I mean they have either millions of dollars that they have made out of it, or have lots of exposure and women (or men) at their feet.
So what leads them to drugs?
Well, people in hollywood tend to follow trends and drugs have always been in fashion. Add the fact that drugs make you feel good and having millions upon millions of dollars makes it easy to buy whatever you want. I have alos noticed a lot of hollywood types are depressed for one reason or the other so you can also factor in self medication.
Because they are rich and drugs are easily avaidable to them
Because they enjoy taking drugs.
Yeah but you can’t equate Rich=Drug user, why aren’t they happy?They’ve got everything they ever wanted.
Not exactly a ‘fact-based’ question, is it?
Yes but your assuming that they take drugs because they are unhappy, this is not the case. They take them most probably because they enjoy it (I do not support drug use, however admitting that there is no upside is silly)
bad grammar: NOT admitting their is an upside is silly
Is there any indiction that people in show business do indeed take more drugs than the general population? Or is it just that they wind up in the tabloids because of it?
Good point, Eve.
Well, as Robin Williams put back when he was funny, “Cocaine is God’s way of saying you’re making too damn much money.”
Let me list some reasons I’ve heard. (Some already mentioned.)
- They have money. It’s a lot easier to get if you can pay for it.
- Scumbag hanger ons. These people look for stupid famous people to try to get them hooked as a way of working their way into their lives. Always offering free samples to get them started. Famous people attract these jerks in huge numbers.
- The media companies, esp. record companies, actually like have their stars on drugs as it makes it easier to control them. Not all that different from #2.
- No one around them tells them no. Look at Elvis and his prescription writing doctor.
- Your body wants to do one thing (sleep) and the contract says you have to do another (perform). Once you get into this world, it’s a fast downward spiral.
- The Cobain effect. Some people just can’t handle fame and adulation well.
It’s really #6 that puzzles me the most. Since it’s not something I have experienced, it seems alien to me. But it does seem to be quite common. If anyone knows the how/why of this effect, I’d like to read more about it.
I think Eve has hit the nail on the head. Scads of average Joe’s take drugs every single day but unless they get busted and reported in your local media the odds are that you just don’t hear about it.
The original question might have better been put, “Is it just me or do people in the entertainment industry actually take drugs more regularly then the general population?”.
Let’s remember that ‘Alcohol’ is a drug and is consumed nigh universally. The fact that entertainers happen to have the dough to use ‘exotic’ drugs shouldn’t be even remotely surprising.
The thing is, a lot of people get into show business expecting that fame and adulation will make them happy. Then they get fame and adulation and find that they are still not happy. Plus, I would say that most mentally healthy people wouldn’t do the things you have to do in order to become famous. Not to say that all famous people are crazy, just that mentally unstable people are more likely to end up famous.
Better grammar: not admitting there is an upside is silly.
The above is offered purely in the spirit of fun because I was amused that the “correction” contained a new mistake.
Because it is so hard to be rich. Nothing material gives pleasure anymore. No longer do you wish for anything, because you CAN have everything. There is no wishing, no hoping anymore, no anticipation of getting something. Possessions become burdens, not sources of joy. The only thing left to give pleasure is drugs.
In a nutshell:
They can afford it.
They can get away with it in the legal system. See: the endless arrests of Robert Downey Jr.
They can get away with it through their jobs. Unlike 99.9% of the rest of the world (those of us with real jobs), celebrities aren’t required to put in (at least) eight hours a day, five days a week. They have massive amounts of free time to play around with drugs, without affecting their work.
They’re bored and jaded. Hey, if I was able to make $20 million by playing make-believe for a few weeks, I’d have a skewed view of the world too.
Oh, come on.
I’d be willing to bet just as many—more!—factory workers, cops, houswives and doctors take drugs as do show-biz folks.
My theory is that it is a combination of ego and availability. If you are an actor, you are used to one thing - rejection. You try out for a part, and are told that you are too short, too tall, not enough whatever. You have to keep going through this over and over again for years before you achieve any success. To compensate, you can end up with a big (if fragile) ego - including the “I’m an artist, not bourgesoise” attitude, the “I should be treated special, rules don’t apply to me, I have sometome to take care of it” thing, the money and the availability of all those people perfectly willing to help you with drugs along the way. Tie into that you will be expected to network and party with all the Hollywood types, who are already over the line as far as drug usage is concerned. Another element might be the old fashioned “outside the law” attitude about show business types. The strict, ultra conservative, having fun is sinful attitude so often prevalent in society looked down at theatrical types as being true low lifes, and that in itself probably attracted a lot of people of dubious character to get into the business end - no one else would do it.
My family once worked in a famous Broadway theatre and got to know some Hollywood and Broadway actors. The general feeling was that they both might abuse drugs and booze, but the Hollywood types were worse. If you had a really bad drug problem, there was no way you could successfully handle a long term run of a play or musical where you might have to perform six or seven or more shows a week. (Of course, they always felt Broadway “actors” were superior to “movie stars”). My aunts and uncles also remember seeing the “no actors” signs in the windows of the hotels and apartments in the area.
Eve, you and me both.
People in every walk of life take drugs. It’s just that The National Enquirer and Hard Copy don’t care if Joe Ironworker gets busted.
Believe me, if you live in CA you do NOT have to be a celebrity to enjoy (or endure) easy access to drugs. And plenty of 9-5’ers can afford them.