The movie ‘Flight,’ which stars Denzel Washington is getting a lot of buzz… and some of it is because it centers on a professional who does his work while buzzed. Washington plays Whip Whitaker, an experienced airplane pilot who is under the influence when he keeps the plane he is flying from crashing. Based on commercials and articles, many people have been talking about whether or not Washington’s character in the movie suffers from alcohol addiction. But what may not be apparent from the advertising is that Washington’s character also uses cocaine.
Some people have wondered about the message the film sends since the man who supplies Washington’s character with cocaine is portrayed in a sympathetic light. And HuffingtonPost entertainment writer Mike Ryan asked, “Is ‘Flight’ Secretly Pro-Cocaine Use?” because
“Every time Whip snorts cocaine, he pulls off miraculous feats that no normal human would ever possibly be able to do…If I had not been programmed throughout my entire life to believe that cocaine is a dangerous and addictive drug, I would want some.”
Being acquainted with a high-functioning addict such as the character Washington plays in real life can lead some to think that substance abuse has few consequences. But the very unpredictability of addiction means that sometimes people who are dependent on a substance such as alcohol cannot always keep things under control.
