>>> NICK SPENT THE BETTER PART OF REHAB FIGHTING TO OVERCOME AN
ADDICTION.
ADDICTION. >> THEIR STORY IS NOW A MAJOR
MOTION PICTURE CALLED "BEAUTIFUL
BOY."
BOY." AND IT’S GETTINGS A OSCAR BUZZ.
>> THIS IS ME.
>> Reporter: "BEAUTIFUL BOY,"
STARRING STEVE CARELL AND TIM
SHALL
SHALL SHALLMAY.
SHALLMAY. >> I THOUGHT WE WERE CLOSE.
>> Reporter: IT IS BASED ON
NICK’S STRUGGLE WITH DRUG A
ADDICTION AND THE TOLL IT TOOK
ON HIS FAMILY.
NICK’S FATHER, DAVID, REMEMBERS
HIM AS A HAPPY KID.
>> IT’S AMAZING.
I’M HIS DAD.
I’M PREJUDICE.
I’M PREJUDICE. >> Reporter: NICK, WHO GREW UP
WITH HIS DAD, MOM AND
HALF-SIBLINGS REMEMBERS BEING
CLOSE AND HAPPY.
BUT SAYS THERE WAS ALWAYS AN
UNDERLYING FEELING OF ANXIETY.
>> I FELT A HEAVINESS THAT WAS
KIND OF ALMOST LIKE PALPABLE
FROM A YOUNG AGE.
>> Reporter: NICK SAYS HE
STARTED DRINKING IN SIXTH GRADE.
AND BY HIGH SCHOOL, HE WAS USING
DRUGS DAILY.
DRUGS DAILY. BUT EVERYTHING CHANGED WHEN HE
WAS INTRODUCED TO CRYSTAL METH.
>> AS SOON AS THAT DRUG HIT ME,
IT WAS LIKE THE FEELING I HAD
BEEN LOOKING FOR MY WHOLE LIFE.
I SPENT THE NEXT TEN YEARS KIND
OF CHASING THAT FEELING THAT I
HAD THAT FIRST TIME.
>> NICK DIDN’T KNOW HE WAS
ADDICTED.
ADDICTED. HE THOUGHT HE WAS PARTYING AND
HAVING FUN.
HAVING FUN. WHEN I TOLD HIM HE HAD TO GO TO
TREATMENT, HE REBELLED.
>> PEOPLE SAY YOU HAVE TO HIT
BOTTOM, AND I DID.
AS BAD AS I COULD IMAGINE IT
GETTING, IT ALWAYS GOT WORSE.
>> Reporter: AFTER A DECADE OF
RELAPSES, TODAY, NICK IS IN
RECOVERY AND HAS BEEN FOR EIGHT
YEARS.
YEARS. >> THE FACT THAT I GET SO MUCH
JOY OUT OF THE SIMPLE THINGS IN
LIFE, REALLY IS LIKE THE BIGGEST
GIFT THAT I’VE GOTTEN IN
SOBRIETY.
SOBRIETY. IT CHANGED EVERYTHING FOR ME.
>> DAVID AND NICK ARE HERE WITH
US THIS MORNING, WITH AN
IMPORTANT NEW BOOK THEY’VE
WRITTEN CALLED "HIGH: EVERYTHING
YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT DRUGS,
ALCOHOL AND ADDICTION."
GOOD MORNING, GUYS.
WE’RE SO HAPPY YOU’RE HERE.
NICK, PARTICULARLY YOU.
AND I ALSO FEEL LIKE THE FACT
THAT YOU’VE WRITTEN THESE
BOOKS -- THIS IS YOUR THIRD --
ABOUT ADDICTION, IS BRAVE,
TELLING YOUR STORY AND SEEING IT
ON THE SCREEN.
THAT’S REALLY BRAVE.
YOU’RE HELPING A LOT OF PEOPLE.
WHAT WAS IT LIKE TO SEE THIS?
>> THANK YOU.
TO ME, IT WAS KIND OF AN AMAZING
GIFT.
GIFT. I FEEL LIKE THE FILMMAKERS GAVE
ME.
ME. THAT’S A WEIRD THING TO SAY.
I HAVE BEEN SOBER FOR EIGHT
YEARS.
YEARS. AND MY LIFE HAS REALLY CHANGED A
LOT.
LOT. I’M MARRIED.
I’M MARRIED. I HAVE DOGS, LIKE YOU SAW IN THE
PICTURES.
PICTURES. AND YOU KNOW, FOR ME, WATCHING
THE MOVIE, IT WAS AN INCREDIBLE
REMINDER OF EVERYTHING WE WENT
THROUGH AS A FAMILY AND HOW
LUCKY I AM TO BE ALIVE AND HOW
LUCKY I AM TO BE SITTING HERE
WITH MY DAD.
I CAME AWAY FROM IT FEELING SO
GRATEFUL.
GRATEFUL. I SHOULD JUST NEVER SWEAT THE
SMALL STUFF AGAIN BECAUSE I’M SO
LUCKY.
LUCKY. >> DAVID, TAKE US BACK A LITTLE
BIT.
BIT. IT HAD TO BE HEARTBREAKING, FOR
PEOPLE WHO ARE WATCHING AND CAN
RELATE WHAT YOU’RE GOING
THROUGH, AND FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE
JUST PARENTS AND YOU SEE YOUR
CHILD SPIRALING, WHAT WAS YOUR
THOUGHT ON, PEOPLE SAY LET HIM
GO AND LET HIM LIVE HIS LIFE.
WHAT WAS YOUR THOUGHT BEHIND
THAT?
THAT? I’M FIGHTING FOR MY SON.
TAKE ME BACK TO THOSE DAYS.
>> I’M FIGHTING FOR MY SON.
IF THIS HAPPENS TO YOU, LET THEM
GO, THEY HAVE TO HIT BOTTOM.
WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?
MY SON IS DYING.
I’M NOT GOING TO LET HIM GO.
IT WILL GET WORSE AND WORSE.
I SPENT TEN YEARS TRYING TO SAVE
HIS LIFE.
HIS LIFE. THAT’S WHAT I COULD TELL OTHER
PEOPLE WHO ARE STRUGGLING WITH
THIS NOW, DON’T GIVE UP.
>> NIC, WHEN WERE YOU LIKE,
OKAY, I KNOW THIS IS SOMETHING
DEEPER?
DEEPER? I THINK WE TALK ABOUT DRUG ABUSE
AND WE THINK, THAT’S IT.
REALLY, THERE WAS SOMETHING
DEEPER.
DEEPER. TALK ABOUT THAT MOMENT.
>> I THINK FOR ME, IT WAS A
COUPLE THINGS.
COUPLE THINGS. ONE WAS, IT REALLY TOOK ME A
LONG TIME TO ADMIT TO MYSELF
THAT ADDICTION REALLY IS A
DISEASE AND I HAVE TO TREAT IT
AS A DISEASE.
WHEN I PUT A SUBSTANCE INTO MY
BODY, A MIND-ALTERING SUBSTANCE,
THIS PHENOMENON OF CRAVING
STARTS AND I JUST CANNOT STOP.
ONCE I REALLY ADMITTED THAT TO
MYSELF, I WAS REALLY WILLING TO
GET HELP AND KIND OF DO WHAT
PEOPLE SUGGESTED OF ME.
AND THEN, ONCE I STARTED DOING
THAT, THAT WAS WHEN I REALLY
STARTED TO KIND OF TRY TO HEAL
THIS UNDERLYING FEELING OF
ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION.
AND ALSO, THE BIPOLAR DISADDRESS
WAS DIAGNOSED WITH.
I’M ON A PSYCHIATRIC MEDICATION,
I WORK WITH A GREAT DOCTOR, I
PARTICIPATE IN A RECOVERY
PROGRAM THAT IS A LITTLE BIT
ANONYMOUS SO I’M NOT GOING TO
TALK ABOUT IT.
THAT’S REALLY HELPED ME.
YOU KNOW, I JUST AM SO GRATEFUL
FOR MY LIFE TODAY AND FOR MY DAD
NEVER GIVING UP ON ME.
>> WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU HAVE,
SAY A PARENT WATCHING FINDS
MARIJUANA.
MARIJUANA. AND SOME PARENTS WOULD SAY,
THAT’S NOT THAT BIG OF A DEAL.
HOW DO YOU ADDRESS IT?
DO YOU THINK YOU DID ALL OF THE
RIGHT THINGS BACK THEN?
WHAT WOULD YOU SAY?
>> I DID ALL OF THE WRONG THINGS
BACK THEN.
BACK THEN. I GUESS WHAT I WOULD SAY IS,
WHEN I FOUND OUT THAT NICK WAS W
SPOKING POT WHEN HE WAS 11 YEARS
OLD.
OLD. I WENT TO THE TEACHER AND THE
COUNSELOR AT THE SCHOOL.
THEY TOLD ME WHAT I WANTED TO
HEAR, NIC IS A GOOD KID.
WHAT I WISH THEY WOULD HAVE SAID
TO ME IS WHAT IS GOING ON IN
THIS KID’S LIFE THAT 11 YEARS
OLD HE’S GETTING HIGH.
LET’S FIGURE OUT AND SEE IF WE
CAN HELP HIM.
>> THAT BOOK IS FOR TEENAGERS,
TO ADDRESS WHY THEY WANT TO USE
DRUGS, IS THAT RIGHT?
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH. WE’VE BEEN TRYING, IN OUR
COUNTRY, FOR DECADES TO TRY TO
GET KIDS TO NOT TO USE.
JUST SAY NO, WE KNOW, DOESN’T
WORK.
WORK. CAN ANYTHING WORK?
AND WHAT WE FOUND OUT IS IT CAN,
IF WE START TO RECOGNIZE -- IF
WE STOP FOCUSING ON THE DRUGS
THEMSELVES BUT ON THE QUESTION
OF WHY PEOPLE USE.
AND IT TURNS OUT THAT KIDS USE
FOR A WHOLE RANGE OF REASONS.
SOME OF THEM, MAYBE OBVIOUS.
PEER PRESSURE.
PEER PRESSURE. BUT A LOT OF IT IS BECAUSE OF
STRESS.
STRESS. IT’S ABOUT STRUGGLING IN SCHOOL.
IT’S ABOUT STRUGGLING WITH
FRIENDS AND ABOUT FAMILY
PROBLEMS AT HOME, MENTAL
ILLNESS.
ILLNESS. IF WE GET TO THE ROOLT OFT OF TH
THINGS AND ADDRESS THE PROBLEMS
AND MITIGATE THEM, WE CAN HELP
KIDS GROW UP HEALTHIER.
>> A CONVERSATION WE NEED TO
HAVE.
HAVE. >> THANK YOU FOR SHARING YOUR
STORY.
STORY. YOU’RE PROVIDING A LOT OF PEOPLE
OPEN.
OPEN. >> THANK YOU.
>> "BEAUTIFUL BOY" IS IN