How Celebrities With Addictions Have Changed the Narrative

Why Celebrities Struggle With Substance Abuse

Many people think that celebrities have it all. Money, fame, power. What do they have to worry about? Well, the higher the celebrity status, the greater the pressure. There are many celebrities with mental health issues who simply did not seek help soon enough because they were surrounded by “yes” men and women who always downplayed the issues. For instance, an actor's drug addiction may be disregarded in the endeavors of completing the film project he is employed on in a timely manner. While it is understandable that a substantial amount of money and resources are on the line, pretending a problem is not happening rarely ends well.

The entertainment industry has a clear history of this negative behavior. It can be likened to that of a codependent relationship. Assistants, producers, and executives do what they think is necessary to maintain a certain image, even if it is causing real damage in the process. If the end product makes money, all else can be treated as collateral damage. But these film sets are temporary settings, and those struggling still must go home and live with their struggles despite it all.

The list of now-passed idols is a long and heartbreaking one. The farther back in time we go, the more the restrictions of those periods are apparent. These restrictions take the form of stigma, misinformation, greed, excess, and so on. The amount of young people that have been lost to the substance abuse that ran rampant amongst entertainers is highlighted by the infamous “27 club,” a collection of musicians that lost their lives at the age of 27 to overdose. The list is comprised of Janice Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Kurt Cobain, and others.¹

Stigmas and other factors may have kept these musicians, actors, and other famous people from getting help. But as the social climate grows kinder to discussing mental health and addiction, celebrities can get the help they need. This, in turn, can encourage their fans to seek help when necessary, as well.

How Celebrities Are Becoming Activists

As the stigmas surrounding addiction and personal internal struggles are changing for the better, the new openness about mental health has helped many former celebrity addicts act as activists for mental illness awareness and recovery. In previous years, a sober star may have been vilified for their prior struggles with substance abuse. Celebrities with drug addictions and the like were at the mercy of tabloids that were more concerned with sensationalizing their struggles for profit than anything else.  

Before, celebrity addicts did not have the direct platform they now have. Today, celebrities are using social media to create an outlet for activism, encouraging others to get help. Tabloids could report whatever they wanted about celebrities and addiction. But today, with Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter at their fingertips, celebrities can write their own narrative to their millions of fans, singing praises about recovery rather than reinforcing stigmas of addiction.

This, of course, does not erase any damage that any actions of theirs may have caused during their addiction. Just like with a non-celebrity, being intoxicated does not excuse the mistreatment of others. We cannot force forgiveness and must be accountable for our actions. Fame is a unique concept because it provides a degree of privilege and undeniable influence while asking more of these people in ways that the average citizen would not be able to imagine. Not everyone chooses to live their life under a microscope and doing so places a level of pressure on the individual that many cannot just walk away from.

At the end of the day, we are all human, and no amount of fame or money will be enough to change the very real hold that addiction can have on a person and their loved ones.