Four months sober now. UPDATE: Seven months!!! UPDATE 2: TWO WHOLE YEARS!!!!!! 3rd Update: Yup, three years! Four years this April… 4th update: got four years this April, going for five april/2023! 5th update: five years, half a decade. 1826 days. No morphine, no pills, no alcohol. Never felt better. Thanks for everybody who supported me and to those of you who encouraged me in the comments below! 6th update: April of 2024 was my 6th year sober!
If you have not seen the first season of American Crime (not to be confused with American Crime Story), you should check it out. The relationship between two addicts is poignant and central to the story. It also deals seriously with social issues, as did The Wire.
Seeing Bubbles enthralled by the love they all share for one another for being able to get clean to the point where he stood up and took a coin just to feel it himself is a real tear-jerker. Andre Royo deserved an Emmy for Bubbles.
@@ticharribetikymo257 Who's a liar? He's pointing out the effort the actor that played bubbles put into the character. i couldn't say i was moved to shed a tear myself but i felt it.
"I don't care who you are, what you done, or who you done it to, if you're here, then so am I." To me, that's the definition of unconditional love, right there.
The Wire got a lot of rep for showing the brutal side of life, but it above all showed the fragile humanity in everyone. Bubbles is the best fictional character ever written.
that´s very accurate, well put, i think i haven´t see a great character and performance since i watched Frank Sinatra in the Man with the golden arm, you can see the hellish fight in his face, how he battles to overcome his addiction. A great one.
Best fictional character ever written? You’re reaching bro. A dope fiend with a good heart, Is hardly the best fiction character ever written. What about Livia soprano, king Joffrey, Alonzo from training day, almost every anime has a better written fictional character than bubbles. The joker from Batman.
The actor that plays “Waylon” is an amazing singer songwriter named Steve Earle that actually went through a rough heroin addiction and his son just passed away last week. Steve has to be the strongest person out there. RIP Justin Townes Earle.
Steve Earle is a legend. He doesn't speak about anything that he hasn't experienced. He's insightful - he's an accomplished author. His insight into songwriting is beyond comparison. He's a national treasure to all Americans.
I’m 4 months clean. Been in recovery for about 4 years. I’ll get a few months clean and then get high again… Been having a hard time lately but determined to stay sober. This video always helps. Great to read through the comments too and know that people still come here to check in.
It's ok brother. I did that same thing all thru my 20s. Got clean for 6 months, dabbled, relapsed. Got clean again, same thing. Then I got on Suboxone and rode that for years and came off it cold turkey in prison. It wasn't that bad either. I don't think I'll ever go back to that horrible lifestyle
I've never been through what you have experienced, but you have my support and it doesn't matter what happened in the past, you're a good person. Stay strong ✊🏻
@@waragainstmyself1159 not truly. I meant that figuratively: Sherrod's death was the lowest point for Bubbles, a burden that made him try to kill himself. He then got sober, and at that point Bubbles had faded away and Reginald was brought back.
For any of you recovering, I don't know you and you will never be more than text on my screen. But each day, each week, each month, each year you are clean and sober know this. I'm proud of you. I'm proud of you for being alive. For being able to heal yourself. For being strong enough to fight day and in and day out against something that wants you dead. Thank you for still being here to inspire others to be here.
You can clearly see Bubbles struggling internally to come to terms with how much far he has gone, to lay waste his life, with addiction, after hearing people talk in this meeting. And yet, he still has a mind and a soul that is willing to overcome all of this with a sincere desire to live.
xele fonte sorry to disappoint, I'm not dead and I wasn't that much of an addict to alcohol I just wanted to quit drinking all together. I'll go back to my great life in Chicago with my university of Chicago law degree thank you!
Thanks for the kind words everyone! I'm doing good. It was and still is very much a struggle especially around this stressful time of year. I fell off with meetings just went back to my first one in 4 weeks.
I'm a recovering addict "in & out" of the program for years. But this is the best example of a NA meeting I ever seen. This reminds me of my favorite NA meeting on the West side of Chicago.
SteelRocker Oddly enough, the audience reactions are probably off because these are not actors. The extras were actually members of a 12 step group. Steve Earle talked about filming the scene, and said i was great because it was like being at a meeting all day. And on the BB vs Wire comparison, I think they both are some of the best writing on TV, but both had weaknesses. THeir strengths are really different, though, so it is hard to compare. THe Wire was more real, BB was more fun.
The Mack Miley the reason why breaking bad doesn't compare with the wire or even the sopranos because breaking bad wasn't really all that thought provoking... like Vince Gilligan said he wanted to turn mr chips into Scarface so breaking bad was basically only about character development thru the backdrop of a man who deals meth and becomes a kingpin very entertaining but no message really beside her cliche "crime doesn't pay "... Where is the wire had character development but that wasn't all it was about...thru the backdrop of alot of different faucets of the city of Baltimore the show was about how institutions fail and can never be reformed but the realism was so on point from the dialogue to the everything else... and u got the sopranos , thru the backdrop of a mafia Don and his 2 family's it was a show about the human condition and the different conditions that us humans go thru... from Tony and his father Johnny boy and there narcissistic personalitys..u had his sister Janice who had her issues .. Christopher and the Drug addict trait alot of us deal with , then you had uncle junior and his age catching up to him all the way to dementia what I'm saying is at face value .. sure the sopranos is about the mafia... the wire is about drug dealers and cops... but when u look at the big picture it was sooo much more then that! breaking bad was very entertaining but it was very 1 dimensional ... very entertaining tho it's probably in my top 7 for shows just my 2 cents don't mind me
5280L33DU99YN THANKS man, your opinion give me hope in The human. Breaking bad was good, just good is so far of The wire and sopranos that when i read people saying is The best serie in The history i dont know if i want to laugh or cry. Really good explanation of why The wire and sopranos are just at another level.
I just gotta say it, The Wire is hands down the best TV series of all time, i'm sorry if you haven't acquired the wisdom yet to fully appreciate such as great show.
seven months clean. i watched all of the wire about 10 years ago and had no recollection of this scene. rewatching it now, though, this is one of the heaviest scenes in the whole series.. got real choked up watching bubbles's eyes, and then seeing him take a white key tag. (i also wound up in my first NA meeting by a happy accident.) funny, the things that matter to you at different times in your life.
I've been playing the hokey pokey for the past 10 years. I smoked and drank for fun. Until it wasn't. But I would rewatch this series every year, and this scene would always kill me. I think I'm finally on the path to a permanent way out. I'm proud of you and i know I'm not the only one
“Or, a sincere desire to live”. I had never really picked up on that line before. Like Johnny, you focus on the “24 hours”. You can clearly see it’s sincere on Bub’s part, but I always interpreted the scene almost like a low level scam, in keeping with Bubs’ character, to get the high of the warmth and positive energy of the group. Just another seed sown, ready to germinate in a later series.
He actually does it because he wants that acceptance. He does have a sincere desire to live. But he gets up when he sees the hugs and cheers and affection. The acceptance. He wants that. Then when Johnny points it out he feels like a fraud. Knowing he got high earlier. Knowing he lied to all these people. Now that doesn't mean it's not the catalyst for his change or that he doesn't have a sincere desire to be better. But at that moment all he wants is someone to give a damn about him. And in the brief moment he feels it.
Isn't that what we all basically want? For someone to just have an honest care towards us? Addictions usually start when people are at their lowest and feel worthless, and we base our worth on how others judge and hold us. If anyone looks at people like bubbles and thinks he's wrong for wanting to feel accepted by everyone in that room, you're part of the addiction cycle. Facts.
It often takes many attempts and relapses to get sober. This was Bubbles first self-acknowledgement that that was what he truly wanted. It took him a long time from this moment to get there, but he did it. If Bubs can do it, I believe anyone can.
@@Tkieron I think it is clear that Bubs got up because he had a *sincere desire to live* which was good enough to get up. So if that is true, then he did not scam or lie to anyone in that scene.
I think it was both. He wanted to feel included and happy, but I think it's because what Waylon said resonated with him. Just look at Bubs' facial expressions, he feels like he's talking to him. The part that most people miss though, is this is Bubs taking step one. He never looks at the drug world the same way after this. He's like most addicts where wanting to be clean and being clean has a long winding path between the two.
"yo-we shot up this morning..." what a line to end this incredibly powerful scene. I don't think I've ever seen a better depiction of hard drug users. bubbles' face as waylon's words cut deep is incredibly moving. but it's johnny you feel the most sorry for. there's a kid who can't see how fast the bottom is rushing up at him until he crashes right through it!
Johnny was an idiot on par with Herc. They were never honest with others nor themselves, and they never learned a lesson no matter how benevolent someone gave them. For Johnny it culminated in an OD. For Herc, it was from working for the poh-lice to working for a parasite.
Herc wasn't built for natural police work. Also, his trajectory through the show illustrates a hard truth that's difficult for many to cope with: It's better to be lucky than good. That's what I love about this show. A lot of people "deserved" one fate, good or bad, but ended up with another.
6 months clean now, since i started coming to this video, and i still do several times a week...Steve continues to inspire me...he was in Minneapolis recently on his WSS tour, i had the great good fortune to see him, he was incredible..both as a singer/songwriter and a truly compassionate human being...you have to go a long way to find folks like that..... Hey Kyle, if you still post, hope you are hanging in...God bless.....
It's the subtlest of things that makes The Wire so great. I've seen it so many times and I still find something new every time. At 0:57, when Bubbles says he hadn't seen some of these faces in years and that he thought they were dead, Johnny's entire worldview is summed up in just a couple of terse words, "Same thing, ain't it?" I'm unlikely to ever see any other show reach the zenith of story telling that The Wire sits at. Just genius.
I was at an AA meeting, and a guy who had a few months said something along the lines of how he didn't feel like he ever hit a rock bottom. One of our old timers said "Rock bottom is where you decide to put down the shovel". That always stuck with me, and I think it's a very good message.
@@stephengrigg5988I used to be in West Baltimore everyday when I was wrapped up in the grips of my addiction. You said it, man, I was up state at SCI Fayette in Pennsylvania and my first sponsor with a wheel doing life said “I hit rock bottom when I put my shovel down” I was on the other side state prison and suddenly everything made sense when when his words sunk in. It was an epiphany and a paradox all at once and it had a dramatic impact for the betterment of my life.
heroin has ruined my arms,hands, my parent's trust(which kills me because my mom told me that she used to trust me more than any of my siblings)the love of my sisters and brother, my gf which i miss everyday and ill never get her back and most of all, its ruined my life. im going to my first NA meeting tonight. im really nervous, i dont know why.
love it, everytime i watch it, steve earle is a hero from way, way back, i've got 3 yrs clean and having a great personal crisis right now.....still....alll you can do if keep going on...
16 days sober. It's Christmas day and I don't have any family or friends to share this news with. But I'm hopeful that one day, if I stay clean, things will change.
That's a big deal! 2 whole ass weeks and a couple days. Just remember when being sober for any more than 6hrs caused distress and panic. Keep going and for a fact life will get better each day, one day at a time. 🔷️8-11-19🔷️
I watched this clip years ago. Great clip. Great show….. my little sister died of endocarditis last year. She was an addict for 10+ years and had close to a decade of recovery… just too much damage done. I’m sitting here holding back tears. I have my own addictions, and while I have been doing very well the last couple years I think it’s time to go back to do a little Maintenence on myself.
i know i've commented oon this before, i am a 50 yr old mama of 3, great Steve Earle fan, Catholic Christian, writer, friend, native Texan...and recovering addict, vicodin, oxycotin, tequila...ther aren't enough words...steve earle is great inspiration in my life, we don't share political beliefs,but he inspires me with his courage to look himself in the mirror and say, "i am an addict, but today i am clean." i hope i get to that point......God bless you all...
This is the most accurate depiction of NA/12 step meetings that has ever been in TV or the movies. You can tell Steve Earle probably helped write this scene, because it is so authentic
As anyone who has been to one of these meetings can attest to, Simon and Co really nailed the tone and vibe perfectly. I mean, they condensed an hour long meeting into five minutes, but it's TV. Apart from that, it's perfect. I read that they actually brought in people in recovery for this scene to make it more believable.
“Yo we shoved off this morning” …Such a great piece of dialogue. It shows that bubbles took the keychain because he has a “sincere desire to live,” a completely foreign concept to johnny.
Love Steve Earle saw him in concert a few weeks ago he was great in the wire but all of the stuff he said in the wire was based on true stuff. Mad respect to him
Steve tells it like it is always because he is a recovering addict himself, as am I. he has given me more inspiration and courage than anyone in my life, other than my own family. You could have looked all over the world and not found anyone else as perfect to portray Walon as Steve Earle does in The Wire. God bless him and all of you who struggle with your own demons.
My brother has been sober over a year now. Has been steadily working and a baby girl on the way that he won’t stop talking about. I’m proud of you brother! I got your back til the end!
I never thought about the countdown for days of sobriety. Instead of focusing on people with the most days clean it focuses on people with the least days because they need the most encouragement and support.
7 weeks into my sobriety and I have showed more growth then in the past 7 years! Update : I’m still serving god still sober , no slip ups… starting my 4th year February 13th… amen and hallelujah!
I was in a psych ward as a young man and the prayer at the end hit me hard because we used to say that prayer after group sessions. Whatever your situation is, you can change your life.
Thanks for posting this. One of the more powerful scenes from The Wire in my opinion. This, to me, is an accurate representation of what an NA meeting can be like. On the other hand, sometimes an NA meeting can challenge you with tests of your management of anger, jealousy, despair etc. It is someone saying something like this, though, that can give you a boost of hope every now and then... and who couldn't use a little hope?
Coming from a family of alcoholics and some drug addicts many who go to AA, my dad a lifelong alcoholic who had long stretches of sobriety and being drunk..... this scene is very relevant to me.
if anyone is reading this who is just getting INTO opiates, my advice would be to start a taper program immediately and get off as fast as you can. Unless it's a quality of life V. pain thing, then you need pain mgmt. If it's purely recreational, do not keep using. You WILL lose everything because tolerance grows exponentially and income doesn't. You'll lose everything and everyone, and trying to get through recovery when that has happened is very difficult because, in a sense, you don't have anything to come back to (except yourself, which still makes recovery worth it, it's just a lot harder). So don't wait til you hit rock bottom. In recovery they have a saying: "raise the bottom." Also, the idea of a single rock bottom is a myth. Most drug addicts have MANY bottoms. You won't believe how low you can go, the shit you will do to get drugs when you're craving opiates, whether its Oxy, heroin, or fent. Try to quit before it gets that bad. You'll thank yourself later on. As for all the ppl watching this who are in recovery from opiates: congrats! that shit ain't easy. i know from experience.
Understatement of the year. Fuck opiates they should only be used for extreme pain and end of life. I got my first bottle off a sore kneck from a car crash. If I only knew the pain and suffering I would cause myself and others back then I'm sure I would have laid in bed and took it on the chin.
EXACTLY how NA meetings go...esp in Baltimore. Having a hard time staying committed to the program since I haven't hit the same bottom as everyone else...senseless. I'm glad this show gave people an insight into what it's like...even if everyone still thinks an addict is a junkie who can't be trusted
That's what's beautiful about it, is that you make your own bottom. Anyone can always go deeper. Part of why people share their story is so that you can see how low it can take you, so maybe just maybe, you don't have to go as low and experience the pain that they did.
@@Muzzychipmunk Yeah, I prefer the idea that there is no rock bottom, so it's time to start climbing again when you can. There's a non-existent comfort in thinking there's a point where things can't possibly get worse, and that's what gets people killed.
dinn, congratulations, my friend, i've been clean now 24 days, after about 9 years of using....i love this clip, i find steve earle's story, like his incredible music, a graet inspriration in my life.....and, i'm proud of him, too, for 13 yrs clean! proves a Texas boy, like me, a Texas girl, can make it....
Bubbles and his redemption arc are ultimately my favorite aspects of an already phenomenal show - spoiler ahead the scene where his sister welcomes him back into her house at the end was really one of the most well-earned redemptions i've ever seen on a show
Walon is actually Steve Earle, playing himself in a slightly alternate universe. He did the song Way Down in the Hole as well as another for The Wire. He also had serious problems with drug addiction.
This brought tears to my eyes, i was beeing on the verge of becoming an alcoholic, i'm 21 and i haven't drank since i started having problems breathing, irregular heart rythms was taken to the hospital by ambulance twice where they told me i was still healthy and that everyone has unexplainable irregular heart rythms sometimes, i developed an extreme psychological fear of dying or getting sick and stopped weed/alcohol, but i still have a void which i know will kill me if i dont fill it.
So awful and ironic that Walon's real life son (Justin Townes Earle) recently passed from an overdose. I'm sure he wishes he could talk some sense into him. RIP.
It is pretty on the nose, but I have heard him say in interviews he loved working on the show because he was able to read lines written by other great writers. I have always wondered if he added the guitar line, though.
@terriann78 I remember an interview with Steve, who plays Walon, about this scene. He said it was great because it was like being in a meeting all day shooting the scene. Many of the extras were in recovery (and of course he is as well - no acting required.) Congrats on those 14 months.
Four months sober now.
UPDATE: Seven months!!!
UPDATE 2: TWO WHOLE YEARS!!!!!!
3rd Update: Yup, three years!
Four years this April…
4th update: got four years this April, going for five april/2023!
5th update: five years, half a decade. 1826 days. No morphine, no pills, no alcohol. Never felt better. Thanks for everybody who supported me and to those of you who encouraged me in the comments below!
6th update: April of 2024 was my 6th year sober!
But you’re still a loser though.
your doing great mate
How you doing??
@@xelefonte In your opinion, which isn't worth much.
@@xelefonte He's already accomplished more than you.
UPDATE: 11 years sober :)
God Bless, Brother. You the man..!
Excellent work, Snake!
Good for you. I hit 2 years in October. God be praised.
bless
6 months today brother!
How many other tv shows other than the Wire have ever humanized heroin addicts?
Bill Johnson got that right
+Bill Johnson Well the Corner...but that was based on real life and also written by David Simon
If you have not seen the first season of American Crime (not to be confused with American Crime Story), you should check it out. The relationship between two addicts is poignant and central to the story. It also deals seriously with social issues, as did The Wire.
@@JimmySteller uhhh no not really and she got killed off pretty much instantly
my mom is inrecovery and i never watched this show for those reasons but i see it now and i happy for it
Seeing Bubbles enthralled by the love they all share for one another for being able to get clean to the point where he stood up and took a coin just to feel it himself is a real tear-jerker. Andre Royo deserved an Emmy for Bubbles.
"...24 hours or a sincere desire to live." It's what those meetings are all about.
liar
@@ticharribetikymo257 Who's a liar? He's pointing out the effort the actor that played bubbles put into the character. i couldn't say i was moved to shed a tear myself but i felt it.
@@nervousnorvus1944 slappytheclown4. any more questions?
I was so happy that they kept Waylon around till the end of the show. Such a good character
I believe he's the one who does the intro song.
@@zoo05zooyes, Season 5
@@zoo05zoofor the 5th season. Each season its a different variation of the same song
Steve Earle has struggled with addiction in his own life, too.
Ya that little speech he gave was really powerful dude killed it
"I don't care who you are, what you done, or who you done it to, if you're here, then so am I."
To me, that's the definition of unconditional love, right there.
"Does anybody have 24 hours or a sincere desire to live." So sad that Johnny couldn't see which Bubbles was taking key chain for.
it was a subtle line for the viewer to see which Bubbles was taking the key chain for.
What?
@@SuperSlimshady1
A sincere desire to live... in lieu of 24 hours clean
The laugh he did when he thought bubbles was just taking a keychain for w/e or to sell it tho lol
@@simonpeter5032 Johnny was disgusting, and I've seen a lot of people like him. Totally devoting their lives to a cause called drugs. Fucking losers.
The Wire got a lot of rep for showing the brutal side of life, but it above all showed the fragile humanity in everyone. Bubbles is the best fictional character ever written.
that´s very accurate, well put, i think i haven´t see a great character and performance since i watched Frank Sinatra in the Man with the golden arm, you can see the hellish fight in his face, how he battles to overcome his addiction. A great one.
Bubbles was based on a real life addict and police informant David Simon knew as "Possum". Sadly his life did not have the happy ending Bubs got.
Well put
oh shut up
Best fictional character ever written? You’re reaching bro. A dope fiend with a good heart, Is hardly the best fiction character ever written. What about Livia soprano, king Joffrey, Alonzo from training day, almost every anime has a better written fictional character than bubbles. The joker from Batman.
I used to watch this and never think I'd ever be in recovery like a chump. But here I am 12 months and counting
Congrats! Keep it up.
@@darlincommitme thank you, best decision I ever made 😃
i hope you're still sober brother!
A live chump is better than a dead addict. Keep living your best life.
From Johnny to Reginald. Love you brother keep up the good work.
Shannon Addict, Today I have 44 days clean, in a row I might add. I really like what he said about one more high but not one more recovery
I hope you have 11 years and 44 days sober :)
Hoping for the best fir you Shannon!
God bless
hope all’s been well love !
@@TheUnfunMonthsBand She is gone, dead.
"I dont care who you are, what you done, or who you done it to, im here to talk sense..."
I love that
Lorra Hentosh wow well said!!
My fav line was I may not get high today but I know my addiction is out on the sidewalk on steroids doing pushups ...not exactly quote lol
His whole chair is brilliant as a recovering addict acholic myself.
The actor that plays “Waylon” is an amazing singer songwriter named Steve Earle that actually went through a rough heroin addiction and his son just passed away last week. Steve has to be the strongest person out there.
RIP Justin Townes Earle.
He also sung the title sequence for season 5 and I believe the outro for season 2 or 3 i can't exactly remember.
Oxycontin Blues is the shit
@@johnnyorigami6300 yeah it'll turn your life to shit to. Stop while ya still can bro
@@tylerpool5464 It's a song by Steve Earle.
I never saw the credits but I damn sure thought thats who it was. Good to know
The guy playing Bubbles gave us the greatest performance in the show IMO.
He is such an astonishing actor
Greatest development arc for sure.
I'd have to agree. If anyone on this show deserved an Emmy it was Andre Royo
Bubbles and Frank Sobatka
Even just the hug in this scene where he only uses one arm but holds on just a little longer than you’d expect is such great acting
Steve Earle is a legend. He doesn't speak about anything that he hasn't experienced. He's insightful - he's an accomplished author. His insight into songwriting is beyond comparison. He's a national treasure to all Americans.
He performed the intro for Season 5
wilson blauheuer nagging? Actually he is the one that helps save his life.
xele fonte Troll
@@xelefonte who hurt you
@@xelefonte bruh wtf are you talkin about, dude's alive and well at 65 years lmao
"Does anybody have 24 hours or a sincere desire to live?"
So sad that Johnny didn't understand that Bubs went up for the 2nd reason.
I’m 4 months clean. Been in recovery for about 4 years. I’ll get a few months clean and then get high again… Been having a hard time lately but determined to stay sober. This video always helps. Great to read through the comments too and know that people still come here to check in.
You're not alone friend.
Don’t give up!
It's ok brother. I did that same thing all thru my 20s. Got clean for 6 months, dabbled, relapsed. Got clean again, same thing. Then I got on Suboxone and rode that for years and came off it cold turkey in prison. It wasn't that bad either. I don't think I'll ever go back to that horrible lifestyle
@@flightofthebumblebee9529 Thanks so much, really appreciate this.
I've never been through what you have experienced, but you have my support and it doesn't matter what happened in the past, you're a good person. Stay strong ✊🏻
bubbles didn't take the badge for the 24hours sober, but for his sincere desire to live
That day, Reginald was reborn and bubbles started to die.
So true...
And Bubs finally died along with Sherrod in S4.
@@gerardomendez7718 Bubs died?
@@waragainstmyself1159 not truly. I meant that figuratively: Sherrod's death was the lowest point for Bubbles, a burden that made him try to kill himself. He then got sober, and at that point Bubbles had faded away and Reginald was brought back.
@@gerardomendez7718
You a patient man
For any of you recovering, I don't know you and you will never be more than text on my screen. But each day, each week, each month, each year you are clean and sober know this.
I'm proud of you. I'm proud of you for being alive. For being able to heal yourself. For being strong enough to fight day and in and day out against something that wants you dead.
Thank you for still being here to inspire others to be here.
You can clearly see Bubbles struggling internally to come to terms with how much far he has gone, to lay waste his life, with addiction, after hearing people talk in this meeting. And yet, he still has a mind and a soul that is willing to overcome all of this with a sincere desire to live.
Going to my first AA meeting tonight Sunday October 14, 2018
keep coming back - it works if you work it (and you're worth it!)
Don't give up keep going it will make a difference.
How’s it going Bianca?
xele fonte sorry to disappoint, I'm not dead and I wasn't that much of an addict to alcohol I just wanted to quit drinking all together. I'll go back to my great life in Chicago with my university of Chicago law degree thank you!
Thanks for the kind words everyone! I'm doing good. It was and still is very much a struggle especially around this stressful time of year. I fell off with meetings just went back to my first one in 4 weeks.
I'm a recovering addict "in & out" of the program for years. But this is the best example of a NA meeting I ever seen. This reminds me of my favorite NA meeting on the West side of Chicago.
Same thing I thought. The fellowship is portrayed in a ton of movies, but I always see something wrong that would never actually happen.
This scene alone makes the case for why this is the best written show ever.
SteelRocker
Oddly enough, the audience reactions are probably off because these are not actors. The extras were actually members of a 12 step group. Steve Earle talked about filming the scene, and said i was great because it was like being at a meeting all day.
And on the BB vs Wire comparison, I think they both are some of the best writing on TV, but both had weaknesses. THeir strengths are really different, though, so it is hard to compare. THe Wire was more real, BB was more fun.
SteelRocker Hahahah okay bud
The Mack Miley the reason why breaking bad doesn't compare with the wire or even the sopranos because breaking bad wasn't really all that thought provoking... like Vince Gilligan said he wanted to turn mr chips into Scarface so breaking bad was basically only about character development thru the backdrop of a man who deals meth and becomes a kingpin very entertaining but no message really beside her cliche "crime doesn't pay "... Where is the wire had character development but that wasn't all it was about...thru the backdrop of alot of different faucets of the city of Baltimore the show was about how institutions fail and can never be reformed but the realism was so on point from the dialogue to the everything else... and u got the sopranos , thru the backdrop of a mafia Don and his 2 family's it was a show about the human condition and the different conditions that us humans go thru... from Tony and his father Johnny boy and there narcissistic personalitys..u had his sister Janice who had her issues .. Christopher and the Drug addict trait alot of us deal with , then you had uncle junior and his age catching up to him all the way to dementia
what I'm saying is at face value .. sure the sopranos is about the mafia... the wire is about drug dealers and cops... but when u look at the big picture it was sooo much more then that!
breaking bad was very entertaining but it was very 1 dimensional ... very entertaining tho it's probably in my top 7 for shows
just my 2 cents don't mind me
5280L33DU99YN THANKS man, your opinion give me hope in The human. Breaking bad was good, just good is so far of The wire and sopranos that when i read people saying is The best serie in The history i dont know if i want to laugh or cry. Really good explanation of why The wire and sopranos are just at another level.
Juan Cruz thanks man..
The supporting cast was just so awesome it made each episode special.
I just gotta say it, The Wire is hands down the best TV series of all time, i'm sorry if you haven't acquired the wisdom yet to fully appreciate such as great show.
Yep
It's good but I've seen better shows on HBO
MrSupermarioOG better shows? like what?
Totally.
@@MrSupermarioOG like what man?? Its been 6 years so you must be typing a hell of a reply.
This scene literally changed my outlook on life. Changed my life.
seven months clean. i watched all of the wire about 10 years ago and had no recollection of this scene. rewatching it now, though, this is one of the heaviest scenes in the whole series.. got real choked up watching bubbles's eyes, and then seeing him take a white key tag. (i also wound up in my first NA meeting by a happy accident.)
funny, the things that matter to you at different times in your life.
I've been playing the hokey pokey for the past 10 years. I smoked and drank for fun. Until it wasn't. But I would rewatch this series every year, and this scene would always kill me. I think I'm finally on the path to a permanent way out. I'm proud of you and i know I'm not the only one
Great for both of you n this comment section!!! Keep it up never know who else u will influence‼️
4:25 Bubbs have a "sincere desire to live"!
Love that, so subtle
When bubbles gets up here it breaks my heart, just the longing and hope, and wanting to be part of this community of people recovering
Oh but Bubbles ends the series, is in the last episode, still in recovery. His story is part of what makes 'The Wire' such a powerful series.
“Or, a sincere desire to live”. I had never really picked up on that line before. Like Johnny, you focus on the “24 hours”. You can clearly see it’s sincere on Bub’s part, but I always interpreted the scene almost like a low level scam, in keeping with Bubs’ character, to get the high of the warmth and positive energy of the group. Just another seed sown, ready to germinate in a later series.
He actually does it because he wants that acceptance. He does have a sincere desire to live. But he gets up when he sees the hugs and cheers and affection. The acceptance. He wants that.
Then when Johnny points it out he feels like a fraud. Knowing he got high earlier. Knowing he lied to all these people.
Now that doesn't mean it's not the catalyst for his change or that he doesn't have a sincere desire to be better. But at that moment all he wants is someone to give a damn about him. And in the brief moment he feels it.
Isn't that what we all basically want? For someone to just have an honest care towards us? Addictions usually start when people are at their lowest and feel worthless, and we base our worth on how others judge and hold us.
If anyone looks at people like bubbles and thinks he's wrong for wanting to feel accepted by everyone in that room, you're part of the addiction cycle. Facts.
It often takes many attempts and relapses to get sober. This was Bubbles first self-acknowledgement that that was what he truly wanted. It took him a long time from this moment to get there, but he did it. If Bubs can do it, I believe anyone can.
@@Tkieron I think it is clear that Bubs got up because he had a *sincere desire to live* which was good enough to get up. So if that is true, then he did not scam or lie to anyone in that scene.
I think it was both. He wanted to feel included and happy, but I think it's because what Waylon said resonated with him. Just look at Bubs' facial expressions, he feels like he's talking to him.
The part that most people miss though, is this is Bubs taking step one. He never looks at the drug world the same way after this. He's like most addicts where wanting to be clean and being clean has a long winding path between the two.
"yo-we shot up this morning..." what a line to end this incredibly powerful scene. I don't think I've ever seen a better depiction of hard drug users. bubbles' face as waylon's words cut deep is incredibly moving. but it's johnny you feel the most sorry for. there's a kid who can't see how fast the bottom is rushing up at him until he crashes right through it!
Johnny was an idiot on par with Herc. They were never honest with others nor themselves, and they never learned a lesson no matter how benevolent someone gave them. For Johnny it culminated in an OD. For Herc, it was from working for the poh-lice to working for a parasite.
amazing how quickly Herc switched sides without a question of what is the right and what is the wrong side of things
Herc wasn't built for natural police work. Also, his trajectory through the show illustrates a hard truth that's difficult for many to cope with: It's better to be lucky than good. That's what I love about this show. A lot of people "deserved" one fate, good or bad, but ended up with another.
Jack Daniels fuck him man
he said "shoved off"
Steve Earle amazing singer/ songwriter, amazing actor ... just all round amazing !!!!
i watch this over and over....as a huge Stever Earle fan, and a recovering addict myself, this is such an inspiration to me.....great acting...
How did I not know that was Steve Earle. Crazy.
After 13 years, this is still one of the most wholesome videos on the internet
6 months clean now, since i started coming to this video, and i still do several times a week...Steve continues to inspire me...he was in Minneapolis recently on his WSS tour, i had the great good fortune to see him, he was incredible..both as a singer/songwriter and a truly compassionate human being...you have to go a long way to find folks like that.....
Hey Kyle, if you still post, hope you are hanging in...God bless.....
It's the subtlest of things that makes The Wire so great. I've seen it so many times and I still find something new every time.
At 0:57, when Bubbles says he hadn't seen some of these faces in years and that he thought they were dead, Johnny's entire worldview is summed up in just a couple of terse words, "Same thing, ain't it?"
I'm unlikely to ever see any other show reach the zenith of story telling that The Wire sits at. Just genius.
There is a reason that Waylon's speech seems so genuine. Steve Earle is a recovering addict who has been to the bottom....
and pawned a lot more than one guitar.
Wow. I didn’t know this
I was at an AA meeting, and a guy who had a few months said something along the lines of how he didn't feel like he ever hit a rock bottom. One of our old timers said "Rock bottom is where you decide to put down the shovel". That always stuck with me, and I think it's a very good message.
@@stephengrigg5988I used to be in West Baltimore everyday when I was wrapped up in the grips of my addiction. You said it, man, I was up state at SCI Fayette in Pennsylvania and my first sponsor with a wheel doing life said “I hit rock bottom when I put my shovel down” I was on the other side state prison and suddenly everything made sense when when his words sunk in. It was an epiphany and a paradox all at once and it had a dramatic impact for the betterment of my life.
This scene is like, so much more heartbreaking now that Steve Earle's son died from an OD.
Word 😢
heroin has ruined my arms,hands, my parent's trust(which kills me because my mom told me that she used to trust me more than any of my siblings)the love of my sisters and brother, my gf which i miss everyday and ill never get her back and most of all, its ruined my life. im going to my first NA meeting tonight. im really nervous, i dont know why.
hope youre doing better
05 mustang gt so dude ! Cry me a party is this a fucking self help page
You're a jerk
05 mustang gt you are blessed never give up bro God bless you
"cry me a party" not only was that a dick move to insult this guy for no reason, but your insult was nonsense.
love it, everytime i watch it, steve earle is a hero from way, way back, i've got 3 yrs clean and having a great personal crisis right now.....still....alll you can do if keep going on...
5/19/23 ill be 13 years sober. Praise the Lord!
16 days sober. It's Christmas day and I don't have any family or friends to share this news with. But I'm hopeful that one day, if I stay clean, things will change.
That's a big deal! 2 whole ass weeks and a couple days. Just remember when being sober for any more than 6hrs caused distress and panic.
Keep going and for a fact life will get better each day, one day at a time.
🔷️8-11-19🔷️
This scene makes me cry every time. The writing, the casting, and the acting paint such a vivid picture of reality and human suffering.
I watched this clip years ago. Great clip. Great show….. my little sister died of endocarditis last year. She was an addict for 10+ years and had close to a decade of recovery… just too much damage done. I’m sitting here holding back tears. I have my own addictions, and while I have been doing very well the last couple years I think it’s time to go back to do a little Maintenence on myself.
Wow, i had totally forgotten that Bubs' sponsor had appeared before, way back in Season 1! that's amazing
i know i've commented oon this before, i am a 50 yr old mama of 3, great Steve Earle fan, Catholic Christian, writer, friend, native Texan...and recovering addict, vicodin, oxycotin, tequila...ther aren't enough words...steve earle is great inspiration in my life, we don't share political beliefs,but he inspires me with his courage to look himself in the mirror and say, "i am an addict, but today i am clean." i hope i get to that point......God bless you all...
This is the most accurate depiction of NA/12 step meetings that has ever been in TV or the movies. You can tell Steve Earle probably helped write this scene, because it is so authentic
The writing in the show is so damn good. Waylon's speech was so believable.
I frigging love this show.
As anyone who has been to one of these meetings can attest to, Simon and Co really nailed the tone and vibe perfectly. I mean, they condensed an hour long meeting into five minutes, but it's TV. Apart from that, it's perfect. I read that they actually brought in people in recovery for this scene to make it more believable.
I found myself reading the steps along with the reader hahahaha
0:52 I love how Bubbles appears to be wearing Marine Corps dress blue pants. Only an addict.
the realest show i've ever seen
Yessir
One of the most powerful scenes ever on TV. I come back to this over and over.
14 years and 4 months sober now...
Congratulations!
“Yo we shoved off this morning” …Such a great piece of dialogue. It shows that bubbles took the keychain because he has a “sincere desire to live,” a completely foreign concept to johnny.
This scene and the scene where Bubbles is sober in the park are the most beautiful thing ever aired on TV
Love Steve Earle saw him in concert a few weeks ago he was great in the wire but all of the stuff he said in the wire was based on true stuff. Mad respect to him
Steve tells it like it is always because he is a recovering addict himself, as am I. he has given me more inspiration and courage than anyone in my life, other than my own family. You could have looked all over the world and not found anyone else as perfect to portray Walon as Steve Earle does in The Wire. God bless him and all of you who struggle with your own demons.
Bubbles is the best character in tv history and nobody will convince me otherwise.
I’m friends with a guy who reminds me a lot of Waylon. Heart of gold but won’t bullshit you
one year sober. i never want to go back.
This is one of my favorite scenes of the entire series
My brother has been sober over a year now. Has been steadily working and a baby girl on the way that he won’t stop talking about. I’m proud of you brother! I got your back til the end!
I never thought about the countdown for days of sobriety. Instead of focusing on people with the most days clean it focuses on people with the least days because they need the most encouragement and support.
7 weeks into my sobriety and I have showed more growth then in the past 7 years!
Update : I’m still serving god still sober , no slip ups… starting my 4th year February 13th… amen and hallelujah!
I’m starting my 4th year next month … I’m now married and still serving god
That dude is an awesome actor. Great scene.
First time watching this I thought nothing of it , now years later and experienced it made me tear up.
So beautifull and you don`t need to be clean to get the white key chain :P
Got my yellow key chain last month :)
3 years later are you good?
I was in a psych ward as a young man and the prayer at the end hit me hard because we used to say that prayer after group sessions.
Whatever your situation is, you can change your life.
I have 3 minutes sober.
Forky Witherspoon I hope you have 6 years and 3 minutes sober
This scene is so inspiring. Love to see this. Also, what a performance by Steve Earle!
Thanks for posting this. One of the more powerful scenes from The Wire in my opinion.
This, to me, is an accurate representation of what an NA meeting can be like. On the other hand, sometimes an NA meeting can challenge you with tests of your management of anger, jealousy, despair etc.
It is someone saying something like this, though, that can give you a boost of hope every now and then... and who couldn't use a little hope?
Coming from a family of alcoholics and some drug addicts many who go to AA, my dad a lifelong alcoholic who had long stretches of sobriety and being drunk..... this scene is very relevant to me.
white guy on the podium asking for sober times looks like leonardo dicaprio sideways
This is one of my favorite scenes in the whole series, Steve Earle okayed this so well.
I SAID WAYLON
Yeah, why is that at the end?
Steve earl being in the wire and treme, just shows how much class both tv showed had.
Treme is criminally underrated :)
if anyone is reading this who is just getting INTO opiates, my advice would be to start a taper program immediately and get off as fast as you can. Unless it's a quality of life V. pain thing, then you need pain mgmt. If it's purely recreational, do not keep using. You WILL lose everything because tolerance grows exponentially and income doesn't. You'll lose everything and everyone, and trying to get through recovery when that has happened is very difficult because, in a sense, you don't have anything to come back to (except yourself, which still makes recovery worth it, it's just a lot harder). So don't wait til you hit rock bottom. In recovery they have a saying: "raise the bottom."
Also, the idea of a single rock bottom is a myth. Most drug addicts have MANY bottoms. You won't believe how low you can go, the shit you will do to get drugs when you're craving opiates, whether its Oxy, heroin, or fent.
Try to quit before it gets that bad. You'll thank yourself later on.
As for all the ppl watching this who are in recovery from opiates: congrats! that shit ain't easy. i know from experience.
Understatement of the year. Fuck opiates they should only be used for extreme pain and end of life. I got my first bottle off a sore kneck from a car crash. If I only knew the pain and suffering I would cause myself and others back then I'm sure I would have laid in bed and took it on the chin.
Alcholic, practicing and fully engagaed.Understanding yet the funniest thing I have ever see and one of my musical heros.
EXACTLY how NA meetings go...esp in Baltimore. Having a hard time staying committed to the program since I haven't hit the same bottom as everyone else...senseless. I'm glad this show gave people an insight into what it's like...even if everyone still thinks an addict is a junkie who can't be trusted
Remember, you don't have to hit rock bottom before you rise to the top.
Well said. (And good luck keeping clean, I wish you the best)
That's what's beautiful about it, is that you make your own bottom. Anyone can always go deeper. Part of why people share their story is so that you can see how low it can take you, so maybe just maybe, you don't have to go as low and experience the pain that they did.
@@Muzzychipmunk Yeah, I prefer the idea that there is no rock bottom, so it's time to start climbing again when you can. There's a non-existent comfort in thinking there's a point where things can't possibly get worse, and that's what gets people killed.
Rock bottom is when you decide to put down the shovel and stop digging
A strong desire to live is all it takes, and anyone can have that
What brilliant writing..!
dinn, congratulations, my friend, i've been clean now 24 days, after about 9 years of using....i love this clip, i find steve earle's story, like his incredible music, a graet inspriration in my life.....and, i'm proud of him, too, for 13 yrs clean! proves a Texas boy, like me, a Texas girl, can make it....
Bubbles and his redemption arc are ultimately my favorite aspects of an already phenomenal show - spoiler ahead
the scene where his sister welcomes him back into her house at the end was really one of the most well-earned redemptions i've ever seen on a show
I have struggled with addiction all of my life and when I saw this scene on dvd the other night I couldnt help but at hearing his testimony.
we will never stop fighting... this is our course
Walon is actually Steve Earle, playing himself in a slightly alternate universe. He did the song Way Down in the Hole as well as another for The Wire. He also had serious problems with drug addiction.
Waylon had a great speech, but the quality of that silent acting of Bubbles by Andre Royo is off the scale. One of many in this show. Pure class.
It takes him a while to get there, but this is step 1 for him.
Bubbles had heart. Prayer of serenity at end.
This brought tears to my eyes, i was beeing on the verge of becoming an alcoholic, i'm 21 and i haven't drank since i started having problems breathing, irregular heart rythms was taken to the hospital by ambulance twice where they told me i was still healthy and that everyone has unexplainable irregular heart rythms sometimes, i developed an extreme psychological fear of dying or getting sick and stopped weed/alcohol, but i still have a void which i know will kill me if i dont fill it.
i ain’t ever struggle with addiction but i love coming back to hear their speeches and read the stories in the comments
So awful and ironic that Walon's real life son (Justin Townes Earle) recently passed from an overdose. I'm sure he wishes he could talk some sense into him. RIP.
Nearly brings tears to my eyes.
If you’ve been there, you know.
life in the big city, steve must have written that, sounds too poetic and personal
It is pretty on the nose, but I have heard him say in interviews he loved working on the show because he was able to read lines written by other great writers. I have always wondered if he added the guitar line, though.
i don't know about all of that, but NA is saving my life...and Steve Earle is, and always will be, a great inspiration in my life...thanks, Steve...
I don’t even have a drug addiction lol, just really enjoy coming back to this scene. Shockingly underrated
Steve knocked this one out of the park.
One year sober of blow
1:31 anyone know a techno song that sampled his speech? I've heard it before but can't find it anywhere...
@terriann78
I remember an interview with Steve, who plays Walon, about this scene. He said it was great because it was like being in a meeting all day shooting the scene. Many of the extras were in recovery (and of course he is as well - no acting required.) Congrats on those 14 months.
8 years sober 🥹