CELEBRITIES AND DRUG ABUSE

Hello everyone, today we would be talking about abuse of substance by celebrities. Its no new to us that many celebrity both home and abroad have been been in and out of rehab as a result of drug use. We would therefore start by taking about what drug abuse is and even among celebrities, why they use drugs and the effect it has generally and then finally the treatment methods.


Drug abuse refers to the compulsive, excessive, and self-damaging use of habit forming drugs or substances, leading to addiction or dependence, serious physiological injury (such as damage to kidneys, liver, heart) and/or psychological harm (such as dysfunctional behavior patterns, hallucinations, memory loss), or death. Also called substance abuse, the illicit use of these substances plays a major role in many social problems, such as drugged driving, violence, stress, and child abuse. This can lead to homelessness, crime, and missed work or problems with keeping a job.

The consistent and continuous abuse of drugs/substance often leads to Tolerance which occurs as the body and brain become accustomed to certain amounts of these drugs, and a person will need to take increased amounts in order to keep feeling the effects. Subsequently, this leads to drug dependence which occurs when the chemical changes these substances make in the brain become more fixed. Difficult withdrawal symptoms accompany this dependence as the drug processes out of the body which leads to further continued use. This leads to a deadly cycle of addiction wherein one is unable to control their use of these substances. Therefore, drug dependence is a physical and chemical manifestation while addiction is the behavioral manifestation.

In Nigeria according to the United Nations Office on Drug & Crime, the most commonly abused substances are cannabis, the non-medical use of prescription opioids (mainly tramadol, and to lesser extent codeine, or morphine) and cough syrups (containing codeine or dextromethorphan). Additionally, Heroin was labelled the most harmful of all drugs by an expert panel considering the physical harm caused to the individual user, the tendency of the drug to induce dependence as well as the effect of drug use on families, communities, and society. Drug use was most common among those who were between the ages of 25 and 39 years.

Celebrities- celebrated personalities- often emerge from different fields which range from politics to sports; the most prominent being in the entertainment industry in form of musicians and actors (performing artists). For many, the reasons for the onset of drug abuse involve the performance enhancer model- enhance strength and endurance, fight pain, reduce weight- and the abuse and addiction model- reduce stress, boost confidence, relieve craving. These motives apply the most to celebrities as they are under constant pressure to perform and to appear healthy and productive. In addition, a number of celebrities have traumatic childhoods often rife with abuse and controlling demands from family. They also struggle to handle the fame as sometimes there is a divide between who they are and their public persona, they also struggle with having to put up a façade and can find themselves in tumultuous relationships where one has to navigate if friends and lovers are only present because of what one represents rather than who they are. Imagine having to deal with these struggles in the face of a worldwide audience who often expect perfection while still dealing with a cutthroat industry where your relevance is the currency of exchange for value. The price of fame and the presence of fortune also means they have increased access to these substances which further increases their likelihood of usage. Interestingly, the first port of call is the use of opioids which have a soothing effect on many of their prevailing issues. Therefore, the risk for developing an addiction may be generally elevated for celebrities, especially in those with an increased prevalence of musculoskeletal pain. Abuse and subsequently addiction may therefore occur unwittingly. 

Many celebrities have succumbed to an addiction involving both prescription and illicit drugs as they frequently practice polypharmacy using multiple physicians, multiple drug stores, and multiple aliases to obtain medications. Attempts to confront them can be futile because as denial increases, their dependency worsens. It has been argued that in the past overdoses taken by celebrities almost inevitably involved illicit drugs such as heroin or cocaine while recently more and more celebrities have died of prescription opioids overdose. Prescription drugs, especially the opioid analgesics, now cause more deaths than heroin and cocaine. All of these drugs can cause central nervous system and respiratory depression and they form deadly combinations with barbiturates and other sedatives and alcohol which can lead to death.

How then do we address the issue of drug abuse in celebrities? One of such ways would be in the development of healthy coping mechanisms as outlets for issues which they commonly face. However, in the event of drug usage for medical reasons, the controlled use of pain medication as it is the most easily requested and accessible is suggested. Education is the key—not only teaching youth about the health dangers of specific drugs but also teaching about the disease of addiction. In the event of addiction, therapy is highly recommended as progress is being made in the treatment of addiction. Residential treatment programs have proven effective and it is important for these treatment programs should address general wellness and factors leading to addiction, including poverty, lack of education, impaired mental health, and abuse. Policies which influence the levels and patterns of substance use and related harm can significantly reduce the public health problems attributable to substance use, and interventions at the health care system level can work towards the restoration of health in affected individuals.

The effects of drug abuse on celebrities are widespread nevertheless, the care of this very small but influential patient group as celebrities most likely influence the public’s health decisions. Consequently, it is reasonable to believe, that successfully treating a celebrity’s addiction might have a positive effect on the drug related behavior of her or his followers. While most popular celebrity deaths as publicized by the media have focused on celebrities in the West, the issue of drug abuse is not exclusive to them. Although the stigma and the hush-hush culture of Nigeria means that there is less publicity on how these issues affect celebrities in the country, several Nigerian celebrities such as Majek Fashek have shared their experiences. In order to curb the menace, popular Nigerian performer, Olamide’s song “Science Student” warns of the effects of the illicit use of drugs. Due to their influence, it is highly probable that celebrity endorsement can help successfully change health-related behavior in this context.
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                                                                                                        By Ayomide Ogunkeye

                                                                                                        Neuropsychologist

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