HBO's 'Addiction': Stories With a Kick

Promising drug treatments, such as buprenorphine for opiate addiction and topiramate for alcoholism, are also featured.

But it's all about the stories, and the final two segments are most inspiring -- and frustrating.

Barbara Kopple profiles Don Perks, a former "hard drinker" who now runs a recovery program for his Steamfitters Union in Astoria. In his 20s, he says, it was a "dream come true" that he could drink at work, and that everyone "took care of each other by enabling."

But Perks, a blue-collar tough guy with a New York accent, realized he had a problem and helped create a recovery and after-care program for the union.

"We're not here to stop people from drinking," he says. "We're here to help people who want to stop."

Amid the upbeat stories are some downers: One segment focuses on how managed care hinders people from getting the help they need. One woman tells how her daughter was kicked out of a 28-day recovery program because the insurance company refused to pay beyond her first week of care.

The daughter died the next day.

Addiction (90 minutes) premieres tonight at 9 on HBO. HBO2 will air a series of shorter documentaries starting tomorrow night.