Celebrity Drug Abuse

Drug Addiction And Abuse | British Singer Amy Winehouse Is Latest Drug Addiction And Abuse Casualty

July 25, 2011 By 08challenges 3 Comments

Amy Winehouse was discovered dead in her London home on Saturday, and it’s widely speculated that the drug addiction and abuse with which she openly struggled was the root of the tragedy.

The 27-year-old singer was known for her sultry, velvety voice that won her several Grammy awards and seemingly instant notoriety as a profound talent. Yet, as so common with other young celebrities, Winehouse also struggled with drug and alcohol addiction that she couldn’t seem to shake even after pleas from family, friends and several trips to rehab.

Although many speculate that Amy’s death was caused by drug addiction and abuse, local authorities are cautioning people from jumping to conclusions and have said that her cause of death is still unknown. An autopsy is expected to be completed within a week.

After finishing alcohol rehabilitation earlier this year, Amy blazed back onto the music scene in June to launch a European comeback tour. Yet after a disastrous performance in Serbia, during which Amy stumbled, slurred her words and failed to recall song lyrics, the singer canceled her remaining appearances—and spawned a flurry of media coverage about her health.

As Amy battled drug addiction and abuse, she also admitted that she was diagnosed bipolar disorder. In spite of the fact that bipolar disorder is a serious mental illness, Winehouse refused medical help for the mental health condition, instead opting for her own treatment that likely fueled her need for drugs and alcohol.

With her tragic death at 27, Amy joins a grim club known as “Forever 27,” comprised of other musicians, all of whom were similarly addicted, who died at the same age, including Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison and Kurt Cobain.

Amy’s death is a stark reminder of the consequences of drug and alcohol addiction, as well as untreated mental health conditions. People struggling with mental health issues are infinitely more likely to have problems with drug and alcohol addiction. If you or someone you know is in need of help, we’re here to offer a variety of treatment options and assistance. Feel free to contact us any time.

Image via AmericanSongwriter.com

Matthew Perry: Another Celebrity Struggles With Prescription Drug Abuse

June 13, 2011 By 08challenges Leave a Comment

Matthew Perry, Friends’ star and current star of ABC’s “Mr. Sunshine” is yet another celebrity struggling with prescription drug abuse. The star has had a history of substance abuse and has been to rehab twice before for treatment for prescription pill addiction.

Perry’s statement of several weeks ago announcing his return to rehab was tongue in cheek, “I’m making plans to go away for a month to focus on my sobriety and to continue my life in recovery. Please enjoy making fun of me on the World Wide Web.”

Celebrities aren’t the only ones fighting the battle with prescription drugs. In the state of Florida, prescription drug abuse has literally been called an epidemic.

In Florida, the stats are beyond alarming: Pills are involved in 75% of all the drug-related deaths and on average, 11 people die daily from prescription drug overdoses.

In fact, Current TV’s award winning series Vanguard’s disturbing documentary The Oxycontin Express calls South Florida “the Colombia of prescription drugs” and exposes how law enforcement is dealing with prescription drug abuse and what is being called a national epidemic.

In the United States, more people are now abusing prescription drugs than heroin, cocaine and ecstacy combined. And the drug of choice for a growing number of users is Oxydocone a synthetic opoid known by the name OxyContin. OxyContin is basically heroin, made in a lab – by pharmaceutical companies.

Developed to treat people in several chronic pain and now a part of a booming illicit trade in prescription pills, doctors in storefront pain clinics are liberally dispensing prescription painkillers 10 times more than every other state.

Prescription painkillers are ingested, shot, snorted and, most importantly, causing death at alarming rates. This is quite literally a national epidemic, and one that features the State of Florida, and especially South Florida, at the very center of it all.

Florida’s Gov. Rick Scott signed a bill into law on Friday penalizing doctors who overprescribe painkillers, authorizing a database that monitors prescription drugs and attempting to control the state’s widespread “pill mills.”

We wish Perry all the best as he works to control his addiction.

Image Credit: SugarSlam

Filed Under: blog, Celebrity Drug Abuse Tagged With: Matthew Perry in Rehab, Overprescribing painkillers, Pill Mills, Prescription Drug Abuse, South Florida Prescription Drug Pill Mills, The OxyContin Express

Amy Winehouse In and Out of Rehab

June 6, 2011 By 08challenges Leave a Comment

27 year-old Amy Winehouse checked herself into rehab about a week ago, seeking treatment for her legendary problems with drugs and alcohol.

According to People magazine, the singer reportedly checked herself into the Priory Clinic in London at the urging of her father, Mitch and knocked back a bottle of Smirnoff vodka en route.

This past Thursday, about a week after she checked into the Priory Clinic, her spokesperson announced that Winehouse ended her stint in rehab and would continue treatment as an outpatient.

The Grammy-nominated Winehouse’s struggles with addiction have long been chronicled as part of her rise to fame, and she’s ironically best known for her “Rehab,” a 2006 hit.

Winehouse is on tour this summer and has gigs in Europe beginning in just a few weeks, so getting help is definitely a good sign.

The problem: the road to recovery is usually a little longer than a week or so before a concert tour kicks off. And relapse prevention, a strategy to train alcohol and other drug abusers to cope and more effectively overcome the stressors or triggers in their environments is a critical component of success.

We wish Amy only the best with her quest to tackle her addiction problems.

Photo Credit: Getty Images

Filed Under: Alcoholism, blog, Celebrity Drug Abuse, Pop Culture and Current Events Tagged With: Alcohol Addiction Help, Amy Winehouse, Drug Addiction Help, Drug and Alcohol Addictions, Priory Clinic, rehab, Struggling with Addiction

Charlie Sheen and Christina Aguilera: Why Fame Can Hurt Addiction Recovery

March 2, 2011 By 08challenges Leave a Comment

Christina Aguilera and Charlie Sheen are the latest celebrities with drug and alcohol issues. One of the reasons celebrities often have such public, dramatic meltdowns due to addiction is because they are protected from the realities of their addiction.

Challenges Chief Clinical Officer Dr. Jeffery Huttman explains that celebrities are often protected by those around them from experiencing the consequences of their addiction.

According to Dr. Huttman, “The consequences of addiction usually get worse over time. Addiction is a progressive disease. It’s never easy to quit. People usually stop using when they’ve suffered enough negative consequences. Famous people are often shielded from the realities of their addiction because the consequences are slower to hit home. Stardom and riches also tend to correlate with feelings of invincibility. When you’ve suffered enough pain and enough regret you’ll be ready to stop.”

Christina Aguilera and her boyfriend Matthew Rutler were arrested early Tuesday morning. The couple was pulled over by the police because their car was driving erratically. Charlie Sheen is clearly struggling with addiction and possibly Bipolar issues.

We hope both Christina and Charlie get the help they need soon.

Filed Under: blog, Celebrity Drug Abuse, Co-Occurring Disorders, Pop Culture and Current Events Tagged With: addiction, bipolar, bipolar disorder, Charlie Sheen, Christina Aguilera, dual disorder, mental health, mental illness, substance abuse

Charlie Sheen And Bipolar Disorder?

March 2, 2011 By 08challenges 6 Comments

The world jokes about Charlie Sheen but it’s likely he’s suffering from bipolar disorder, which is a serious mental illness. And substance abuse is common side effect of bipolar disorder.

Charlie’s latest antics and ongoing media tour has everyone talking, and it doesn’t take long when watching or listening to suspect there are some serious mental health issues at work. And chances are good that Sheen is dealing with more than a substance abuse problem – maybe even bipolar disorder.

Bipolar disorder is all too common and some of the symptoms aren’t all that different from what we’re seeing in Charlie Sheen.

Consider these common signs of a manic episode:
Denial of a problem
Increased energy, activity, rapid talking, thinking and agitation
Trouble sleeping
Excessive “high” or euphoric feelings
Poor judgment
Sustained periods of unusual, even bizarre behavior with significant risk-taking
Provocative or obnoxious behavior
Unrealistic belief in one’s own abilities
Increased sex drive
Substance abuse

Well, it pretty much goes without saying that Sheen is exhibiting most, if not all, of the manic behaviors above. And, while the jokes are funny and there’s head shaking in abundance, it’s really quite sad.

Charlie Sheen needs help. Chances are good that he’s either suffering from bipolar disorder or some other mental health disorder and he needs treatment. Alcohol and substance abuse often happen in conjunction with some other co-occuring mental health disorder, and Sheen is probably a safe bet to hold out as a prime example of just that.

Image Credit: mamapop.com

Filed Under: Addiction Resources, Alcoholism, blog, Celebrity Drug Abuse, Co-Occurring Disorders, Pop Culture and Current Events, Substance Abuse Tagged With: addiction, bipolar, bipolar disorder, Charlie Sheen, dual disorder, mental health, mental illness, substance abuse