Taboo

Mike in Vancouver began drinking when he was 12. Now he's 27, and he can't stop. Faced with withdrawal symptoms, rehab becomes Mike's biggest challenge. In Denmark, Dennis is 14 years old, has an alcoholic mother in recovery and has already been hospitalized for excessive drinking. Dennis embarks on a binge-drinking vacation in Spain paid for by his mom, who believes a holiday of excess may teach him a lesson.

In Nigeria, Shagon Shano participates in a traditional fight known as Dambe. Boxers can strike anywhere on the body, with the fist or the feet. The goal is to deliver a single decisive blow to cause the opponent's hand or knee to touch the ground.

Conventional western medicine is based on science, research, and technology. But in cultures around the world, many still look to monks, mystics, and magic potions, putting their faith in extreme cures.

Eric in Jacksonville, Fla., trades in true crime collectibles murderabilia. His online business sells souvenirs of serial killers, including artwork, letters and craft items from many well-known serial killers and mass murderers, including a so-called Craigslist killer, throughout the country.

Meet a woman who's in love with a man nearly three times her height. Then, find out why a man hides his homosexuality, promising to love and obey his wife. Delve inside the inner workings of a marriage made up of three partners. While some may think these are odd couples, this is marital bliss for others.

Living two lives can be seen as deceitful, bizarre and Taboo. Meet a woman who lives part-time in a wheelchair pretending to be paraplegic although she's not. And see how two groups of people become completely different when dressed in costumes. Later, meet a man who lives on the streets, but also owns and lives in a million-dollar house.

In Idaho, 17-year-old Bethany has the uncontrollable urge to pull out her hair. Her condition has alienated her from others and she lives in constant fear of being stigmatized.

In Cambodia, the Kreung people encourage the sexual independence of their daughters by building separate huts for them to sleep in. In these "love huts," the girls meet with boys for social interaction and sex with the hope of finding a good husband. In Mississippi, Camille and Emily are taking part in a purity ball, where daughters pledge their sexual purity to their fathers and in return receive purity rings.

Since ancient times, humans have expressed their passions and their personalities through their collections. But when a collection crosses the line from passion to obsession, ignoring legal, moral and taste boundaries, then it becomes taboo.

In our modern world, old stereotypes are changing. There are now many variations on the traditional ideal of heterosexual monogamy and marriage, like serial monogamy, homosexuality and open relationships.

Explore drug cultures around the world where people use drugs to enter an "altered state" -- sometimes with dangerous consequences.

Explore the human fascination with violence as sport, and see how it taps into hidden corners of our common heritage.

In Phoenix, Arizona, a battle for the souls of those said to be possessed is being waged, not by priests, but by five teenage girls. In Colombia, a man's life is crumbling away. Believing he is tortured by demons, he feels he has only two options: suicide or an exorcism. And in Florida, an ex-prostitute and drug addict has become the leader of an evangelical ministry that promises salvation through deliverance from demonic possession.

In Gurgaon, India an 82-year-old nun voluntarily fasts to the death in a religious ritual, attended by her children. A Taiwanese man honors his dead father with exotic dancers gyrating at the graveside. And an octogenarian in San Francisco lives with death every day amongst his vast collections of skeletal remains.

Fruitarians Aloma and Matthew live off fruit they find in city dumpsters. Puppy play enthusiast Liliane takes her human puppy Jen, aka Tyke, for a walk in the park. Freelance writer Erias walks his dog too, when his sex-worker girlfriend Jessi has company. In Chicago, Matt Daniel and his fiance Casey Levan share an unusual fetish for skintight body suits known as zentai.

Dug, a foot fetishist, has over 300 pairs of shoes and 5+ million photographs of feet. While most collectors keep their collection in their home, Lonnie has allowed his collection to become his home. In Turkey, a potter's strange collection is hidden in an underground cave. What started as a childhood hobby for Lawrence has spun out of control forcing him to rely on his parents.

When people go to extremes with body modification, they provoke fear and disbelief. Take for example, the world's most pierced woman, Elaine Davidson with her 6000+ piercings; Mary Jose Cristerna, with horn implants; pumped up female bodybuilders; and Japan's adventurous bagel-heads, having saline injected into their foreheads for a temporary mutant thrill.

At age 18, Owen has started taking testosterone treatments to transition to his new self. In Nepal, an eight-year-old girl is a living Hindu goddess who is rarely allowed to speak and must never show emotion. Meanwhile, an adolescent boy in India is training for his career as a snake charmer.

Examine the effects of excessive alcohol consumption amongst the Phoenix's Labor Day weekend party-goers and the battle of medical and law enforcement agencies to prevent injury and save lives.

Behind the scenes in every society, there are people doing jobs we can barely imagine; people who come into contact with sights, smells and substances that are not only disgusting, but often put their health at risk.

While in California, the bride and groom are dressed, but it's even more bizarre - they're dogs. In Indonesia, a young man kidnaps his bride. And in India, pimps plot violence when a mass wedding threatens their trade.