What ‘The Pitt’ Gets Right About Addiction

The Pitt is such a fascinating example of what a great TV show needs: powerful narratives anchored by complex and nuanced characters as well as realistic - or so I’ve heard — medical scenarios. I’m not being hyperbolic when I say that literally everyone I’ve talked to about the show loves it.

Looking back at The Pitt’s first season, I can’t think of a storyline that isn’t powerful, but one hit hard for me because of who I am: an alcoholic in recovery who now provides individual therapy sessions for my fellow addicts.

If you’ve seen the show, you know the one I’m talking about: Dr. Langdon’s theft of a patient’s benzos. The scene where Dr. Robby confronts him as Langdon panics and tries to bluster his way out of it resonated for me in a “been there, done that, bought the shitty t-shirt” kind of way. Langdon’s spiraling denials — accusing others, cracking jokes, insisting he’s not high, defending himself as “high-functioning” — are painfully familiar.

I’m well-acquainted with that default defense. Too many addicts in denial fall back on the idea that “real” addicts look a certain way — disheveled, jobless, drunk in public. Not a doctor. Not someone who considers themselves high-functioning.

Sorry, Langdon, but I have evidence to introduce to the jury. The book Know Science, No Stigma by Dr. Chuck Smith and Dr. Jason Hunt breaks down the neurological mechanics of addiction, but their personal stories are the real hook. Both men were accomplished doctors. Both were also arrested for using and distributing the opioids they once prescribed. They were addicts and physicians — two identities that, contrary to public assumption, are not mutually exclusive.

One line in the preface still gets me: “Did you know that you can go through four years of undergraduate work, four years of medical school, and several years of residency, and in all of that time never take a single class in addiction science?” If the people we trust with our lives aren’t educated on addiction, how is anyone else supposed to understand it?

We revisit Langdon’s story five episodes later, when Robby lays out the terms: 30 days of inpatient rehab, random drug testing, and mandatory NA meetings for a year. It’s a textbook approach—and an accurate one. Inpatient treatment is especially crucial for people addicted to benzos and/or alcohol because they’re the two substances that can kill people who aren’t properly detoxed.

In the second confrontation, Langdon again insists he was never high — just managing withdrawal. Robby calls bullshit, reminding him that theft of controlled substances is a felony and that denial doesn’t erase the harm caused. Langdon accuses Robby of having his own breakdowns. The exchange becomes bitter and defensive.

This conversation unfolds like a gut-punch, but it’s a master class in the denial, bargaining, and anger that immerse a cornered addict and just how low they can go when confronted about their substance abuse. It’s also a great example for the friends and loved ones of an addict: Your person isn’t the only one who’s a dick about it, so don’t blame yourself.

There’s another brief but impactful arc: A father in town for his daughter’s wedding lands in the ER and receives a troublingly personal treatment plan from one of the doctors. Highly unethical, and Robby calls her on it. I’m hoping Huckleberry learns the right lesson.

What I respect most is how The Pitt doesn’t flinch from showing the ugliness. Addiction is terrifying and still not entirely understood. Some cases are genetic or environmental; others seem to come out of nowhere. I’ve had clients from completely sober families end up in active addiction. Seeking help can feel like failure, but it’s not. It’s courage.

I have a tattoo on my inner left wrist that says “one day at a time” in Latin. Sometimes it’s one hour. Addiction is a chronic condition. Addicts will never not be addicts. But it’s not terminal—not if you accept help from people who care. I can’t wait to see what they do with Langdon in season 2. I suspect I won’t be disappointed.