Addiction doesn’t just come in the form of drugs and alcohol, it is prominent in food, gambling, social media, religion, etc... We can be addicted to just about anything. How far that goes depends on many factors that each of us are ultimately held responsible for.
A single thought can be harmless. However, it often begins this way. You may have a genetic predisposition or you may not, but when a triggering event, or multiple ones happen over time, a pseudo-harmless thought can spiral into chaos. Nothing begins to matter anymore. It's just you and the addiction.
The intense craving and the inability to think about anything else but feeding our addiction takes over our already fragile mind. We give into the euphoria, even if it’s for a split second to feel the illusion of happiness, and then we are warped back into reality, stricken with grief, depression, shame, and all the other unpleasant feelings that lead us desperately again into our next high. The cycle continues until we can let go or we sadly die trying. In our minds, we feel that if we are not actively pursuing our addiction, we are forever lost.
I was inspired to write about our viewing of A Street Cat Named Bob, a best-selling international book made into film. It is based on the true story of James Bowen, a heroin addict who fatefully meets a four-legged ginger cat, who affectionately becomes known as his life-saving furry pal, Bob. Bring on the tissues!
Luke Treadaway plays the role of James, a heroin addict who is facing the same fate as his friend Baz, who has overdosed for the last time. Trying to withstand the pressures of getting one more hit in, repairing his relationship with his father and somehow rebuilding his life, one night, James finds a four-legged cat rustling around in the hallway and that’s really where the story begins to take shape.
There is such a beautiful bond that forms and although not everyone’s journey is like James, it gives a sense of hope. Another heartfelt part of the movie is James’ unlikely human friendship and brief love interest with Betty (played by Ruta Gedmintas), James’s quirky and lovable neighbour. She is not all rainbows and sunshine though. Underneath, she is still holding onto grief from her brother’s death, and so that adds a heightened element to the story on what level of support we can honestly take on, even when witnessing such suffering.
Healing can begin once we face our deepest wounds, but it’s a long and messy road to even feeling half alive again. For some, it takes hitting rock bottom, and for others, it can be a life of balancing the good days and any relapses that happen. We are rooting for James all the way through this film, to at least be given the chance to live out loud with confidence again, as he is working so damn hard through every obstacle tossed his way - totally relatable on some level? Heck ya.
The movie shows many barriers that addicts will continue to face, as well as the toxic “not in my backyard” phenomena that exists especially with recovery involving methadone hubs and harm reduction clinics in residential areas. There are plenty of moments as well where the human condition is explored through the loving relationship that James has with Bob, his ginger cat that won’t leave his side and makes him feel seen, where alone busking on the streets of London, others would make James feel invisible.
Our connections with humans can be limited but there is something extra special about the love shared that is also evidence-based between humans and animals.
The music is also a high point in the movie, as we see this guitar strumming bloke, riding his bike with a cat on his shoulder bringing smiles and hope to all that pass by. Satellite Moments is truly special, along with Second Time Around and Don't Give Up.
If you can take anything from this film, it is the fact that sometimes helping to save someone else’s life, ends up saving ours too.
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