# Dr. Dre's son died of a heroin overdose?  WTF??

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-dres-son-died-of-a-heroin-overdose-wtf/479638>\
**Category:** The BBQ Pit\
**Created:** [January 2, 2009, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-dres-son-died-of-a-heroin-overdose-wtf/479638 "2009-01-02T21:59:05Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 20\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Cubsfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Cubsfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cubsfan)\
**Post date:** [January 2, 2009, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-dres-son-died-of-a-heroin-overdose-wtf/479638/1 "2009-01-02T21:59:05Z")

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So they came out and said Dr. Dre’s son died of a heroin and morphine overdose. WTF is with these people who have the world in the palm of their hands, able to do anything they want to with money being no object, and they STILL have to head for the fucking drugs and gangsta life style. Dre is probably one of the most powerful people in the rap/music biz. His son could have done anything he wanted to but instead lived a life of excess and intake.

What the fuck was going around this kid that no one was able to see this coming? You know this guy was probably surrounded by a huge entourage of his dad’s and no adults thought to step in and straighten this kid out?

I just don’t get how these people (silver spoon kids) can end up in these situations without someone stepping in and righting them when they are young.

> **[Coroner: Dr. Dre's Son Died From Overdose of Heroin and Morphine](https://people.com/celebrity/coroner-dr-dres-son-died-from-overdose-of-heroin-and-morphine/)**
>
> Andre Young Jr. was found unresponsive in his bed in August

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**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\
**Post date:** [January 2, 2009, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-dres-son-died-of-a-heroin-overdose-wtf/479638/2 "2009-01-02T22:13:28Z")

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> [@Cubsfan](#):
>
> I just don’t get how these people (silver spoon kids) can end up in these situations without someone stepping in and righting them when they are young.
> 
> [http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20249863,00.html](http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20249863,00.html)

What do you do, though? Lock them up in a home jail cell? How do you stop someone from drinking or doing drugs if they’re a legal adult? You can tell someone that they need to stop doing drugs but that won’t do a thing if they don’t want to stop. You can’t force an adult to stay in rehab unless it’s a court-ordered thing from committing a crime, and once they’re out, if they didn’t want to give up the drugs, the rehab isn’t going to brainwash them into not doing it.

It’s very sad, but like addicts the world over, you can’t force someone to stop. They have to hit bottom and work on it from there. Unfortunately for some, their bottom is death.

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**Author:** ![Lo-Slung\_Denim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f6c823/32.png) [@Lo-Slung\_Denim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lo-Slung_Denim)\
**Post date:** [January 2, 2009, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-dres-son-died-of-a-heroin-overdose-wtf/479638/3 "2009-01-02T22:20:03Z")

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When a kid has cash readily available, and an addiction, there may well be a person around who tries to talk him out of it.  
For every one person who tries to talk sense in to the kid, there must be ten that say ‘No, man, keep doing it, go get some more. And while you’re there, sub me the money and get me some too’. Seems to me the young impressionables are easy prey.

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**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\
**Post date:** [January 2, 2009, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-dres-son-died-of-a-heroin-overdose-wtf/479638/4 "2009-01-02T22:34:27Z")

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> [@Cubsfan](#):
>
> I just don’t get how these people (silver spoon kids) can end up in these situations without someone stepping in and righting them when they are young.

And what’s more, I’ll bet you that Dr. Dre is not really a licensed medical professional.

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**Author:** ![Huerta88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/82dd89/32.png) [@Huerta88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Huerta88)\
**Post date:** [January 2, 2009, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-dres-son-died-of-a-heroin-overdose-wtf/479638/5 "2009-01-02T22:40:32Z")

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> [@Cervaise](#):
>
> And what’s more, I’ll bet you that Dr. Dre is not really a licensed medical professional.

Next you’ll be telling me Sir Mix-a-lot is not in fact a titled nobleman.

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**Author:** ![Atomicflea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/58956e/32.png) [@Atomicflea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atomicflea)\
**Post date:** [January 2, 2009, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-dres-son-died-of-a-heroin-overdose-wtf/479638/6 "2009-01-02T22:43:58Z")

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Hold up-Will Smith not a Prince?

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**Author:** ![ivan\_astikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)\
**Post date:** [January 2, 2009, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-dres-son-died-of-a-heroin-overdose-wtf/479638/7 "2009-01-02T22:50:51Z")

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Queen Latifa’s real though…isn’t she?

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**Author:** ![Happy\_Scrappy\_Hero\_Pup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ea5d25/32.png) [@Happy\_Scrappy\_Hero\_Pup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Scrappy_Hero_Pup)\
**Post date:** [January 2, 2009, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-dres-son-died-of-a-heroin-overdose-wtf/479638/8 "2009-01-02T22:52:37Z")

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I bet Bill Cosby has no chance of becoming a law either.

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**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\
**Post date:** [January 2, 2009, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-dres-son-died-of-a-heroin-overdose-wtf/479638/9 "2009-01-02T23:17:44Z")

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> [@Cubsfan](#):
>
> So they came out and said Dr. Dre’s son died of a heroin and morphine overdose. WTF is with these people who have the world in the palm of their hands, able to do anything they want to with money being no object, and they STILL have to head for the fucking drugs and gangsta life style.

By all accounts I’ve heard, doing heroin feels really, REALLY good. I’m not sure anything feels better.

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**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\
**Post date:** [January 2, 2009, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-dres-son-died-of-a-heroin-overdose-wtf/479638/10 "2009-01-02T23:18:00Z")

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Eazy-E was in fact easy, and it cost him his life, too.

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**Author:** ![ParentalAdvisory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@ParentalAdvisory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParentalAdvisory)\
**Post date:** [January 2, 2009, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-dres-son-died-of-a-heroin-overdose-wtf/479638/11 "2009-01-02T23:25:41Z")

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Depression and addiction knows no bounds.

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**Author:** ![bacon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b782af/32.png) [@bacon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bacon)\
**Post date:** [January 2, 2009, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-dres-son-died-of-a-heroin-overdose-wtf/479638/12 "2009-01-02T23:51:32Z")

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> [@Cubsfan](#):
>
> So they came out and said Dr. Dre’s son died of a heroin and morphine overdose. WTF is with these people who have the world in the palm of their hands, able to do anything they want to with money being no object, and they STILL have to head for the fucking drugs and gangsta life style. Dre is probably one of the most powerful people in the rap/music biz. His son could have done anything he wanted to but instead lived a life of excess and intake.
> 
> What the fuck was going around this kid that no one was able to see this coming? You know this guy was probably surrounded by a huge entourage of his dad’s and no adults thought to step in and straighten this kid out?
> 
> I just don’t get how these people (silver spoon kids) can end up in these situations without someone stepping in and righting them when they are young.
> 
> [http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20249863,00.html](http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20249863,00.html)

You’re an idjit. Read your own post, it answers all your questions. Just thimk…

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**Author:** ![Dead\_Badger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/848f3c/32.png) [@Dead\_Badger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Badger)\
**Post date:** [January 3, 2009, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-dres-son-died-of-a-heroin-overdose-wtf/479638/13 "2009-01-03T00:30:30Z")

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This crack’s a bit moreish, isn’t it?

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**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\
**Post date:** [January 3, 2009, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-dres-son-died-of-a-heroin-overdose-wtf/479638/14 "2009-01-03T00:34:23Z")

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> [@Ferret\_Herder](#):
>
> What do you do, though? Lock them up in a home jail cell? How do you stop someone from drinking or doing drugs if they’re a legal adult? You can tell someone that they need to stop doing drugs but that won’t do a thing if they don’t want to stop. You can’t force an adult to stay in rehab unless it’s a court-ordered thing from committing a crime

Well, I think you are wrong there.

My family had our father committed to a inpatient treatment program for alcoholism – that was certainly involuntarily – he was forced to go, and forced to stay despite wanting to leave. And he hadn’t committed any crime. I believe the legal reason for the order was that we convinced the judge that his drinking represented a risk to his life. It was not a pleasant incident, but we felt it was necessary.

I would think Dr. Dre would certainly have been able to go through the same legal process for his son, had he tried.

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**Author:** ![Fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bc8723/32.png) [@Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fish)\
**Post date:** [January 3, 2009, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-dres-son-died-of-a-heroin-overdose-wtf/479638/15 "2009-01-03T00:35:24Z")

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So now I don’t know _what_ to think about Biggie Smalls. Was he big… or was he small? Is it possible he was not sufficiently qualified to be either?

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**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\
**Post date:** [January 3, 2009, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-dres-son-died-of-a-heroin-overdose-wtf/479638/16 "2009-01-03T00:36:21Z")

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> [@ParentalAdvisory](#):
>
> Depression and addiction knows no bounds.

Yup; I was going to post something similar… that dastardly duo can occur under all kinds of circumstances, even the “best”.

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**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\
**Post date:** [January 3, 2009, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-dres-son-died-of-a-heroin-overdose-wtf/479638/17 "2009-01-03T01:05:10Z")

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The list of wealthy fuck ups is long and impressive. It includes Kennedys and every so called important family in America. Wealth will get you all the rehab you need but it just gives you a whole new set of problems. Wealth gives you as many chances to screw up as it does to succeed.

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**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\
**Post date:** [January 3, 2009, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-dres-son-died-of-a-heroin-overdose-wtf/479638/18 "2009-01-03T01:13:00Z")

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> [@t-bonham@scc.net](#):
>
> My family had our father committed to a inpatient treatment program for alcoholism – that was certainly involuntarily – he was forced to go, and forced to stay despite wanting to leave.

I had never heard of anyone being committed to a treatment facility before. Seen many folks sent as a condition of probation or parole. They could always leave, even if that meant returing to jail to finish their sentence.

Remember the psychiatrist’s light bulb joke? “It has to _want_ to be changed”? It’s really true of addicts. Unless an addict _wants_ to recover, they won’t. Some just don’t want it.

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**Author:** ![Nzinga\_Seated](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5ac83/32.png) [@Nzinga\_Seated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nzinga_Seated)\
**Post date:** [January 3, 2009, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-dres-son-died-of-a-heroin-overdose-wtf/479638/19 "2009-01-03T01:37:57Z")

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To the OP, I am surprised that you seem surprised that wealth doesn’t mean happiness.

Sure, the kid had money, but some of the happiest most peaceful people I ever met had hardly any money at all. As they say in the hip-hop game; more money, more problems.

Think about the attributes of a person that may help them to cope with lifes ups and downs. Optimism, problem solving, clarity of mind, high moral code, empathy for fellow man, and lots of confidence. None of those characteristics have a thing to do with money or fame.

And what does being a heroine addict have to do with the gangsta lifestyle? You lost me there.

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**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\
**Post date:** [January 3, 2009, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-dres-son-died-of-a-heroin-overdose-wtf/479638/20 "2009-01-03T01:48:01Z")

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The power to ignore a family or personal problem, even when it’s REALLY, REALLY obvious, should never be underestimated. Look how many people eat themselves into diabetes, Rascals, and death, or drink themselves into jail or a coffin, without ever stopping to reexamin what they’re doing - or anyone around them doing so. I want to say that it’s a talent we all inherited from our parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents in the “greatest” generation, but that’s probably just because they’re the oldest generation I know; it’s more likely been around for a very long time.

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