Although it’s a work of fiction, the 1966 movie Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? sometimes seems all too real. The movie stars Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, who were married to each other at the time. They later divorced, remarried briefly, and divorced again.

In the movie, Taylor and Burton play Martha and George, a couple with a rocky marriage. The film shows them drunk and fighting, and hints that the couple is often this way. They engage in a massive, alcohol-fueled fight in front of their guests.

The movie is fascinating and uncomfortable to watch. George and Martha are vicious to each other and clearly in great pain. Knowing the real lives of Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor only adds to the viewer’s discomfort. Burton had highly publicized problems with alcohol. Taylor’s own struggles with alcohol and prescription drugs prompted her to enter a rehab facility. She was one of the first celebrities to publicize such treatment.

Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? also makes a convincing case for rehab. Martha and George’s problems with alcohol abuse are creating a toxic marriage. The couple is destroying their marriage. The two are also destroying each other emotionally. It’s difficult to face constant insults and criticism, but the couple seems to do that on a regular basis.

Watching the movie, you want George and Martha to find some help. Ideally, this would come in the form of rehab that could treat their alcohol-related and emotional problems. At the very least, it looks like George and Martha need the services of an outpatient therapist.

A therapist could help George and Martha uncover why they drink so much. A therapist could help them learn why they treat each other so horribly. A therapist could give the couple alternatives, ways to deal with their lives that don’t involve drinking large amounts of alcohol or emotionally abusing a spouse.

George and Martha clearly need help. Luckily, in the real world, there are ways to find such help.