Dosed Movie Review & How Plant Medicine Can Transform Opioid Addiction
Dosed, a new documentary by Golden Teacher Films, follows a young Canadian woman, Adrianne, as she seeks recovery from depression and opioid addiction through psychedelic plant medicine.
Through the lens of Adrianne’s friend and film director Tyler Chandler, Dosed gives us an in-depth view of what many go through while fighting opioid addiction, from the risks of fentanyl poisoning to the crippling self-image that keep many from successfully finding recovery after addiction.
The film follows Adrianne after her decision to explore psychedelics as a possible path to recovery. Adrianne undergoes various psychedelic treatments, including psilocybin-containing mushrooms and later ibogaine, a root sourced from Africa that produces a profound psychedelic experience.
This story highlights the reality that the lives of addicts do not always fit the typical stereotypes in our heads. Adrianne’s well-manicured appearance and stylish ensembles do not fit the disordered physical appearance that many people associate with heavy addiction. Additionally, Adrianne, who has lived in both rehabilitation centers and her parent’s separate houses over the course of her recovery, explains that the only difference between her and the addicts slumped over in alleys is that she has a family who continues to make sacrifices to keep her off the streets.
This film also showcases the sheer humanity and ugliness associated with deep addiction. The film spares nothing in that there are scenes of Adrianne having tumultuous emotional episodes and even vomiting up methadone pills to collect and save for later.
Peppered throughout the film are a few interviews from respected leaders in the field of psychedelic medicine, including world-renowned mycologist Paul Stamets. Stamets shared a poignant comment about Dosed at a recent screening in Olympia, saying, “A lot of us see the problem with opioid addiction on the streets of Olympia. You can’t avoid it. And the movie touches a lot of our own receptors in our community because I think PTSD is something that ramifies not only with the addicts but through the families and the communities. I think we all are suffering from that.”
This film leaves viewers with a profound understanding of the inconspicuous and but ever-pervasive corruption that is opioid addiction, highlighting that this epidemic goes much deeper than simply impacting the troubled individuals we see on the streets. This movie is highly recommended to those seeking a deeper understanding of addiction and an awareness of some of the natural, out-of-the-box remedies that exist. During a time where our society is grappling with the substantial impact of opioid addiction, Dosed provides us with an awareness that this crippling addiction can be treated through natural means.
Dosed has not yet been officially released for purchase or streaming, but the filmmakers have been on a global screening tour for the past several months. Screenings have been held in the Pacific Northwest as recently as February 2020. Stay tuned for more screenings and release details at dosedmovie.com or follow along on Instagram @dosedmovie.
This article was originally published in Leaf Life Magainze in March 2020. I am so grateful to have been included in this historic Psychedelia issue, the first of its kind by a major cannabis publication. Also thankful for the opportunity to spread awareness of a potential solution to the insufferable grips of opioid addiction.
This topic means the world to me after suffering the loss of my best friend, Shannon. For more about Shannon’s story, read my previous blog post, “Losing My Best Friend to Opioid Addiction and What I Wish I Could Tell Her”