David said, the disease knows no bounds. What had happened to my beautiful boy? What did I do wrong? Until then I didn’t know how ubiquitous addiction is and I decided to expand the Times article into a book, which I called Beautiful Boy. Addiction memoirs often illustrate this same definition of insanity…Yet the genre itself remains so addictive that readers keep hoping to discover … The setting was key for me in relating to the story and holding my interest. As he stated, everyone reacts to different treatments in different ways. • Education—University of California, Berkeley. Would you be honest about your past with your own kids? I am not used to reading nonfiction, but parts of this felt like a novel. He needs to hit rock bottom and know what it’s like to lose everything and suffer…” Yet, when that phone rings you’re damn sure I’m going to answer and do whatever I can to help my family. Zachary Rifkin as 8-year-old Nic Sheff. People do that all the time. As much as I wanted to completely understand David’s plight, parts I did, I couldn’t fully comprehend how he felt; at least not the way a parent would. One of my closest and oldest friends has struggled with addiction for years. New Discussion Guide for “Beautiful Boy” We are pleased to partner with Amazon Studios and serve as a resource for the new film, Beautiful Boy , which premieres nationwide this November. Cast: Steve Carell as David Sheff. We encourage you to always follow a pro-life movie viewing with a facilitated discussion about it. Once in the the car, he would have me pour the beer into a thermos slowly to avoid foaming. I mention that because I did feel a bit of a drag in the middle. Which could you relate to and which were totally foreign? Addiction is a disease, an illness, an ailment—whatever you want to call it. Did Sheff seem to you a “good parent”? I would like to share those questions and my answers with you. Overall David seemed like a good parent by providing adequate shelter, opportunities for growth and self expression, a good education, and a loving home. Beautiful Boy is the 2018 film based off of David Sheff's book, Beautiful Boy: A Father's Journey Through His Son's Addiction. As a kid I would go to a convenience store with my grandfather. Published in 2008, David Sheff’s memoir, Beautiful Boy, explores his experiences of coming to terms with his son’s addiction to methamphetamine. Perhaps he knew his parents would be forgiving and understanding, so he did drugs. To our family? h�bbd```b``���A$�N�g��A$�&�d� V�&c��`��Z`����B�� "y�H�� ����X%�4� ��-�dt ����$�U�a`�����q���L3_ ��| Initially I went into the book thinking it would make me sad and cry. Do you feel different now than you did before you read it? In the New York Times Book Review, Janet Maslin wrote, “Addiction is a compulsion to do the same thing over and over, despite knowing that the outcome will almost certainly be the same.Addiction memoirs often illustrate this same definition of insanity…Yet the genre itself remains so addictive that readers keep hoping to discover something new.” What was your initial reaction to the book? Discussion Questions 1. Perhaps the openness and honesty drove Nic to drugs. Either way, I was ready to have it end. Join & Discussion about English movie Beautiful Boy. Beautiful Boy also manages to do something that most stories about addiction, with their typical arcs of redemption and sobriety, don’t dare to do: it gets a little frustrating. ᳂h&� ���M?BՅ �]#@ Based on the memoirs “Beautiful Boy” by our friend, David Sheff , and “Tweak” by his son, Nic Sheff , the film follows the harrowing experience of meth addiction and recovery through a father’s and family’s … Not only is it accepted, often it is encouraged. These hit me on a personal level. endstream endobj startxref 116 0 obj <> endobj Getting back to the question though, I was hooked immediately. The film Beautiful Boy is about the drug addiction of the teenager Nic Sheff, which becomes a serious challenge for his family. And it began to feel repetitive to the point I stopped caring about the journey and wanted to know the conclusion. I wouldn’t tell my theoretical 14 year old about using cocaine or harder drugs, at least not until they were older and I felt like they could understand limits. One time use can cause death and chronic meth use can cause parkinson’s-like cognitive dysfunction. There is no telling if some other course of action would have changed the outcome for Nic. As I said, I’ve had—still have—people in my life struggling with addiction. %%EOF I saw Beautiful Boy today in the theater and would like to talk to you about it, Reddit. Before Nic Sheff became addicted to crystal meth, he was © 2018 Partnership for Drug-Free Kids | www.drugfree.org. The Unofficial Discussion for Beautiful Boy (cuz no one else is doing it) Okay hi hello. What is your philosophy of discussing drugs with kids? What might you have done differently? When David smoked pot with Nic I was slightly surprised. When you’re young like Jasper, you almost don’t realize what’s going on. I would have liked to end on Nic’s triumph. 167 0 obj <>stream Learn More. Based on the best-selling pair of memoirs from father and son David and Nic Sheff, Beautiful Boy chronicles the heartbreaking and inspiring experience of survival, relapse and recovery in a family coping with addiction over many years. This movie follows one family's true story of addiction, relapse, heartache, and sobriety. Beautiful Boy is a fiercely candid memoir that brings immediacy to the emotional rollercoaster of loving a child who seems beyond help. Timothée Chalamet as Nic Sheff. I would like to share those questions and my answers with you. What is the extent of David Sheff’s own drug use? It felt like a downer, but then there was a book tour. Skip to main content; New House Rules Find out everything you need to know before your first visit back to Alamo Drafthouse. It was published by Houghton Mifflin on February 26, 2008. Posted by 2 years ago. When David smoked pot with Nic, what was your reaction? We as a society need to change how we view it, respond to it, and treat it. “Beautiful Boy” jumps all over the place in time, needlessly cutting to flashbacks and flash-forwards in ways that are more than just confusing. From a parent’s perspective, it seems there is no way to tell which path will work. But, as an assigned reading for Drug/Health Class I am taking through PSU, it definitely opened my eyes to the constant battles faced by both parent and addict with dealing with an addiction. Fortunately he is not dead.” ― David Sheff, Beautiful Boy: A Father's Journey Through His Son's Addiction About Beautiful Boy. There were times while reading I said to myself, “let him fall," but it’s difficult to know what I would have done were it me. It was a privilege, an honor. Type here and click enter to search Shows and News. Our club laid out some general discussion questions and some specific questions. Nic’s upbringing sounded fantastic—outside the divorce. Discuss Nic’s descent. I won’t review the book because I don’t feel like I have enough experience to do that. Teaching Beautiful Boy. At what point do you think you would have noticed Nic had a serious problem and needed help? I know plenty of parents who have smoked with their kids. Fortunately he is in recovery again. During the first couple months one of my friend’s and I decided to do a bookclub. I tackled The Chronicles of Narnia: The Horse and His Boy in January. You have to wing it, which sounds terrifying. I read this with a very heavy heart as time after time Mr. Sheff's attempts to help his beloved son fails. Nic also had a step-parent who cared for him as if he were her own, which isn’t always the circumstance in second marriages. To our family? When you look from that perspective and see what little is being done in comparison to other diseases it is sickening. If the setting had been elsewhere, I wouldn’t have been as drawn into the story. The internal self-contradiction that David (and probably all of Nic’s family) felt was the most relatable feeling expressed in the memoir. Since I am from the same are in California, I was able to visualize and understand the places described. A story of addiction told through the eyes of a father, a family’s struggle driven by fear, heartache, determination, … What disadvantages? Archived. We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. My favorite part, and this is kind of lame, was all the facts and statistics. Discuss Nic’s upbringing. On and off and on and off…is how the addiction and recovery process is. In the New York Times Book Review, Janet Maslin wrote, “Addiction is a compulsion to do the same thing over and over, despite knowing that the outcome will almost certainly be the same. Before I go further, let me provide you with a brief rundown of what this book is about. Our club laid out some general discussion questions and some specific questions. 1. David’s drug use may have been extensive for the time period, but I’m not familiar enough with the era to know. Here is an excerpt from David Sheff’s website: What had happened to my beautiful boy? %PDF-1.6 %���� 1. Meet new friends online & Invite other friends to Share your comments & thoughts with about Beautiful Boy movie 24. Jack Dylan Grazer as 12-year-old Nic Sheff. Of all the characters, I connected with Jasper the most. Beautiful Boy, is probably a book I wouldn’t have picked up to read on my own. • Birth—N/A. Did it hook you immediately, or take time to get into? I love books. Beautiful Boy: A Father's Journey Through His Son's Addiction by David Sheff This is a memoir of a father's attempts and unfortunately his many failed attempts to help his son Nick kick the habit of his addiction to drugs. Something else to point out: The book itself is overlong. Alamo Drafthouse Navigation Film, Food, Fun. I know many people who did drugs on and off as kids (some that still do as adults) and they live healthy, normal lives. At the same time I understand the point to it. In opposition to that, my parents were never open or honest with me about drugs and their experience with them, yet I still found my way to drug use. Could the story have taken place anywhere? Featuring local experts in a post-film discussion. What did you like, what did you dislike, and what do you wish had been different? Thanks for reading. Beautiful Boy is a fiercely candid memoir that brings immediacy to the emotional rollercoaster of loving a child who seems beyond help. If you have questions or comments feel free to leave one below. Author Bio. The divorce rate is upwards of 2/3, so it isn’t uncommon. Beautiful Boy is a film based on the memoirs “Beautiful Boy” by David Sheff and “Tweak” by his son, Nic Sheff, following the harrowing experience of meth addiction and recovery through a father, son and family’s eyes through the years. If anything, the book was more eyeopening than sad. Psychology 360: Abnormal Psychology 11/4/15 Discussion Questions: David Sheff, “Beautiful Boy” & “My Addicted Son” 1. I grew up around addiction—from grandparents to parents to siblings to friends. Unfortunately he relapses. Beautiful Boy by David Sheff tells the story of methamphetamine addiction from the perspective of the father of an addicted son. In the introduction, Sheff writes, “I have felt and thought and done almost everything an addict’s parent can feel and think and do” (p. 13). Obviously that lends itself to a wide range of books. It instills a message of disingenuous smugness, even if only meant in a harmless way. As far as advantages go, Nic has/had a father who cared deeply for him. I am open to reading more nonfiction now as well. The book grew out of the article "My Addicted Son" that Sheff had written for The New York Times Magazine in 2005. Were there times you disagreed with David Sheff’s course of action? From the people I grew up with, experimenting with drugs was normal for us. Sheff and his wife Vicki are overjoyed when they have their son, Nic. That being said, the book does begin to feel repetitive, which may be the point. After seeing what real addiction looks like, I believe that I was never addicted, but was a heavy user that decided to quit. Maybe these wisps of memories are meant to reflect the characters’ inner state of chaos. To me it’s no different than having a drink with your kid. “Beautiful Boy” is a powerful, poignant and heartbreaking film, combining the memoirs of David Sheff and his son, Nic Sheff. I’ve been around it my entire life. Which of his experiences, thoughts, and actions were most affecting to you? The only criteria is that the book has to have been made into a movie since it’s publication. What are the many ill effects and harms caused by methamphetamine use? Beautiful Boy, A Star is Born and the newly-released Julia Roberts’ project, Ben is Back, are leading by example. • Where—Scottsdale, Arizona, USA. I would get a candy bar, he would get a beer. By that I mean it showed me what real addiction is. Click here to toggle the navigation. Obviously at some point the story has to end in order to publish, but it definitely didn’t feel over. ;�w���Ib��� 4�����w�`���'���@���,�H3�Z ����� How did you feel about the ending? I would be honest with my theoretical children about my drug use to an extent and at the right times. For the month of March we decided to read Beautiful Boy by David Sheff. Beautiful Boy changed my opinion on addiction as an illness as comparable to cancer. It is impossible to know when recreation became addiction for Nic. Those are the wrenching questions that haunted every moment of David Sheff’s journey through his son Nic’s addiction to drugs and tentative steps toward recovery. Being someone who has experimented with drugs since my teenaged years, I used to think I had a drug problem and that I was an addict. As you get older situations become clear. What privileges did he have? Fortunately he is in recovery. These may or may not contain spoilers. But seeing the numbers and formative year developmental hindrances it helped me feel empathetic for the state he has spent so much of his life in. Next on the docket is Room by Emma Donoghue. David did what he thought was best. Not in the sense I could’t believe a parent would do that, but because I was surprised David himself would—seemed out of character for him as a parent. 144 0 obj <>/Filter/FlateDecode/ID[<5C0EB0FB2D2A8842ACB6A64F71627022>]/Index[116 52]/Info 115 0 R/Length 127/Prev 211030/Root 117 0 R/Size 168/Type/XRef/W[1 3 1]>>stream David Sheff writes this in Beautiful Boy, and I think it is the fundamental reality to remember. This 2018 film is unique in its perspective of not only following a young person through his journey of drug addiction, but in also following the perspective of his parents and … Age, time, and perspective can impact everything. I would recommend this book for anyone who has been an addict or known an addict, or for anyone who wants a better understanding of the disease. I would also want my children to talk about their use, or thoughts on drugs, with me. Split the work up and answer the following questions. 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