Media Coverage

Check out some of the media coverage about the Addicted Australia documentary and it’s participants.

November

Healthcare workers want an integrated approach to treat people with an addiction

26 November 2020, ABC Radio, The Conversation Hour

GPs, paramedics and addiction support service workers say they are 'stretched to the limit' when responding to and treating people living with an addiction.

“My mother encouraged me to imitate her drinking. I've now struggled with alcohol for 50 years."

17 November 2020, Mamamia

When I was approached by Blackfella Films to take part in a new treatment program with Turning Point as part of SBS’s documentary Addicted Australia, I didn’t hesitate. I was impressed by the amount of assistance on offer – from psychology, psychiatry and social worker help to a four-week detox and rehabilitation program.

'I’ve been told I don’t look like a drug addict.'

11 November 2020, Body+Soul

I’ve been told I don’t look like a drug addict. I’m guessing that’s supposed to be a compliment, but it’s not; not to me. To me, it’s a judgement, it’s a stereotype, it’s a stigma that drug addicts are all the same and I’m somehow different, because I don’t look like someone you may have pictured in your head.

'My daughter's entire personality changed. One Sunday at lunch, she told me about the ice.'

10 November 2020, Mamamia

Turning Point was highly recommended to Sarah as experts in treating addiction and on her first visit with her treating physician, she realised she had found somebody who genuinely cared and who adapted treatment to Sarah’s individual needs. 

There's no such thing as a 'typical' addict

16 November 2020, SBS

I was still going to my new job; I was getting home safely, and I was having normal conversations with friends and colleagues. No one suspected that every time I went out for a coffee break, I would have a drink instead.

The Queen's Gambit, Addicted Australia look at life through a glass, darkly

13 November 2020, The Sydney Morning Herald

This is a gritty observational documentary from the same school (and production company: Blackfella Films) as Filthy Rich and Homeless. Its 10 subjects – addicted variously to ice, alcohol, heroin and gambling – bravely forego the anonymity typical of treatment programs to give us a glimpse at what drives addictions (in a word: trauma), how hard it can be to beat them and how provisional and fragile that victory can be.

From a chef who drinks a bottle of whisky a DAY to an ice addicted divorcee and a struggling heroin user: Meet the ordinary Aussies fighting their addictions as they share their harrowing drug battles in new documentary

11 November 2020, Daily Mail Australia

Ten ordinary Australians who are battling drug, alcohol and gambling addictions have volunteered for a radical new treatment program in a bid to kick their habits.

Sarah hid her drug addiction from everyone she knew for over a year. Then it all unravelled.

10 November 2020, Mamamia

When Sarah’s marriage broke down, she found herself suddenly single, still childless and with a drug addiction. She became one of the five per cent of Australians who struggle with a use-problem or addiction each year.

ADDICTED AUSTRALIA; BEHIND SBS' GROUNDBREAKING DOCU-SERIES

9 November 2020, The Ben, Rob & Robbo Show

We speak to Jacob Hickey, the series producer of 'Addicted Australia' on SBS, premiering tonight.

I drank three bottles of wine a day as an alcoholic

8 November 2020, news.com.au

Heidi would go to work and try to act normally but she was hiding a devastating secret. Then one day she saw a post on social media that changed her life.

Everything new to Netflix, Stan, Binge, Foxtel Now, Amazon, Disney+ and more in November

6 November 2020, news.com.au

Addicted Australia S1: A docuseries that follows 10 Australians and their families through a six-month addiction program as they confront their substance abuse. It promises to be an intimate and probing look at the process in an effort to address stigmas and stereotypes, while urging the one in 20 Australians going through something similar to seek help.

On my way to meet friends, I'd stop at a TAB and lose all my money

5 November 2020, The Sydney Morning Herald

Every payday for nine years, Lucas gambled away his wages. Last year, the 39-year-old applied for a treatment program as part of the new SBS documentary series, Addicted Australia. Here, he reflects on his recovery.

Landmark SBS documentary series shines the spotlight on Australia’s addiction crisis

5 November 2020, Australian Nursing & Midwifery Federation

Critically, Drug and Alcohol Nurses, along with other health professionals, are often at the forefront of providing care to Australians tackling addiction.

Australia is awash with addictive habits; we need to clean up our act

4 November 2020, Brisbane Times

Heidi is 31 and takes a swig from a bottle of wine hidden in her wardrobe after she wakes up. Ruben is 48 and injects heroin three times a day. Lucas is 39 and gambles away 80 per cent of his pay every month.

Addiction is a chronic health condition - why isn’t it treated like one?

2 November 2020, The Guardian

The number of Australians experiencing addiction is increasing, but support isn’t. We spoke with Professor Dan Lubman, from SBS’s new series Addicted Australia, to find out why.

October

We need to stop treating addiction as a personal failure

27 October 2020, SBS

Addiction, as is commonly believed, isn’t just a matter of willpower. It’s not about having to reach rock bottom, and it does not exclusively affect the downtrodden, the homeless or those lacking self-control.

Addiction on screen: How movies and TV shows shape community attitudes

26 October 2020, SBS 

Could dodging stereotypes on screen and, instead, telling real stories of addiction help people with drug and alcohol problems get help sooner?

'Addicted Australia' Is The Gripping New Documentary Following Ten Australians On The Road To Recovery

21 October 2020, Marie Claire

By opening this space, Addicted Australia aims to provide all Australians with a deeper understanding of addiction and recovery, reduce stigma and stereotype, and spark a national conversation. By showing what addiction and treatment can look like, it also aims to encourage others to seek support.

Ten Australians confront their addictions in a powerful new documentary series

20 October 2020, SBS

Premiering Tuesday 10 November on SBS, Addicted Australia is a bold, revelatory and inspiring documentary that puts a spotlight on Australia’s addiction crisis in the most powerful and deeply personal way.

Airdate: Addicted Australia

6 October 2020, TV Tonight

The series lays bare the challenges faced by families and their loved ones who are searching for a different life. Participants are each dealing with different forms of addiction and are all at different starting points on their journey. Drugs, alcohol and gambling are all openly discussed. We see them in their everyday environments and witness firsthand the reality of the recovery journey; the highs and the lows.

New Documentary Series Puts the Spotlight on Australia’s Addiction Crisis

October 2020, TheLatch

In a bold, revelatory and inspiring new documentary series made by Blackfella Films, SBS is releasing Addicted Australia — putting the spotlight on Australia’s addiction crisis in the most powerful and deeply personal way.