30 Days - Binge Drinking (tv show)
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30 Days - Binge Drinking (tv show)
I had not heard of this series before but found it when I was searching through Netflix for new stuff to watch. It's called "30 Days" & it's been off the air for a few years & in a nutshell, it challenges people to immerse themselves into a situation for a full 30 days to see what the reality of living that way is vs. what their expectations are. I'm not sure where else these episodes are available if anyone was interested in watching it, probably somewhere online or through hulu or something? (I think it's Season 2, episode 6.)
One of the episodes featured a mom of a college freshman who was extremely concerned about her daughter's binge drinking habits since moving away. She decides to binge drink herself, for the 30 full days, in an attempt to illustrate for her DD just how it affects all areas of your life despite DD's protests to the contrary.
It was kinda fascinating in a "can't look away from the wreckage" morose way .(I can't fathom why they thought this would be the best way to educate the daughter, so I was intrigued....) We all know exactly what the mom found out - she struggled to keep up with the basics of life after just a few days, her tolerance increased quickly, her health declined, etc. And of course, none of it even phased DD - so mom keeps upping the ante & binging more & more to try to make an impression.
In the end (not to spoil it) DD is unconvinced that there is anything AT ALL wrong with binge drinking, that it is practically her right & duty as a college student to carry on this drinking tradition. She says to mom in the end, "I'm sorry, but it's too late to be having these conversations now.... you are NOT going to change my mind or opinion about drinking. Maybe if we had had these talks years ago it would have made a difference, but right now you're just pi$$ing me off."
And that was actually the success happening in the background..... her 9-yr old brother was the one seeing, hearing, observing & being the most highly influenced person in the entire experiment. In the height of her drinking he had a full out meltdown & just freaked at how different she had become in such a short time. It all made a HUGE impression on him as well as the teenaged step-bro still living at home. (Step-Bro had a totally different relationship with the dad & seemed very informed & aware of the issues alcohol creates. He obviously HAD had those educating conversations that his step-sister was lacking, judging from the way he spoke about the issue & the concerns it raised for him.)
As a result of the failed experiment, she succeeded in opening the door for talks with her young son that she hadn't planned on having & hadn't understood the need for until then.
It made me think of all the threads & all the debate back & forth about how much kids see & how educating them EARLY in life & with as much honesty as possible really helps them later.
Just thought I'd share because it was pretty interesting. (not amazing or earth shattering, but definitely interesting!)
One of the episodes featured a mom of a college freshman who was extremely concerned about her daughter's binge drinking habits since moving away. She decides to binge drink herself, for the 30 full days, in an attempt to illustrate for her DD just how it affects all areas of your life despite DD's protests to the contrary.
It was kinda fascinating in a "can't look away from the wreckage" morose way .(I can't fathom why they thought this would be the best way to educate the daughter, so I was intrigued....) We all know exactly what the mom found out - she struggled to keep up with the basics of life after just a few days, her tolerance increased quickly, her health declined, etc. And of course, none of it even phased DD - so mom keeps upping the ante & binging more & more to try to make an impression.
In the end (not to spoil it) DD is unconvinced that there is anything AT ALL wrong with binge drinking, that it is practically her right & duty as a college student to carry on this drinking tradition. She says to mom in the end, "I'm sorry, but it's too late to be having these conversations now.... you are NOT going to change my mind or opinion about drinking. Maybe if we had had these talks years ago it would have made a difference, but right now you're just pi$$ing me off."
And that was actually the success happening in the background..... her 9-yr old brother was the one seeing, hearing, observing & being the most highly influenced person in the entire experiment. In the height of her drinking he had a full out meltdown & just freaked at how different she had become in such a short time. It all made a HUGE impression on him as well as the teenaged step-bro still living at home. (Step-Bro had a totally different relationship with the dad & seemed very informed & aware of the issues alcohol creates. He obviously HAD had those educating conversations that his step-sister was lacking, judging from the way he spoke about the issue & the concerns it raised for him.)
As a result of the failed experiment, she succeeded in opening the door for talks with her young son that she hadn't planned on having & hadn't understood the need for until then.
It made me think of all the threads & all the debate back & forth about how much kids see & how educating them EARLY in life & with as much honesty as possible really helps them later.
Just thought I'd share because it was pretty interesting. (not amazing or earth shattering, but definitely interesting!)
torquemax777
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Montrose CO
Posts: 350
I hope it didn't trip some alcoholic wiring in the mom! Doesn't sound like it did, but all alcoholics started out somewhere. It would be interesting in the "can't look away from the wreck" sort of way. And it was good that the son learned some valuable lesson.... What would be a great show would be for an alcoholic to be sober for a time frame and have to go to places and take care of drunk a$$ idiots like themselves; like the ER, detox centers, outside a bar at closing time etc... (I know, I know, it would have to be cleared with the patient cuz of HIPPA laws) but I think it would be fun to watch them be in our shoes!
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Join Date: May 2012
Location: Florida
Posts: 6,780
That was my 1st thought too torquemax, WTH is she going to do if she can't stop after 30 days or finds that it trips something in her DNA that keeps her drinking?
I also agree that it would have been more effective to have the daughter deal more with facing the consequences of drinking rather than jumping into the fray with her. It was part of what made me think, these people must be those *normies* I keep hearing about, lol. Anyone with an education in addiction would see that this was setup to fail from the get-go, I think.
The mom's nurse (she went in for regular checkups) was a RA herself & expressed her disapproval of their method as well.
I also agree that it would have been more effective to have the daughter deal more with facing the consequences of drinking rather than jumping into the fray with her. It was part of what made me think, these people must be those *normies* I keep hearing about, lol. Anyone with an education in addiction would see that this was setup to fail from the get-go, I think.
The mom's nurse (she went in for regular checkups) was a RA herself & expressed her disapproval of their method as well.
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