Harris Marquesano was one of these people. At the young age of 19, he died of accidental overdose after struggling with ADHD and anxiety for the majority of his life.

When the American healthcare system failed to treat both of his co-occurring disorders—ultimately leading to his tragic death—Harris’s mom, Stephanie Marquesano, founded the first and only national nonprofit solely dedicated to helping people see the connection between mental health and substance misuse.

The film twists a seemingly innocent drinking game—a relatable “rite of passage” that spans generations—to follow the story of one young woman as she slowly reveals the truth about how her mental health drives her substance use and vice versa. Helplessly, we witness her struggle to get through even the most routine moments: eating breakfast, going to school, being with friends.

The intentional repetition of “drink if you…” becomes a beating drum at the heart of the story, mirroring the cyclical nature of addiction as she’s forced into revelations she might otherwise avoid.

For this highly sensitive film to connect with young, skeptical audiences, the script needed to feel highly authentic. To ensure it reflected true lived experiences, each line was based on interviews with hundreds of people with co-occurring disorders.

The script opens with “drink if you…” challenges from our street casted actors. As it begins to grow darker, the lines are composited from the real experiences of those we interviewed. It is ultimately delivered in a flat and defeated deadpan, with little hope that the repetitive cycle will ever come to an end, building to a final cry for help.

The film launched 10/23/23 on the 10-year anniversary of the death by accidental overdose of Stephanie’s son, Harris Marquesano. It ran on donated media from AMC theaters, on pre-roll on Paramount Plus, Hulu, Fubo, and across social media.

More importantly, it has been integrated into schools and rehabilitation clinics across the country and has been screened for both local and national policymakers in an effort to establish a national comprehensive treatment program designed to treat mental health challenges and substance misuse together.

It has been covered in the press extensively, on morning news shows, and has even debuted in Washington DC.

It aims to reach young people at a time when they are experimenting, and may be unknowingly self-medicating themselves.