Video

Summary/Abstract

“On May 29th, 2010, we lost our 26 year old son, Nick, after a 13 year struggle to find long term, affordable, quality recovery and care from mental illness and addiction. The attached film pays honor to this courageous and honorable “journey into exile” that Nick as well as the many “other Nicks” must travel daily in order to find their recovery.

Content

From Jim Contopulos

Executive Producer, Director and Narrator of “Beautiful Boy .. More Than An Addict

 “On May 29^th, 2010, we lost our 26 year old son, Nick, after a 13 year struggle to find long term, affordable, quality recovery and care from mental illness and addiction. The attached film pays honor to this courageous and honorable “journey into exile” that Nick as well as the many “other Nicks” must travel daily in order to find their recovery. Journey with me, as we work together to build a better day for those now suffering from these unrelenting, misunderstood and stigmatized disorders. A “day” seeded by the loss of our beautiful children. A “day” of empathy, understanding and care. Thank You.

Published on Jun 24, 2013

The beauty of the Santa Rosa Ecological Reserve in southern California provides the backdrop for a father's lament upon losing his beautiful son to addiction and mental illness.

Walk alongside him, as together, we who survive dream of a better day, sustained and inspired by the pain, brokenness and courage of those who live with the unrelenting weight of mental illness and addiction.

From Bill White

Author of “Slaying the Dragon: The History of Addiction Treatment and Recovery in America”.

 “I have just finished watching Beautiful Boy and I am breathless.  I have never seen anything like this in my more than 40 years in the addictions field.  The film is magnificent—visually stunning, a wonderful script, eloquently narrated, and a message of enormous power.  I cannot imagine a more fitting way to honor Nick’s life or a way to more poignantly portray your family’s loss and your own efforts to recover from it.  I also thought your critique of the system and call for “care that never quits” was compelling without being preachy or bitter.  I think the film should be available on the internet, available to schools, presented to a wide spectrum of religious and civic organizations, and regularly shown in addiction treatment and recovery community organizations across the country and beyond. I could go on and on….”