She had forced Amanda to take monthly drug tests and locked her out of the house. Regret was a trigger. At 16, Amanda Wendler was hooked on opioid painkillers. On the first day, Deb reminds Molly of all the problems she had caused while being an addict. He was 27, and he had been homeless for parts of the last 12 years, but lately he had been living with a girlfriend. She had previously tried to do the puzzle back in her days when she went through withdrawals. Canada: Canadians have the movie available on Crave. Its just like night and day. She had tried, most of all, to be loving and patient with her daughter and to remember what so many experts had told her, that addiction was not a choice but a disease, even as Amanda stole her checks and then her credit cards, running up more than $50,000 of debt. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, So, seeing the puzzle reminded her of her previous life where she couldnt give up on drugs. Moreover, she has lost custody of her children while failing to go sober 14 times. Four Good Days is a drama film that is based on the true-life story of Amanda Wendler (Molly) and Libby Alexander (Deb). This causes Deb to believe that her daughter will finally recover from her decade of addiction. With the help of her mother Deb (Glenn Close), Molly struggles to survive four good days clean, and in turn shines a light on the complex relationships between an addict, and their support systems. I think Im actually okay, she told Libby. Molly, who had made her mind up to start her recovery, remains persistent as she decides to sleep outside her mothers home. I just got the call, read the first post of the day. It is believed that while Molly has managed to bring a drastic change to her life, she still hasnt been able to completely stay away from drugs. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Take me to the emergency room, she said, and Libby started driving. It had now been 12 days since the last time Amanda Wendler used a drug of any kind, her longest stretch in years. This Account is Private. DirectorRodrigo Garcia wrote the screenplay withPulitzer Prize-winning journalist Eli Saslow, who embedded himself into Wendler and Alexander's lives in metro Detroit foran acclaimed 2016Washington Post article. Seventy-two hours left until the shot. She had already made it through one last night alone under the freeway bridge, through the vomiting and shakes of withdrawal, through cravings so intense shed scraped a bathroom floor searching for leftover traces of heroin. Despite battling her addiction for years, Wendler maintained addicts can recover - acknowledging, though, that her journey has not been an easy one. Laura is a news writer for woman&home who primarily covers entertainment and celebrity news. Oilpatch funds balloon for pro-Smith political group after she supports royalty break Grady Rape Crisis Center resources can be found here. At 16, Amanda Wendler was hooked on opioid painkillers. I have a great relationship with a man thats amazing and an amazing relationship with my kids and my mother. In this scene, we watch as Molly comes home and her mother asks 'How are the kids?' BA1 1UA. I really need this to happen tomorrow, Amanda was saying, and Libby balled her fists and knocked them against the kitchen counter. What are you even saying? Libby said, and so Amanda began unwinding the lies she had been telling her mother for the past week. She's been an addict for 11 years and . In the article, and in real life, Amanda lost all of her teeth after a decade of neglect. When did you last have opiates in your system, the nurse asked. Share Memories & Support the Family. She sat at a picnic table and stared out at the water. A close look at one tragedy in rural Oklahoma, Why death rates for white women in rural America are spiking, In a town where pills are currency, opioid addicts have few options. ", Wendler talks to her mother every day by phone and visits her in metro Detroit frequently. "'How's Amanda?': A story of truth, lies and an American addiction" By Eli Saslow, The Washington Post. It brings everything back. Four Good Days Ending shows us immense growth in Mollys life in finally completing the puzzle. Their condo was tucked away in a small development surrounded by pine trees and occupied mostly by retirees: no loud noises, no solicitors, no unauthorized visitors allowed beyond the guard shack after 8 p.m. Libby was usually in the living room with the TV on mute. Molly asks Deb to take her to Sammy, who is a drug addict friend of hers. She couldnt breathe. Congratulations on Day One, he said, but Amanda didnt seem to hear him. What he wrote was accurate, they agree, but still difficult for them to experience all over again. Libby heads for home after running errands with Amanda. Call back, Libby said, because she wasnt sure if Amanda was telling the truth or inventing a reason to put it off. They tell her how there was some issue relating to Mollys insurance because of which she cannot get the opioid antagonist shot until Monday. She also has twin sons instead of a boy and a girl and the storyline about giving up a baby for adoption was not mentioned in the article - suggesting it was most likely an invented storyline from the movie producers. Im seriously worried Im going to relapse, she heard Amanda say. Glenn Close stars as a mother trying to get her drug-addicted daughter, played by Mila Kunis, over a crucial recovery hurdle in Rodrigo Garcia's empathetic fact-based drama, 'Four Good Days. Hospital kept him a couple hours and put him back on the street barefoot in scrubs with a map.. And realitys a trigger.. Four good months later. This better not be some kind of scheme, Libby said, but she also remembered this side of her daughter from before the addiction selfless, determined, enterprising, sometimes sneaking extra cash into the loans she handed out to desperate customers at the pawnshop. Her first opiates had been a prescription for 120 tablets of Vicodin, offered by a doctor to treat a minor snowmobiling injury in high school. Sign up to our free daily email for the latest royal and entertainment news, interesting opinion, expert advice on styling and beauty trends, and no-nonsense guides to the health and wellness questions you want answered. Hows Amanda? asked one of them, Mary Carr, as they sat down at a restaurant and ordered drinks. If only there was something cheaper, stronger, and so in 2012 a boyfriend had introduced her to heroin, and she had been injecting it into a vein in her forearm twice a day ever since. The walkers circled past the garage on another loop. She had tried therapy and group counseling, inpatient and outpatient. The movie came out in May of this year and is rated a 6.6/10 on IMDb. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. It was hard to read some parts because it doesnt portray me in the best light," says Wendler. Speaking together this week on a joint phone call Wendlerrelocated a few years ago to North Carolinathe real-life mother and daughter admitit was difficult to see some of their worst, most challenging momentsbeing acted out for the world to see. Heres how it works. Amanda watches television as Libby brings in some cold drinks. I need your pee. When you see the mannerisms, everything, (I was) like, 'Oh my God, how did she do this?,"' says Alexander, 60, of Close's acting. What about finding a clinic?, This is more important, Amanda said, and so she began to explain how Sammy reminded her of herself, and how they had looked out for each other in the abandoned house. If you need help with the Public File, call (313) 222-0566. Amanda speaks with Jay, a 20-year heroin user who lives under the Detroit bridge where she once spent a couple fearful nights. Do you know how many times hes done that? Mary said. This shows us the severity of Mollys addiction as she has been an addict for over 10 years. A group of retired women walked by in visors and spandex, making their usual morning loop. There was a banged-up dresser she had put into storage before moving into her first abandoned house. While my hobbies include playing football & video games, I'm a man of culture as well. She sorted her nail polish and lit another cigarette. More:In darkness of pandemic, Wyandotte man's drug addiction got worse and then deadly, More:Overdose deaths in Michigan decreased in 2019 and then COVID-19 hit. Libby tries to be there for Amanda as much as she can, but struggles with the guilt that comes with parenting a drug addict. The crux of the film explores the mother-daughter relationship dynamic against the backdrop of Americas opioid crisis. This movie deals with drugs and drug addiction and is able to show what one goes through as one attempts to become sober. She wondered if she could find a ride into Southwest Detroit for one last $10 bag: the euphoria when the drug entered her bloodstream, the full-body tingling that moved in from her hands to her chest, erasing pain, erasing fear, erasing sadness, erasing anxiety and feelings of failure until finally the tingling stopped and the only thing left to feel was blissful numbness, just hours of nothing. Libby started to shake her head and bite her nails, cursing under her breath. It reminded Amanda of a vacant house where shed squatted for a while with a dozen other users, a rat-infested place without heat or electricity. If I cut the cord with Amanda, would she recover faster? Libby asked them now. A movie from 2020 starring Mila Kunis and Glenn Close is currently taking off on Netflix, but what is the true story behind Four Good Days? Amandas stepfather was in the study, playing chess online. Now they drove past the boarded-up trap houses where shed met dealers and learned how to buy a $10 bag, until her tolerance grew and she needed five or six bags each day. And nearly nine months later, Wendler wore them again as she lead a Dec. 2 rally to advocate for support for sexual assault survivors at Emory University. Do you even know how many pairs of shoes youve lost or sold?, UNNATURAL CAUSES: SICK AND DYING IN SMALL-TOWN AMERICA. As the audience sees in both the article and the film, Amanda/Mollys lie is almost deadly as the shot sends her into withdrawl thanks to the presence of opioids in her system. And none of us knewbecause its not something anybody talked about.". Maybe you pawned it with the jewelry, said her mother, Libby Alexander. What do you mean theres a problem with my appointment? Amanda was saying now, and Libby started cursing under her breath. They sat in the waiting room for five minutes, then 10, then 30. I need medicine, Amanda began to moan. The real Amanda Wendler struggled with a decade of addiction, before moving in with her parents to get clean. The Movie Four Good Days is based on a real-life story of Amanda Wendler, and Libby Alexander covered in a journal by Pulitzer Prize-winning Eli Saslow in 2016, named How's Amanda' A Story of Truth, Lies and an American Addiction. The film is based on an article by Eli Saslow titled, Hows Amanda?A story of truth, lies and an American addiction (opens in new tab), which documents and young woman's struggle with heroin addiction and how her mother helped her. Deb finds this call suspicious as it spurs an argument between the two. She thanked the nurse, went into the bathroom to leave Libbys urine sample and then hurried outside. If she sees Im doing good, maybe I can convince her to go into rehab.. Libby Alexander is impressed by how much of herself she recognizes in Glenn Closes performance in Four Good Days, a powerful new movie about drug addiction. The pills chased away that pain and also the anger left over from her parents divorce, her depression, ADHD and self-doubt, and soon she was failing out of high school and becoming increasingly dependent on pills. She had been warned by a doctor that it was normal in the first year of sobriety to feel bored, flat, depressed, blah, tired, anxious a change in brain chemistry that exacerbated so many of the longings that made heroin appealing in the first place. Copyright 2023 ClickOnDetroit.com is managed by Graham Digital and published by Graham Media Group, a division of Graham Holdings. Because she was prescribedheavy-duty painkillersaftera minor injury when she was 16 the start of her spiral into addiction Wendler isvigilant about protecting her own childrenfrom a similar path. She believed her only chance to stay sober was to take away the possibility of feeling high, so she had decided to pursue one of the newest treatments for heroin. Truly, if I could just help one person, its worth it.. Much to her surprise, Deb tells her that Ashley left the home due to the mental and emotional abuse sustained by Dale on her. Oh, God. This movie deals with drugs and drug addiction and is able to show what one goes through as one attempts to become sober. April 8, 1952 - November 30, 2020, Donald Arthur Wendler passed away on November 30, 2020 in Wittenberg, Wisconsin. The Emory Title IX Process: A survivor's worst nightmare. Deb initially refuses to let her inside the house. Lately, Libby had been spending a few hours each day in a conversation group for addicts mothers. She relocked the doors as she drove and cupped her hands over the car keys, remembering a time when Amanda had grabbed her keys and refused to give them back unless Libby paid her. Michigan winter storm: Live weather radar, traffic updates. After this, there was a limited release in the theaters starting 30th April 2021. Why death rates for white women in rural America are spiking I want this shot way more than you., How are you going to make it five days? Libby said, her tone softening. The relapse rate for heroin has been reported in various studies to be as high as 97 percent. Published 3 March 23, While doing press for Shazam! A resident of Los Angeles' Skid Row, Amanda got into sex work to provide a means of surviving on the streets. Nobody would see her. Shed searched for God at 12-step meetings and instead found new dealers. Youre doing everything you can, she said. She dropped her cigarette and crawled into the back seat of the car. When they were hard to find, she turned to heroin and eventually ended up homeless. No muscle spasms or impaired breathing. She is actively involved in Al-Anon and does public speaking engagements. Amanda Wendler + posts So many possibilities. Its a trigger., Im sorry, Libby said. She lit a cigarette and sat down in the garage. Who knows? Libby said. Story ideas can be sent to bailee.hill@fox.com, Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. And then, finally, nine years into her daughters addiction, Libby had come up with a plan to be done with all of it. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! "He was always receptive to what we had to say," she . With no job, no high school diploma and no car, she has no money beyond that. All of Amanda's teeth needed to be pulled, and she is being fitted for dentures. (Photo By MediaNews Group/Reading Eagle via Getty Images), Former opioid addict on road to recovery: 'I lost everything'. Laura loves drinking and eating and can often be found trying to get reservations at London's trendiest restaurants. Im not ready. Okay, Libby said. Shed run up thousands of dollars in credit-card debt to pay for a wellness retreat in the woods, and shed slept on a cot in the hallway of a Medicaid addiction center. She watched two kids throwing rocks. The appointment five days earlier that had been postponed at the last minute because of insurance? Wheres my good makeup? Amanda asked. Content Warning: This article contains references of sexual assault. I worry about enabling, Libby said. They had made it to 48 states without ever planning beyond the next week. For the first time ever, I actually blocked him on my phone., See, thats the part Im no good at, Libby said. You can reach out to me at Gokul@otakukart.com. Molly, who was trying to fight her urges, leaves with Sean, saying that she would return to her before they leave for the detox center on Monday. Theres no one right way, Mary said. Wendler says addiction must berecognized for what itis an illness that is treatable, not a character flaw. Were not bad people, were just sick people, she says. Today; Yesterday; Pick-a-date . Amanda, a recovering drug addict featured in Mark Laita's YouTube series Soft White Underbelly, passed away on 9th May 2021. Libby pulled over and Amanda jumped out. Otherwise Im not going to pass and I cant get the shot.. In this series, The Washington Post is exploring this trend and the forces driving it.Read the entire series. But as anybody who has ever suffered from an addiction problem will know, staying clean isn't easy. She met with a therapist, confided in her husband, consulted with a bankruptcy lawyer and started talking regularly with the mothers shed met online. WHAT IS NARCAN? Just three or four to get going with the twins in the morning, to feed them, to sing to them, to feed them again, to sit and play all day in a lonely trailer out in Macomb. The That 70s Show star is sporting a bleach blonde hair color (as well as a few scrapes and bruises) in the trailer for Four Good Days, a new release from Vertical Entertainment about an estranged mother and daughter who are reunited when the daughter seeks help in overcoming her drug addiction. Ava Gilchrist is a Senior Digital Writer at marie claire and ELLE Australia. People who are having chest pain come before other things.. He looked good and it was nice to see him, Mary said, but later that night he had called her a dozen times, harassing her and begging for money. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. I dont know where to draw the line.. Deb takes Molly to the dentist to get false teeth to hide her rotting gums. Australia: You can watch Four Good Days on Netflix. Amanda sat in the passenger seat and stared out the window as they came into Southwest Detroit, passing the overgrown lots and decaying houses where she had spent so much of her adult life. Finally Amanda had been diagnosed with a severe kind of asthma, treated and sent home, and for the next year Libby had stood over her crib for a little while each night watching her breathe. You can start getting your life back, Libby said. What the hell was that? Libby said. No Suboxone or methadone?. "Doctors had told her that first she needed to pass a drug test, which required staying clean for at least two weeks, which meant her appointment for the shot was still four days away," reads the article that inspired the film. The series highlighted her addiction to crack cocaine, and the trials she experienced as a homeless young woman. Withdrawal might send Amanda to the emergency room, but it was still safer than going back on heroin. Amanda lit a cigarette and sat in a plastic chair wedged between the cat food and the recycling bins in the garage, the only place where she was allowed to smoke. Content warning: this article discusses drug abuse and may be distressing to some readers. Last month it was announced that the actress is slated to star in Netflix's adaptation of Luckiest Girl Alive, which she is also set to produce. The film, available startingFriday via video on demand, is an unblinkingly honest journey through a daughter's quest to stop using heroin after multiple failed attempts at rehab and a mother's struggle to trust her daughter again. I cried when I lived it. Southwest Detroit had been Amanda's go-to neighborhood for heroin. Four Good Days tells the story of drug addict Molly and her attempts to get clean with the help of her mother. A pair of Cincinnati police officers recently used the medication to help a woman who was experiencing a drug overdose. "My feelings were mixed, but overall I was glad to do itbecause by doing this, I figured its not just my story, its millions of stories. Contact Detroit Free Press pop culture critic Julie Hinds at jhinds@freepress.com. Deb grapples with the guilt she feels for being an enabler to Mollynot entirely able to trust her either after years of being lied to, stolen from and shouted at to feed her daughters addiction. But the fact that matters most for a chronic user is what it takes for just one addict to get clean. Boredom, loneliness, anxiety, regret, shame, seeing how I havent gone up at all in my life when the drugs arent there, she had written. 1,831 followers. It had now been 12 days since the last time Amanda Wendler used a drug of any kind, her longest stretch in years. Maybe they would move up to the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. 'Four Good Days' tells the true story of Amanda Wendler portrayed by Mila Kunis and her mother, Libby Alexander, played by Glenn Close. Wheres Sammy?. Molly wanted to come clean and finally become sober but for this, she wanted help from her mom, Deb. 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