Does Euphoria Glamorize Drug Use?

Football won’t be the only reason large groups gather in front of the TV this upcoming Sunday: another episode of the wildly popular HBO series Euphoria will be airing. Since the show’s debut in 2019, it has made headlines for its depiction of high school students navigating the modern world of drugs, relationships, and mental health.

Spoiler Alert Ahead

Although Euphoria covers a plethora of issues through its characters, the main story follows Rue. Played by Zendaya, Rue is a 17-year-old Junior fresh out of rehab for substance use disorder who became addicted to opioids her father was taking during cancer treatment. 

The show might not give viewers, and especially parents, a feeling of euphoria at the thought of the HBO drama’s impact on teens and young adults. The Drug Abuse Resistance Education Program, also known as D.A.R.E., is a vocal critic of the series and said in a statement that Euphoria “chooses to misguidedly glorify and erroneously depict high school student drug use, addiction, anonymous sex, violence, and other destructive behaviors as common and widespread in today’s world.”¹

However, those who watched the most recent episode “Stand Still Like the Hummingbird” that aired on 2/6/22 can attest to the pain and suffering felt by Rue and her family as she is confronted. Her relapse is finally exposed in this episode and culminates in an explosive confrontation between Rue and her mother. Screaming, destroying furniture, and vicious emotional attacks are witnessed by Rue’s younger sister as Rue frantically searches for the drugs her mother has destroyed. Unsuccessful in finding them, Rue begins to experience withdrawal and the painful physical toll on her body. Euphoria does not glamorize drug use, but in fact does quite the opposite. There is a realness to Rue; her character with all her flaws and struggles doesn’t feel over-exaggerated or fake. Rue’s character is based on creator Sam Levinson’s own struggle with substance use and addiction as a teenager, and it grounds the story in truth.

Euphoria also tackles the “why” behind Rue’s addiction through exploring the relationship between substance abuse and co-occurring mental health disorders. Again reflecting Sam Levinson’s personal experience, Rue’s character suffered at an early age from “all the underlying issues that propelled addiction: that anxiety and that depression”.² Euphoria is not the first to realize this connection. Rehab facilities are incorporating comorbid disorder treatment in their programs in recognition of the fact that treating only addiction and ignoring mental health is unlikely to yield lasting positive outcomes.³

Through its raw depiction of substance use and mental health struggles, Euphoria is a powerful tool for vicarious learning as well. For those suffering from addiction, it is a way to feel validated and know that they are not alone.⁴ But for the rest of the audience, it is a new and shocking experience and an opportunity for “vicarious learning.” Introduced by Albert Bandura in the 1960s, vicarious learning is the theory that learning doesn’t have to occur through firsthand experience. Learning can also occur through observing the behavior of others and “noting the consequences of that behavior for those bring observed.”⁵

Through Rue’s story, the audience can observe the brutal destruction that drugs can have on a person and their community and the devastating consequence of untreated mental health and substance use disorders, potentially saving someone from experiencing it firsthand. Even more brilliant, subtle substance use statistics and facts are weaved into the latest episode. While in a car with her mom and sister on their way to the hospital for detox, Rue reminds her mom of the success rate percentage for opioid use disorder. Later in the episode, Rue’s drug dealer describes how opioids affect brain chemicals. By doing this, Euphoria offers the audience insight into substance use and addiction they might not otherwise get.

For all those parents out there afraid that Euphoria will make your teen want to try drugs, take this as an opportunity to facilitate difficult and important discussions around the topics of substance use, depression, and any other struggles your teen may have questions about or face. Sam Levinson stated in an interview with Entertainment Weekly that he hopes Euphoria “opens up a dialogue between [teens and parents] because it’s hard being a teenager”.⁶

If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction and mental health, there is help. Oxford Treatment Center offers co-occurring disorder treatment in each of our many programs.