“This is Us” is an Emmy-winning family show on NBC about a group of triplets who are born on the same day as their father. We see the dynamic between their relationships growing up. On January 9th, there was an episode called “The Fifth Wheel” that makes the Pearson family confront how they feel about each other and their inner demons with one another.
On “The Fifth Wheel” episode, one of the triplets, Kevin, has been sent to rehab after getting arrested while committing a DUI with his niece in the car. We see how his brother, sister, and his mother join in on the family therapy. Kevin is addicted to opioids ever since he hurt his knee playing football as a teenager. Since Kevin’s therapist only knows Kevin’s side of the underlying issues of his addictions, she is very quick to defend him. Kevin acknowledges that he is a drug addict and that it makes sense for him to have the gene since his father was an alcoholic. He also points that it is possible his sister, Kate, is addicted to food since she has been known to binge eat on junk food when dealing with a tough situation. This shows how addiction really can be a genetic trait in different ways.
Kevin expresses that he feels like the root of his addiction can be that he felt like he was “the fifth wheel” in how his siblings got more attention than he did growing up. Of course, his mother is quick to deny that fact as well as his brother, Randall. Randall tells Kevin that he does not believe he is an addict but that he is just starving for attention. The truth is that no one chooses to be an addict for attention. By accusing someone of seeking attention, you are not taking a person’s depression seriously, making the symptoms worse.
Kevin’s mother admits that his brother was easier to deal with than his siblings as he was not a moody teenager. This episode was a perfect example of what family therapy can be like where everyone interrupts each other and is quick to assume someone is wrong because they are so afraid to face the real problems. This is all the more reason why it is important to go to family therapy to get all of your issues out in the open to something about it.
Located in downtown Midland, The Springboard Center’s mission is to offer programs and services to treat alcohol and drug addiction treatment using an evidence based curriculum, 12 step programs, diet, nutrition, exercise, emotional, mental and spiritual development for a long recovery. For more information, please call us at 432-620-0255 as we are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
