Comments on: Cracked not broken – documentary about addiction and life on the edge

By: Susan

Susan — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 00:08:35 +0000

I feel for certain Lisa has made a difference in the life’s of individuals who hear her story. Thank you for sharing Lisa. I am so happy and pleased Lisa is on her path of recovery.

By: Jordannah B.

Jordannah B. — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 05:32:42 +0000

The “Cracked Not Broken” video has provided me with so much insight to the life of an addict. It helped me to see past my stereotypes of users being crazy, unpresentable people. I found Lisa to actually be quite articulate with a lot of wisdom about her own situation. Hearing about the nurse that was addicted to crack as well shattered another stereotype. This video really helped me to see that educated people, even people in health care, can fall prey to addiction. Thank you for posting the video. It is very powerful, and it makes my heart glad to hear that Lisa’s on the path of recovery.

By: Nicole

Nicole — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 01:34:03 +0000

Thank you very much for posting this film. I found it to be quite enlightening. I am able to understand, and agree, with healthy intimate relationships and trauma resolutions being two (of many) very important factors in healing and moving through life. I will be recommending this film to those close to me.

Thank you very much.
Sincerely,

Nicole

By: Jasse Chimuku

Jasse Chimuku — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 01:19:06 +0000

I feel like she needs to remain in a treatment facility for about a year at the least and have her daughter come for visits everyday giving words of encouragement. As well relearning how to use her business mind in a certain business that she go to work @ once she finishes recovery! After finishing her recovery have come by @ least three times a week to gain more strength and keep her a positive support group around her that gives her the love and caring that she normally recieved from drugs and sex.
I would like to also thank her for allowing the camera crew to video tape her and share her story, because I know for a fact that it saved a girl who might of went down the same path or brought a girl from going down that path. I think this video needs to be shown at schools on all levels because everyone starts using at diffrent stages in life.
Sincerly Thanking You
Jasse Chimuku PSU student.

By: admin

admin — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 00:04:29 +0000

Thanks Paul! Will definitely continue to pass on the film to those who could benefit.

By: Paul

Paul — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 22:44:37 +0000

To whom it may concern;

I just spent the last twenty minutes reading all the respones to the film and just wanted to thank everyone who took the time to write about it. A refreshing change from some of the rantings on Hulu (although they are enjoyable none the less ?). Please pass on the film to anyone who may have interest.

Sincerely:

paul

By: Azusa

Azusa — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 18:16:09 +0000

Thanks for sharing this video, John, and I really appreciated Lisa’s courage to make this documentary. It has strong messages that anybody with any type of background can get hooked with drugs when something went wrong, and get addicted; and once they are addicts it’s so challenging for them to get off, even though they are being treated, relapse happens in the hyjacked brain so commonly, even they lose so much for the use. And they even can be successfully treated after the long term use of drugs. It also made me realized again the importance of creatibity, Lisa’s willingness to share her experiences in “hell” for 14 years.
In her blog, her expression of feelings of remorse, shame and guilt were strong enough for me to rethink why she continued the use, her lifestyle in an isolated hotel room, at cost of the loss. However, when she said it is the craiziness of the drug in her blog, I just believed it is the way it is. It’s scary.
I felt so happy for Lisa (hoping she is doing well after the last blog) when I saw the changing process in her blog I could feel slowly but surely she changed in the way she expressed how she felt about herself. She felt good “inside”. That was amazing to me.
As we know creativity helps people with issues to move foward, I think her involvement to make this documentary video and to blog to share what she honestly felt at the time of use, recovery process and after achievement of soberity (it helped me to look into what was going on in her brain when it was on and off) motivated her to make a change. Even though she said she didn’t really have a choice to or not to get high, it really was her choice to commit. I admire her courage. It was incredible.

By: Dina Soriano

Dina Soriano — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 22:51:06 +0000

When I viewed the documentary, I was most struck by Lisa describing what was going on in her brain when she relapsed. She discussed sobriety for her as turning part of her brain off, but she relapsed she listened to that part of the brain. This supports what we already know about the brain and addiction. That addiction severely alters brain functioning. These modifications to the brain caused by drug use/abuse make relapse very likely or difficult to combat. It reminded me of my own struggles to quit smoking. I logically knew that smoking would kill me and was wrong, but something inside of me just wanted one above all else…above my mother’s appeals and bribes to quit, my own values of long-term health, financial reasons etc. I have never felt so powerless over anything in my entire life. I was finally successful at quitting when I combined medication with hypnotism, a gym membership and a support person. It all honesty it was the medication that I felt really helped to minimize the withdrawal symptoms as well as deal with social triggers. Like Lisa I felt that part of my brain was conflicting with itself and I needed support to fight those messages.

By: Troy S

Troy S — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 00:12:50 +0000

I found this documentary to be very touching, especially when the film maker returned after four months to show Lisa the rough cut of his footage. Earlier in the film it seemed as though she were distracting herself from how her life had been derailed by focusing on the strategy of the “game”, but her demeanor changed at the later segment. She was much more direct about her awareness of how her addiction has destroyed her life, and the film was exceedingly successful in connecting me emotionally to her struggle.

I can see how the pain that is created by this disease can lead to anger and blame, but making decisions based on anger and blame will only provide an inadequate sense of justice rather than effective solutions. This film is one more step in changing perception that the addicts should be blamed and punished for their shortcomings as a way to realize change. Her helplessness despite obvious intelligence, insight, and suffering truly communicates the message that this is not just a choice, as no person would simply choose to destroy a life with so much potential and hurt the only people they care about.

I am thoroughly impressed that Lisa is willing to use her disheartening tale to bring about positive change, effectively “creating” a silver lining on a stormy cloud that must have seemed to cover the entire sky. While it has been a challenge for her to remain sober, I believe her decision to expose her adversity so it may benefit others incredible strength.

By: luis g

luis g — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 22:42:00 +0000

A Response to Haley Weiner, November 30, 2009 at 11:19 am

I agree on the score that the relationship between an object of addiction and the feelings, anxieties, energy etc. that the object covers up. I was reading you response and on ITunes Metallica’s “The memory remains” came on and it made me think of how this relationship helps the client in the short term and makes the road to recovery even harder. Once the addicted individual decides to move and try life anew the “memory remains” of how easy it was to deal with the demons that plagued them. I recall a memory form m early grade school days. This was the time I discovered that the answers to my math homework were in the back of the book. It was very difficult to do the homework, and I was a kid who totally thought math was beyond lame, super lame. With each question all I’d think of was ”All you have to do is turn to the back, write it down and then move on to Nintendo or tv.” Imagine the difficulty faced by the addict who is met their 1st obstacle to know that if they get their object, to turn to the back of the book they can bypass this obstacle and feel good, better than good-feel great. We can stop and change our perceptions but the memory remains.