Kicking off tonight, SBS 2’s news, culture and technology program The Feed will be spending a whole week hooked on the topic of addiction, cracking the lid on obsession and vice in all its alluring glory. Here’s a look at some of the highlights you can expect from the week:
Monday March 24
Time to go to rehab: The Feed’s celebrity gossip guru Lee Lin Chin remembers some of Hollywood’s greatest rehab moments. From the first lady of rehab Betty Ford to the modern day rehab princess Selena Gomez.
Child addicts of heroin: Heroin is so prevalent in Afghanistan that one million Afghans are addicted to it, according to the United Nations. That’s 8% of the population. Presenter Patrick Abboud examines how the drug’s accessibility is turning a whole generation of young Afghanis into addicts for life.
Hot Competition – Chilli Addicts: The hottest chilli in the world. It’s a phrase that is surrounded by furious competition. In the battle to make mouths burn a group of chilli farmers and sauce makes on the NSW central coast are on the edge of being able to make that claim.
Tuesday March 25
Fast food addicts: It’s the addiction that’s slowly killing everyone. Jeannette Francis takes a look at how fast food companies reel people in and keep them coming back for more.
Thank you for smoking: It’s the drug that the world can’t seem to kick. The Feed takes a look at all the weird and wonderful ways the human race has tried to quit smoking over the years.
Wednesday March 26
Addicted to pornography: 21-year-old Mitchell is a self-confessed porn addict. He’s 87 days into the “No fap 90 day challenge”, which requires him to stop masturbating for three whole months. The Feed checks his progress.
Phubbing: We’ve all seen it: people out at a cafe and pub staring at their phones despite being surrounded by perfectly good, live, human bodies around them. It’s been dubbed ‘Phubbing’ and Marc Fennell looks at whether there is actually any science behind mobile phone addiction. What is it about them that fuels the compulsion to keep checking over and over again? Psychologists and nerds weigh in.
Thursday March 27
The world’s most popular drug: It’s consumed by the richest countries in the world and made by the poorest. If you’ve got a spare $1000 you can even drink it straight from the anus of a wild Sumatran cat. Marc Fennell explores the strange, contradictory world of coffee.
Dogs getting high on cane toads: Pet owners in Queensland have a problem – their dogs won’t stop licking cane toads. The toads secrete liquid that gives the dogs an LSD-like high, but it’s also extremely toxic. Meet a pet owner whose dog was a toad junkie, a vet who treats addicted puppies, and a Professor who explains why the pooches can’t get enough of the stuff.
Addicted to exercise: Sarah exercises up to five hours a day, she is painfully thin but she can’t kick the habit. It’s an addiction that might seem harmless enough but she is causing irreparable damage to her body. Presenter Andy Park spends a day with Sarah to find out why she can’t stop herself from hitting the gym.
For these stories and more, watch The Feed Addiction Week from Monday 24 March to Thursday 27 March at 7.30pm on SBS 2. Keep an eye on their official website for more details, articles and videos!
And stay tuned to The Iris and the AU review for our own special articles on Addiction as well as coverage of The Feed with episode reviews, features and live tweets at @theirisAU!
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