Addiction doesn’t play by rules, so anyone may, to some extent, end up using and abusing substances of any sort eventually. Addiction makes no difference when it comes to background, social status, financial possibilities, sex, and age.
Regardless of what you may think, people with impressive social status and financial power doctors, CEOs, and more) may develop dependence at some point in their life. And it’s the same for celebrities, no matter the reason for their fame.
Is addiction a common thing for celebrities?
We read in the magazine about how celebrities abuse drugs and alcohol, and some of them even die on the cause of it. Not only that, they have the same risk as regular people for developing an addiction, but they may even die because being watched all the time worsens their dependence.
For some, we watch on TV or read on the internet and magazine about every little thing that they do. It’s difficult for them to get help, as everyone knows in a second and, more importantly, puts shame onto the addicted.
We hear about addiction and celebrities so often that we may even think that it happens more for them than for the regular Joe. However, the number of stars suffering from addiction isn’t higher than the number of ordinary people.
People working in the TV industry admit that even if we talk about celebrities and addiction all the time, the addiction rates for stars aren’t different from those amongst regular people.
On the contrary, it seems that more people from the hospitality and restaurant industry struggle with addiction than in the entertainment and arts industry. More often than not, you may never find out about your colleagues at work addiction. On the other hand, you will almost always find out about celebrity addiction since it’s going to be in all papers and on TV shows.
Are there any typical reasons for which celebrities become addicted?
Just because you’re famous doesn’t mean that she/he doesn’t need treatment for addiction. Famous people are humans just like anyone else, so they may have the same difficulties when trying to get back on track. For whatever reason, we still think and see celebrities as better humans than the rest of us, so it makes no sense when they fail to overcome their addictions.
Most of us don’t know, but substances and alcohol can alter the brain’s functions and structure. It’s why the recovery and healing come so slowly (or seldom) with conventional rehab methods. At the same time, it’s also one of the reasons for which alternative methods give results. Not only that, they address the man, and not the symptoms, but they also go deep, helping the patient find out why addiction has appeared in his life. As a side note, Ayahuasca or ibogaine are known for the ability to change the brain and help it get back to the state before addiction.
Many of us fail to understand that it’s not will power that addicts lack; their brains are altered by drugs and substances, which is why they take the weirdest decisions.
Unlike ordinary people, celebrities may be at higher risk for developing an addiction for the following reasons:
Challenging schedules
They work at crazy hours, night and day. Shooting for a movie may look fun and exciting from a distance, but it can also be exhausting. They need to fly to many places, miss holidays and family events. Many celebrities joggle several jobs at the same time, rending their schedules to be crazy busy.
High-stress environment
Being famous (no matter if it’s because you’re royal, movie star, or sports player) isn’t natural, and people always have an eye on you.
Sometimes, paparazzi are always there to take you a photo, even if you want to be left alone. Remember Princess Diana?
Easy access to drugs and substances
When you’re famous, doors are open, no matter where they lead you. Money isn’t a problem for getting something to abuse, and there aren’t any problems in getting what you want. It’s that easy!
Peer pressure
It’s true mostly for young people who need to abuse substances or drugs to fit in. There’s also the case of people who got famous at an early age in their life when handling the constant criticisms and the public eye is incredibly challenging. It’s the case for Macaulay Culkin or Demi Lovato, but the list of celebrities becoming addicted (and even dying from it) is so very long.
In the case of celebrities, there’s an unfortunate vicious circle that develops: “stress +relief= repetition.” All in all, being famous doesn’t make you an addict, but it surely makes it easier for you to become one.
Is overdose common among celebrities?
Unfortunately, we’ve all heard about iconic cultural figures that dealt with drug abuse and ended up losing the fight. Whether they’ve died from drug-related deaths or overdosed, so many celebrities end their lives from substance abuse.
Even if autopsies mentioned drowning, heart failure, or something else as to cause of death, drugs were also cited as contributing factors. Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Heath Ledger, or Prince are only some of the many to name.
Is there a connection between drugs and creativity?
The worst part about drugs is that they become both a motivation and an enemy for an artist. There is no direct connection between the two, but addiction plays its part when it comes to engaging other factors boosting creativity.
People trying drugs are typically people that like adventures, taking chances, and pretty impulsive. All of these characteristics describe creative people, as well. Creative people will abuse substances for boosting their creativity.
Some also feel that substances help them control stage fright and anxiety, so they become more relaxed and comfortable while performing. Soon enough, substance abuse becomes the safety net, and they turn to it whenever feeling insecure or less creative.
What should celebrities do?
Addiction is a health condition, and no one can heal on his/her own. Some of the celebrities go public and admit their fight, which is excellent for eliminating the stigma of addiction.
As long as people, no matter if they’re famous or not, admit their addiction, there’s a better chance of healing.