Substance Abuse In The Amazon Prime Series 'The Boys'

Media Summary

In the Amazon prime series “The Boys” the character A-Train develops a substance abuse disorder due to his obsession with maintaining public image and position within “The Seven”. In the show there is a substance called Compound V which increases the physical and mental performance of super human individuals or converts humans into superhumans but, adversely it is extremely dangerous and has a severely high risk of causing cancer in those who inject it into themselves. A-Train is thought to be the fastest man alive however as he gets older, he begins to slow down and worries he will become obsolete under the pressure of a up and coming superhuman who’s niche is also their ability of incredible speed. Throughout the series A-train

Critical Analysis of Accuracy

Based on further analysis of relative literature I determined that the character is an accurate portrayal of the concept of substance abuse. Based on the DSM the character A-Train meets several of the diagnostic criteria for a substance abuse disorder. Firstly, after having a heart attack the character attempts to stop using Compound V but inevitably gets back on it due becoming reliant on it. A-Train also puts significant effort into trying to obtain the substance and ends up killing several people throughout the series in his attempts to obtain more. The characters use of the substance eventually leads to disfunction within social and personal relationships causing him to become aggressive and manipulative towards his girlfriend and those who are close to him. Criterion 7 and 8 from the DSM is also prevalent in this case as A-train begins to withdraw from routine activities such as training and also becomes more distant from his brother who is his only family. There is an instance in the show in

Using data collected from 23 randomized control trials that compared CM to various nonspecific or specific therapy groups the results concluded that participants who had received CM were 1.22 times more likely to be abstinent. It also highlights the importance of providing the appropriate duration and reinforcer magnitude to ensure maximum effectiveness of the treatment.

This study provides great information on a highly effective form of treatment in regards to substance abuse disorder. This form of intervention could have been an effective option that A-Train’s girlfriend or Brother could have used in conjunction with the help of a professional to treat A-trains substance abuse disorder. Behavior modification techniques such as this become even more effective when maintained by those who are close to the individual being treated but, in this case, may be hard to maintain considering the short temperament A-Train develops as a result of the anxiety and other psychological effects of his