The dopamine imbalance tells Rue that if she quits she will die, but if she continues, her demise will be painless. In a series that focuses on the unfortunate decisions made by teenagers, the viewer can observe through the perspective of a teenage drug addict who bases her decisions solely on her own dependency.

Season two of HBOs hit show, ‘Euphoria’ was released on Jan. 9th, Following the release, fans are catching up on this seasons drama while the fanbase has increased significantly. While the first season consisted of Rue’s recovery motivated by her best friend and love interest Jules, season two focuses more on Rue’s downfalls with relapse and her loss of motivation.

“If you take Rues drug addiction for example, They do handle that in a way where it shows how damaging that can be,”Junior Henry Hietpas said.

Despite Euphoria’s accurate representation of drug addiction, many agree that the show is heavily dramatized to an extent that would not measure up to realistic high school experiences. The characteristics set forth by the cast would not commonly apply to the average teenager in this timeline, however they may relate to adults who deal with these very same issues.

“The amount of drugs their doing all the time, they’re having sex all the time. They really amp up all of those problems for dramatic effect,” Hietpas said.

Euphoria falls into a very diverse category when choosing types of entertainment. The creators use techniques such as breaking the fourth wall to draw viewers into the show. In order to make the show dramatic, yet realistic they use these elements as a way of making the series more interesting and many viewers enjoy this type of content.

Hietpas explained that by breaking the fourth wall, Euphoria adds a sense of relatability and can create reassurance for teenagers who deal with these issues.

Most people will fall into some sort of manipulation in their lifetime, however the unlucky percentage of the population will experience this as a teenager. Various fans of the series express their resentment of the main character, Rue for using manipulative defense mechanisms for her drug addiction. In episode three of season 2, Rue teaches the audience how to gaslight a person to hinder their worries about addiction.

Sophomore, Paige Schmit explained her distaste in the relationship between the main characters as she dislikes “the whole Jules and Rue thing” as their relationship is controlled by manipulation and fear of relapse.

The TV drama may be meant for entertainment purposes, however there is a bigger picture people may be missing when they make a snap judgement. Euphoria portrays adolescent drug and alcohol abuse accurately and is continuing to bring awareness to it.

Laura Shultz, CEO of ghost productions said, “They discuss and address topics from a teenager perspective rather then an adult perspective so it seems a little more honest.”

It is being brought to peoples attention whether or not teenagers should be watching Euphoria. Most parents try their best to monitor what their child is watching without being too invasive but many parents may not realize the extent of how inappropriate Euphoria is. Although the show was made for ‘mature audiences’, the majority of viewers are high schoolers. It is important to know whether or not Euphoria is in a teenagers best interest.

Shultz explained that “as long as they know its a drama and not totally real life,” then it is appropriate for teenagers to watch Euphoria.

Some may have walked through a diverse path than Euphoria takes while others may see a familiarity while they watch, but audiences of all backgrounds are able to enjoy it with its variety of entertainment techniques. Although Euphoria is heavily dramatized, it walks viewers through what it is like to be a teenager with diverse perspectives allowing any type of person to relate and enjoy the series.

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