Drug Wars: One Family's Battle

This film tells a heartbreaking story of Eric Couch, a bright, promising young man who, in the course of three days, smoked a marijuana joint laced with heroin drops, got hooked and became a serious addict. Within months, Eric was mainlining, and then went through numerous withdrawals, dragging his friends and family into an emotional abyss from which they have scarcely recovered. As the testimony of Eric's sister, Linda Couch, builds to a conclusion, we begin to realize that Eric is not around to give his side of the story (we later learn that Eric has died of an heroin overdose). Using home moves, re-enactments and moving testimonials, the Drug Wars series effectively manages to demonstrate the horrors of addiction without ever coming across as corny or preachy. Most tragic in this video is the effect of Eric's death on the 7-year-old son of his fiancée, a young boy who looked up to Eric as a role model--proof, once again, that drug abuse is not a victimless crime. Like its predecessor, Drug Wars: Crank County (VL-1/98), this is highly recommended. Aud: I, J, H, C, P. (R. Ray)