# why do drug casualties like Brian Wilson, Ozzy, and Anna Nicole appear retarded? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 16, 2005, 8:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-drug-casualties-like-brian-wilson-ozzy-and-anna-nicole-appear-retarded/285009 "2005-01-16T08:17:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Freejooky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ba8739/32.png) [@Freejooky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freejooky)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2005, 8:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-drug-casualties-like-brian-wilson-ozzy-and-anna-nicole-appear-retarded/285009/1 "2005-01-16T08:17:36Z")
Besides the obvious answer “the drugs fucked them up.” Brian Wilson and Ozzy in particular are incoherent, blubbering messes, and Anna Nicole Smith does that whole perma-baby talk thing. What actually _happened_ to their brains that causes them to be this way? ---
**Author:** ![Kel\_Varnsen\_Latex\_Division](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/aeb1de/32.png) [@Kel\_Varnsen\_Latex\_Division](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kel_Varnsen_Latex_Division)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2005, 8:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-drug-casualties-like-brian-wilson-ozzy-and-anna-nicole-appear-retarded/285009/2 "2005-01-16T08:22:32Z")
> [@Freejooky](#): > > Besides the obvious answer “the drugs fucked them up.” Brian Wilson and Ozzy in particular are incoherent, blubbering messes, and Anna Nicole Smith does that whole perma-baby talk thing. What actually _happened_ to their brains that causes them to be this way? Ozzy and Smith are still all drugged up, so that might be part of their problem. As to the specifics of what happened to their brain I don’t know, but have you seen the egg demonstration? ---
**Author:** ![jester21](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ed655f/32.png) [@jester21](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jester21)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2005, 8:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-drug-casualties-like-brian-wilson-ozzy-and-anna-nicole-appear-retarded/285009/3 "2005-01-16T08:54:39Z")
more importantly… why can we actually understand Ozzy when he sings? ---
**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 16, 2005, 9:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-drug-casualties-like-brian-wilson-ozzy-and-anna-nicole-appear-retarded/285009/4 "2005-01-16T09:49:36Z")
You are assuming that they were coherent before taking drugs? ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2005, 10:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-drug-casualties-like-brian-wilson-ozzy-and-anna-nicole-appear-retarded/285009/5 "2005-01-16T10:20:56Z")
“This is your brain… this is your brain on drugs”. And apparently\* after\* too many drugs also. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2005, 10:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-drug-casualties-like-brian-wilson-ozzy-and-anna-nicole-appear-retarded/285009/6 "2005-01-16T10:40:04Z")
This is probably a stupid question, but do we happen to know _what_ drugs/ Ozzy used/s? Actually, could we break it down into some kind of pie chart of the relative amounts of the different drugs he’s used over his lifetime? (Say, 40% Cocaine, 20% Heroin, etc.) But, I guess the only way to get some real answers would be to dissect Anna Nicole’s brain. Someone might get a medal for doing that. ---
**Author:** ![rorty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b2d939/32.png) [@rorty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rorty)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2005, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-drug-casualties-like-brian-wilson-ozzy-and-anna-nicole-appear-retarded/285009/7 "2005-01-16T11:08:42Z")
> [@](#): > > KING: What pills were you addicted to? > > OZZY OSBOURNE: Vicodin. Every kind you can think of… > > KING: OxyContin? > > OZZY OSBOURNE: OxyContin. > > KING: Is that worse than Vicodin? > > … > > OZZY OSBOURNE: But there is a new pill every day. A new pill – there’s a new craze – I’ve never taken ecstasy. I tried heroin twice. I did a lot of cocaine. I did a lot of LSD. [http://edition.cnn.com/2004/SHOWBIZ/Music/04/02/osbournes.lkl/](http://edition.cnn.com/2004/SHOWBIZ/Music/04/02/osbournes.lkl/) Well, here’s a start as to Ozzy’s drug use. Self admitted on the Larry King show. ---
**Author:** ![Daylon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/45deac/32.png) [@Daylon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daylon)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2005, 11:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-drug-casualties-like-brian-wilson-ozzy-and-anna-nicole-appear-retarded/285009/8 "2005-01-16T11:14:30Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > “This is your brain… this is your brain on drugs”. And apparently\* after\* too many drugs also. :eek: That commercial always makes me hungry for breakfast tacos when I’m stoned. LOL! What drugs did OZZY use? (all of them)… there’s a Behind the Music special on VH1 about Motley Crue. They went on tour with Ozzie - So anyway, they were all jacked up, partying for a couple of days when the tourbus pulled into a gas station. They all get out, and Ozzie looks down and sees a line of ants eating a half melted popsicle. Ozzie casually bends down with a straw, and SNORTS THE LINE OF ANTS. At which point Motley Crue decided…“Okay. You win… you’re the ultimate party rock star” If the man will snort ants, what drug WOULDN’T he do?!? D. ---
**Author:** ![Othersider](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/cab0a1/32.png) [@Othersider](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Othersider)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2005, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-drug-casualties-like-brian-wilson-ozzy-and-anna-nicole-appear-retarded/285009/9 "2005-01-16T11:30:56Z")
> [@Daylon](#): > > If the man will snort ants, what drug WOULDN’T he do?!? He wouldn’t bite the head off a bat, that’s for sure. Oh, wait… ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2005, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-drug-casualties-like-brian-wilson-ozzy-and-anna-nicole-appear-retarded/285009/10 "2005-01-16T12:48:51Z")
I think that doing drugs is pretty retarded in the first place (but I definitely don’t put in the same sack someone who is in pain as someone who steals Mom’s pills because someone has told him it’s the kool thang ta do). ---
**Author:** ![chorpler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chorpler/32/2888_2.png) [@chorpler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chorpler)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2005, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-drug-casualties-like-brian-wilson-ozzy-and-anna-nicole-appear-retarded/285009/11 "2005-01-16T13:02:47Z")
> [@Othersider](#): > > He wouldn’t bite the head off a bat, that’s for sure. > > Oh, wait… Well, not on purpose, anyway, according to [this bit by Snopes](http://www.snopes.com/music/artists/marilyn2.htm): > [@Barbara Mikkelson](#): > > In 1982 Ozzy Osbourne bit the head off a real bat. Not that he meant to – a fan tossed him something he believed was a rubber toy. Osbourne didn’t fare too well in that encounter with the animal kingdom and had to endure a rather painful series of rabies shots. Heh heh … the bat got its revenge, however slight. Is Anna Nicole Smith’s bizarreness really drug-related? Was she not always that way? ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2005, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-drug-casualties-like-brian-wilson-ozzy-and-anna-nicole-appear-retarded/285009/12 "2005-01-16T13:08:59Z")
It isn’t always the drugs themselves – remember, illegal drugs are often “cut”, and dealers aren’t always fussy about what they use. So some of the damage is from non-drug substances used to dilute the actual drugs. Some drugs, such as crack cocaine and crystal meth, use toxic solvents and other chemicals in the refining process. At best you’ll have some trace amounts, and if the cooking is done by people who are high, careless, or just don’t give a damn there may be significant levels of crap in there, any of which can cause organ, nervous system, or brain damage. OD’ing to the point of cardiac arrest - or even just a really good coma-like condition - is _not_ good for the health of your brain. And some drugs can do outright damage - some club drugs apparently cause direct brain damage which can lead to Parkinson-like conditions. How strongly an individual is affected depends on dose, exact chemical, and heredity. Various sorts of damage can lead to people needing to be medicated for what are now actual medical conditions, such as Parkinson sorts of syndromes, and THOSE medications can have side effects. ---
**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 16, 2005, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-drug-casualties-like-brian-wilson-ozzy-and-anna-nicole-appear-retarded/285009/13 "2005-01-16T13:10:02Z")
Let’s not forget that Ozzy is also a legendary drinker… ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2005, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-drug-casualties-like-brian-wilson-ozzy-and-anna-nicole-appear-retarded/285009/14 "2005-01-16T13:22:21Z")
When **The Osbournes** first became popular one of the TV stations in Australia showed an interview with Ozzy made a few years before. It had been the pilot for an interview show where the interviewer took some celebrity to a local suburban cafe and conducted an interview. The show was never made and the interviewer kept the video at home to show to friends. Ozzy was charming and funny and perfectly articulate. I remember at the time being shocked at how quickly he had deteriorated in only a few years by the evidence of **The Osbournes**. ---
**Author:** ![11811](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/9d8465/32.png) [@11811](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/11811)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2005, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-drug-casualties-like-brian-wilson-ozzy-and-anna-nicole-appear-retarded/285009/15 "2005-01-16T13:32:48Z")
Ozzy has stated that he came from an abusive family situation and was constantly told growing up that he was an idiot and wouldn’t amount to anything. I think you have to consider that as contributory. 11811 ---
**Author:** ![Tranquilis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tranquilis/32/3639_2.png) [@Tranquilis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tranquilis)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2005, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-drug-casualties-like-brian-wilson-ozzy-and-anna-nicole-appear-retarded/285009/16 "2005-01-16T14:16:44Z")
As for why he can sing coherently, it’s because the portion of the brain that controls speech is physically different from that portion of the brain that controls singing. His speech center is apparently pretty seriously damaged. Stroke, maybe? ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2005, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-drug-casualties-like-brian-wilson-ozzy-and-anna-nicole-appear-retarded/285009/17 "2005-01-16T14:29:50Z")
> [@don't ask](#): > > Ozzy was charming and funny and perfectly articulate. I remember at the time being shocked at how quickly he had deteriorated in only a few years by the evidence of **The Osbournes**. I think it was reported that Ozzy was being treated by a questionable MD who kept him drugged up and isolated. Lots of people were apparently shocked at how he looked. I think he’s better now that they figured the bad MD out and booted him. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2005, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-drug-casualties-like-brian-wilson-ozzy-and-anna-nicole-appear-retarded/285009/18 "2005-01-16T15:23:54Z")
> [@Ranchoth](#): > > This is probably a stupid question, but do we happen to know _what_ drugs/ Ozzy used/s? > > Actually, could we break it down into some kind of pie chart of the relative amounts of the different drugs he’s used over his lifetime? (Say, 40% Cocaine, 20% Heroin, etc.) > > But, I guess the only way to get some real answers would be to dissect Anna Nicole’s brain. Someone might get a medal for doing that. In the case of Anna Nicole Smith, the pie chart also included chocolate cream and lemon meringue. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2005, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-drug-casualties-like-brian-wilson-ozzy-and-anna-nicole-appear-retarded/285009/19 "2005-01-16T19:13:59Z")
It was my impression that Brian Wilson’s mental problems are genetic (i.e., a mental condition he was born with) and not caused by any drugs he took. He may have made them worse by taking drugs. That’s actually quite common. Someone with a mental problem takes drugs or alcohol because they offer temporary relief for their problems, although they make them worse in the long term. Anna Nicole Smith’s baby talk voice isn’t caused by drugs. Partly it’s caused by the natural range of her voice and partly it’s a way of talking that she picked up. It’s my impression that some women talk like that in the belief that men find it sexy. (Do any men find it sexy?) ---
**Author:** ![Saintly\_Loser](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saintly_loser/32/4045_2.png) [@Saintly\_Loser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saintly_Loser)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2005, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-drug-casualties-like-brian-wilson-ozzy-and-anna-nicole-appear-retarded/285009/20 "2005-01-16T20:01:17Z")
> [@Tranquilis](#): > > As for why he can sing coherently, it’s because the portion of the brain that controls speech is physically different from that portion of the brain that controls singing. His speech center is apparently pretty seriously damaged. Stroke, maybe? Absolutely true. That’s why stutterers (like me) can sing just fine. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-drug-casualties-like-brian-wilson-ozzy-and-anna-nicole-appear-retarded/285009.md?page=2)