We hear about celebrities and substance abuse all the time, from The 27 Club in 1969-1971, to popular 20th-century celebrities now. Why do celebrities get hooked so easily on addiction? Why do they take drugs or drink when they have such an amazing, famous life anyway? Being famous is actually a huge part of the decision. Celebrities are constantly followed by paparazzi and judged by rumors. It’s easy to get sucked into the world of addiction when you have to put on a face of fame at all times. It’s important to understand that even the rich and famous aren’t perfect. We are all human and we all go through rough patches.
Why Do Celebrities Become Addicted?
There are many factors that can lead up to addiction. For example, you could be brought up from a challenging childhood, or you were peer pressured, or maybe you were bored one day. Some of these reasons can be the same for celebrities. But they also hold a lot of different reasons that we might not even think about.
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The Pressure of Being a Celebrity
We have to admit, celebrities are under tremendous pressure. They are constantly being booked for interviews, fundraisers, and their career of acting, music or comedy. It can be stressful for them, but they try to hide their emotions because they want to seem like they’re all put together. Life is hard, especially when everyone knows who you are and you have 19,135 fans looking you up.
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Drugs are Present Everywhere
Drugs and alcohol are available at any party where celebrities are. They like to loosen the mood, have everyone enjoy their time and relax from the media. How can you say no when you’re there to party with other celebs?
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Injuries, Insomnia, Depression
If an actor gets hurt during set, it’s not like they can take weeks or months to heal. If they know the pain will interfere with their performance, they might result in pills. Celebrities also have no time to sleep if they are a big part of a movie, so they might take medicine to help them sleep faster. Or, there can be something deeper going on that they don’t want others to know about, like depression. All of these situations can result in dependency, which can result in addiction.
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Peer Pressure
Everyone is doing it. Celebrities go to parties where many of them are under the influence. Sometimes they wanna just fit in.
Celebrities That Overcame Addiction
Russell Brand
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Russell is 13 years sober. He helps others with addiction by telling his story through books, podcasts, blogs, and shows. He has been very open with his struggles through the disease and hopes his stories will help educate others and give them hope to recover.
Zac Efron:
Zac is famous for his role in movies High School Musical and Neighbors. He entered rehab in 2013 for drugs and alcohol. He has been sober since and opened up about his addiction story on various website interviews.
Robert Downey Jr.
Robert was considered a liability and was passed down roles because of his severe drug addiction. His wife, Susan, gave him an ultimatum in 2003. That was his turning point. He is sober and uses his time to attend 12 step meetings, meditation, yoga, and therapy.
Angelina Jolie
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Angelina has talked about doing almost every drug possible. She went through a dark and challenging time in her younger years but thankfully overcame her addiction. She’s sober and happy she made it out alive.
Drew Barrymore
Drew has had a bad history of drugs and alcohol. She started at 9 when she was a heavy smoker and drinker. She’s one of the lucky ones, to be completely sober by the time she reached adulthood. She does pilates, yoga, and runs to help her recovery.
Addiction is a terrible chronic disease. But know that you aren’t struggling with it alone. There are many, many people in this world with the same struggle as you. If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, please call 855-737-7363. New Start wants to help in any way we can. Claim your recovery with us by calling or chatting online with our admissions.