When some people might claim that drug and alcohol abuse can’t happen to them, and that such abuse is not part of our culture, they only need to take a look at a few movies. These movies can show them just how wrong they really are.
The movie Pulp Fiction provides an interesting perspective on drug use and its aftermath. It’s both realistic and unrealistic.
In this movie, Uma Thurman’s character, Mia Wallace, snorts a large amount of a drug that she believes is cocaine. The drug isn’t cocaine, but heroin, and she overdoses.
Wallace falls unconscious and she appears to have trouble breathing. She develops a bloody nose and looks like she’s near death. Luckily, a shot of epinephrine (adrenaline) to her heart revives her and she seems to recover.
The scene is not apparently 100% accurate. Many people say have said that the drug naloxone would be a better cure than epinephrine, especially if Wallace’s heart was still beating.
Regardless of this criticism, Pulp Fiction does get some things right about drug abuse. For one, Mia Wallace mistakes heroin for cocaine. This, unfortunately, is very common. People commonly confuse one drug for another, especially if they’ve been using drugs or drinking.
Drug dealers also substitute one drug for another and sell the drug to their unaware customers. The dealers often sell drugs mixed with other drugs or with other substances, so customers might use more of certain drugs or the drugs in different ways. While normal drug abuse is dangerous, this sort of ignorant drug use can be even more dangerous.
Wallace’s symptoms are also quite realistic. Heroin overdoses can cause nosebleeds and unconsciousness. They can obviously also kill people, and Wallace certainly looked as if she was near death. The movie’s depiction of such symptoms is gruesome, but helpful.
This graphic depiction of a heroin overdose is a good counterpoint to movies that show drug use as fun and carefree, a habit that produces fun and good times instead of grave danger. Oddly enough, Pulp Fiction also shows drug use in this way, as John Travolta’s character, Vincent Vega, uses heroin and appears to get high.
Pulp Fiction thus depicts drug use in complex and contradictory ways. This seems to mirror the complexity of drug addiction, but not the consequences. The consequences are pretty clear. Just ask Mia Wallace.
