Amy Winehouse Doc Being Used On Drug Offenders in Thailand

Amy, this past summer’s documentary about the life and career of beloved singer Amy Winehouse, is now being shown to juvenile drug offenders in Thailand. The purpose of the screening is to deter the young boys from continuing down a path of drug addiction. A sort of Afterschool Special, if you will.

The Thai Health Promotion Foundation and the Stop Drink Network showed the film on Wednesday, at a juvenile detention center located near Bangkok. Nearly 100 boys from the center were among the viewers, along with university students and youth group members. “I think Amy’s story is a real story that reflects real problems in the society, especially among teenagers,” Kamron Chudecha of the Stop Drink Network told AP. “When Amy felt too much pressured, she acted out and started drinking, but she was gifted and she found that gift. It’s not too late for the students to find their gifts and learn from her mistakes.”

Kamron spoke of the similarities between Winehouse and the youths he meets at the detention center. “These kids think the society labels them as drug addicts, alcohol addicts and criminals. When one hits rock bottom, it takes a lot of courage to fight the loneliness and criticism, like when Amy has to fight the media attention and people around her. Amy lost the battle, but these kids still have a chance,” he said.