Chaotic Interventions, Addiction, And Exposing Friends — We Asked A Therapist How Realistic The Most Iconic Scenes In “Euphoria” Are

"So, there’s no way for it to be truly accurate because, well, it’s a TV show."

The latest season of Euphoria officially wrapped up last weekend, and if you watched along, you'd know that the show deals with some pretty important issues, like substance abuse and addiction.

HBO / Giphy / Via giphy.com

In case you need a short recap of what happened this season, Rue, played by Zendaya, begins to do drugs again in secret, despite telling everyone she is sober. Her drug use is eventually exposed, and we see the unravelling of her relationships with her family, friends, girlfriend, and Narcotics Anonymous sponsor.

Eddy Chen/HBO

Since there has been some criticism and discussion of the show's depiction of addiction and teen drug use, we asked an expert to weigh in. Dr. Aimee Martinez, a licensed clinical psychologist who works with older teens and young adults, shared her thoughts below:

Instagram: @draimeemartinez

Now that Season 2 has come to an end, do you think Euphoria portrayed addiction realistically? What part about it sticks out to you the most?

Eddy Chen/HBO

"I have seen strong opinions online that the show 'glamorizes' addiction. Specifically, that D.A.R.E put out a statement. I stand with Zendaya on this," Dr. Martínez told BuzzFeed. "The show is an hour long and tries to bring together a plethora of moments in a short period of time. So, there’s no way for it to be truly accurate because, well, it’s a TV show. But I do think Euphoria captures the nuance and variability of addiction and those who live with it as well as those impacted by it."

"It’s easy to get caught up in the depictions of addiction and sexuality in the show," she continued. "However, at a deeper level, the Euphoria storyline creates a link between how profound trauma and disrupted relationships can lead to addiction and forms of self-sabotage. And how as a teenager, Rue deals with the intense feelings, complicated grief, loneliness, and worries about separating from the one parent she still has left. Separating from caregivers/parental figures in young adulthood and becoming your own person is something we can all relate to."

Arguably one of the most shocking scenes from this season is when Rue exposes Cassie and Nate in front of everyone. ("How long have you been fucking Nate Jacobs?") What do you make of Rue's behavior in this scene?

Eddy Chen/HBO

"Often in addiction, an adaptive strategy can be to project onto others. It’s a way to say, 'it’s not me, it’s you.' This strategy helps one deflect and protect themself from what they are doing rather than sit with the feelings and consequences of their behaviors and the impact on others," she explained. "Rue created a distraction away from her issues by calling focus to Cassie’s situation with Nate and Maddie."

Another scene that was shocking this season was when Rue had a huge fight with her sponsor, Ali. What do you think of this and the show's portrayal of Rue's experience with Narcotics Anonymous in general?

Eddy Chen/ HBO

"Often times, those who have been abandoned (in this instance, Rue by her father in his death) will become the abandoner before they can be abandoned. Her need to push her sponsor away is her desperate attempt to protect herself from another devastating loss of a father figure," Dr. Martínez said. 

"Nate really got in Rue’s head at the school dance when he suggested that Jules would move on from Rue and her life in their small town and never look back. I think Nate was fully aware of Rue’s sensitivity to abandonment and used it against her. Rue’s fear of this abandonment leads her to self-sabotage," she continued.

"One of the tenants of NA is to just keep coming back. And Rue does this even in her rocky road to recovery. The idea is that if you keep coming back, the program might eventually work."

The season reaches a turning point when Jules finds out that Rue has been using drugs all along, and then tells Rue's mom. Rue is then confronted by her family about her problem. What are your thoughts on this scene?

Eddy Chen/HBO

"This scene was so painful to watch. Rue is not only defensive, she is enraged toward her mother and sister. At a deeper level, I think the anger is just a mask for her terror of knowing what will happen given that she lost 'the suitcase' and massive consequences are inevitable," she said. "Her denial that she was using pills, her blame onto her mother for the causes of her addiction, and her gaslighting her sister are all classic ways someone suffering from addiction might respond when confronted."

Shortly after the confrontation, Rue's mother tries to drive her to a rehabilitation center. Before she runs out of the car, she says, "Five percent. Those are my chances, 1 in 20," referring to the odds of staying sober. How true is this?

Eddy Chen / HBO

"Part of recovery can be relapse and just like any habit, addiction can be hard to break. But with drug addiction specifically, there can be a life-threatening component that makes the stakes higher. For instance, if someone is clean from heroin for a sustained period of time and then uses again, there is a likelihood of overdose because the body isn’t able to tolerate the same amount of the drug after a certain amount of sobriety," Dr. Martínez explained.

"With addiction, people are fighting against an extreme alteration of their brain. For example, sexual orgasm creates a certain amount of pleasure in the body and mind. Now imagine if that was altered to create a scenario where that is 5–10x the case. That’s what illicit drug use can create. It’s not natural — but when someone experiences it, they might crave more. It’s unrealistic to naturally be in a state of that much sustained stimulation in human experience. Being human means learning to tolerate the limits of joy, pain, [and] pleasure."

Later on, Rue's mother calls a rehabilitation center to try to get her daughter admitted. She says "If you don't admit her, she will die." How true do you think this is? Would admitting Rue be the only treatment option? If not, what are other treatment possibilities?

Eddy Chen / HBO

"Unfortunately, the treatment system, like so many other systems, is flawed and overwhelmed with demand. I think it’s also important to mention that the discrepancies in private vs. public treatment are astounding and difficulty gaining access disproportionately impacts communities with less resources, which are often communities of color."

As you know, this show is centered around high school students. How prevalent is drug use among this age demographic?

Eddy Chen/ HBO

"Drug and alcohol use actually decreased among teens during the COVID-19 pandemic," she responded, citing a 2021 study from the University of Michigan. "This was the first time the study had seen a decline since 1975. The study that compiled 32,260 surveys from students enrolled across 319 public and private schools in the United States included 8th, 10th, and 12th graders. Traditionally, around 13% of 8th graders reported substance use, approximately 30% for 10th graders, and 40% for 12th graders. These numbers decreased in 2021 anywhere from 5% to nearly 12%. As the world opens back up, it’s hard to predict whether this decline will continue."

Are there any other scenes that stick out to you from this season that the show did well?

Eddy Chen / HBO

"In the finale, after Lexi reads the Bell tower poem to Rue, she reflects that no words of hers or any person can be of more comfort to Rue than drugs. I felt this was exceptionally profound in that no one could truly connect to Rue’s devastating loss," she said. 

"The death of her father only confirms to Rue that relationships are unpredictable and that loss is inevitable. For her, drugs are a sure thing, a comfort she can control. And this is the exact lesson she needs to learn — that relationships aren’t something that can be controlled."

To learn more about Dr. Martínez and her work, follow her on Instagram.

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, you can call SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357) and find more resources here.