I have long averred that celebrities should not be role models. However, given America’s and the world’s fascination with celebrity there is no doubt they impact society – even when their behavior is bad. Perhaps this is true especially when their behavior is shameful. This is the 2nd part of my blog series on Celebrity Drug Use. You can read part 1 here.
We have been shocked by the deaths of Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston. Before them we were shocked by the deaths of Elvis Presley and Janis Joplin. Really, we were not that shocked.
Celebrities have a long history of drug and alcohol abuse.
Recent weeks also brought news that 42-year-old Scottish actor Gerard Butler and comedian Artie Lange, 44, both successfully completed rehab for addiction and are back working.
On the other end of the spectrum, is one of my favorite actresses and sex symbols, Demi Moore. The 49-year-old Moore, who was hospitalized after smoking something that gave her convulsions , sought "professional assistance" for her problem.
Then there is current heartthrob, Australian actor Alex O'Loughlin, star of CBS's Hawaii Five-0, who just announced he would take time off to get "supervised treatment" for pain drugs prescribed after a recent shoulder injury.
This sort of thing is not uncommon in Hollywood: Actress Tatum O'Neal, 48, who comes from a family of addicts and has long battled to overcome substance abuse, also is in "supervised treatment" to prevent a recurrence of addiction, to painkillers recently prescribed for back surgery.
Again, celebrities are not role models. Model your life around the teaching of God and you can never go wrong. This most-especially is true with addiction.