Thanks to our American friends for praising English folks for being kind and articulate. I'm afraid the programme also shows that we can be unkind and talk nonsense when we are drunk! Worth noting of course that only one of the main characters is English - the others are French and South African.
I found the programme sad and moving but it was also helpful to watch it with my wife so that we could discuss her response to my drinking problem in the light of the show. One thing that's missing from the programme is any mention of a response to alcoholism other than medical treatment - no talk of support networks like this SR or AA - although I understand that talking about AA on TV is difficult.
But when the South African man sobered up by getting a whole drawer full of medicine from his doctor I felt a bit worried. He said it was to treat his psychiatric problems and I'm not medically qualified, so maybe he's right. But to me, it doesn't look like a good long term solution to replace heavy drinking with a dependence on mind altering drugs. For me, using an AA programme, getting a sponsor and working with a counsellor have helped me address depression and anxiety and stop drinking without needing to replace the bottle with pills. I'm not saying medicine never helps but when he pulled open his bedside table drawer to reveal dozens of packets of pills I felt dismayed.