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The Alcoholic Horse- analysing Bojack Horseman

By Devika Jamkhedkar

Bojack Horseman is a gritty black comedy series about the extravagant but tumultuous life of a  ‘Hollywoo’ has-been star. The show has been acclaimed for its sturdy characterisation of its titular horse, a well as the harrowing and honest depiction of alcohol abuse. While a show dealing with mental illness is step towards greater awareness, it must be psychologically accurate. I will examine the show’s portrayal of Bojack Horseman’s alcohol abuse to assess where it succeeds or stumbles.

Bojack shows signs of heavy and frequent drinking. He drinks alcohol every day and without an occasion. When he is made to abstain, he becomes aggressive and defiant, claiming that he ‘needs’ to drink in order to functional normally. He boasts about his extremely high tolerance which is an accurate portrayal of alcohol dependency- requiring to take higher quantities of the substance to get intoxicated (Hooley et.al, ‘Abnormal Psychology’, p.p 409).

As the show progresses, Bojack drinks excessively to the point that his physical and mental health deteriorate. He experiences depression and suicidal thoughts linked to his inability to cope with events without alcohol. His reliance on alcohol impairs his sense of judgement and impulse control, when he influences an underage teenage girl to drink, causing her alcohol poisoning. In spite of strong verbal interventions from his friends, Bojack continues to consume alcohol. These mental, social and cognitive effects paint a holistic image of an alcohol abuser, abusing alcohol such that it has destructive physical and social consequences for the user and adverse effects on other individuals. (Hooley et.al, ‘Abnormal Psychology’, p.p 409).


Bojack’s motivation to drink stems from his inability to cope with any immediate negative mood state or stressor. Upon being denied an Oscar nomination and losing a friendship, he consumes alcohol for almost two days straight. However, even a simple award show party has him sipping alcohol to calm his anxiety. This is an accurate portrayal of alcohol as an avoidant coping mechanism, in which the individual uses alcohol for mental disengagement from and denial of the stressful situation (Merrill & Thomas, 2013). The  show depicts Bojack as suffering from depression and actively using substances to stop himself from having to deal with his mental state. As almost 37% of alcohol abusers suffer from another mental health disorder, this is an accurate depiction of a comorbid condition  (Hooley et.al,(2017), p.p 411).

The fourth season reveals a possible cause of Bojack’s present mental health problems and addiction- child neglect and abuse. His parents emotionally abused him by refusing to show him love or
affection, countlessly telling him that he was unwanted. Studies show that child abuse can lead to alcohol abuse as an adult. Alcohol may be an attempt to self medicate to handle the depression, low self esteem and sense of isolation brought on by the abuse (Widom & Susanne, n.d). Though reminders of his parents’ abuse causes Bojack to have a drink, simply being in his mother’s vicinity is causes him to yell, ‘Can somebody please bring some alcohol in here!’ Bojack’s mother resorted to openly drinking in front of her young son, to cope with marital discord and financial stress. Research suggests that there is a fourfold likelihood for a person to have alcohol dependency if they have a relative who abuses alcohol, because of the endophenotypes shared (Mayfield et.al, 2008). Thus, the show draws a logical connection between Bojack’s childhood experiences and adult issues to explain the prevalence of his addiction.

While the show portrays some defining features of alcohol abuse, it falls a little short on realism. The show does not address the physical health issues faced by a person in their fifties who has been drinking daily for two decades. Sustained drinking for such a large duration would invariably cause the onset of some physical impairment, like liver cirrhosis or gastrointestinal problems, or even early cognitive impairment (However, these severe, long term consequences of Bojack’s drinking are not addressed, which may misinform and mislead less knowledgeable audiences on the nature of alcohol abuse.

For the sake of humour, Bojack is relentlessly self-aware of his alcohol abuse.This does not reflect present research, which states that alcohol consumption actually impairs one’s self evaluation of appropriate behaviour and appraisal of past behaviour. A person drinks in order to avoid the negative affect brought on by self reflection, which continues the cycle of alcoholism (Hull, 1981). While abusers can be aware of their addiction, Bojack’s dialogue indicates an unusually high self awareness that would actually cause an addict to seek help, not spiral further into addiction.

‘Bojack Horseman’ is a largely accurate depiction of an alcohol abuser, one which helps viewers understand the psychological nuances affecting alcohol abuse. More shows should portray the complexities of mental disorders.


References


   Hull, G., Jay (1981). ‘A Self-Awareness Model of the Causes and Effects of Alcohol Consumption’, Journal of Abnormal Psychology. Retrieved from https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/7e30/bc7195cec58c749c22a3b8e6461bcb0d59d9.pdf?_ga=2.264788552.615681773.1574856697-1751027530.1574856697.

‘Alcohol's Effects on the Body’. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, (n.d). Retrieved from https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohols-effects-body.

Merrill, J. E., & Thomas, S. E. (2013). Interactions between adaptive coping and drinking to cope in predicting naturalistic drinking and drinking following a lab-based psychosocial stressor. Addictive behaviors, 38(3), 1672–1678. doi:10.1016/j.addbeh.2012.10.003

Widom, Spatz, Cathy & Hiller-Sturmhöfel, Susanne. ‘Alcohol Abuse as a Risk Factor for and Consequence of Child Abuse’. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, (n.d). Retrieved from https://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/arh25-1/52-57.htm.

Mayfield, R. D., Harris, R. A., & Schuckit, M. A. (2008). Genetic factors influencing alcohol dependence. British journal of pharmacology, 154(2), 275–287. doi:10.1038/bjp.2008.88

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