If you or someone you know has been struggling with drug addiction or alcoholism, it’s important to know that you’re not alone. It can feel like your world is collapsing in on you and you’re spiraling out of control. You’re not the first person to feel this way. There are parents, CEO’s, actors, actresses, and even elite athletes out there that have been in your exact situation before. Just because you’ve fallen to addiction, doesn’t mean there’s something innately wrong with you. Instead, you’ve probably made a few poor decisions in your life and just need some TLC to get you back on track. Realizing you have a problem is the first step in recovery. By contacting a treatment center in Los Angeles like Nexus, or another addiction recovery facility near you, you take one step in the direction of a clean life. Making this step isn’t always easy, but remember, you’re not the only one.
Lady Gaga
While she’s never had any overdose scares or near death experiences, Lady Gaga was able to share her story of having to give up smoking marijuana. Many people see the drug as recreational and even substitute it out for drinking alcohol. She noted that it’s probably the safest drug to do (hence the legalization all around the U.S) but it’s addictive all the same. Just because something is legal, doesn’t mean it’s good. Smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol are also legal, but cause many deaths each year. Lady Gaga told Cosmopolitan, “I had to stop smoking pot, I was addicted to it… although I think it’s the best drug to choose from when you’re playing around and experimenting, I just want young kids to know that you actually can become addicted to it, and it’s ultimately…a form of self-medication. I was smoking 15 to 20 marijuana cigarettes a day with no tobacco.”
Zac Efron
Everybody knows the former Disney Channel star Zac Efron, or better known as Troy Bolton back in the early 2000s. Since his original claim to fame, Efron has starred in a ton of movies, making a name for himself in Hollywood. Efron came clean about his excessive drinking a little over a year ago. While he didn’t admit to being an alcoholic, he talked about coming to the realization that he was drinking way more than he thought was normal. Before it got too far, he decided to go to counseling and get his emotions and potential addiction sorted out. Since then, he’s never felt better.
Fergie
Fergie was another star that shined mostly in the early 2000s and made a name for herself through the band The Black Eyed Peas. From her clean looks to her beautiful voice and stage presence, you would have never known that she had a huge Achilles’ heal. Fergie opened up to Oprah Winfrey about 5 years back saying, “…From ecstasy, it went to crystal meth. With any drugs, everything is great at the beginning, and then slowly your life starts to spiral down. I was 90 pounds at one point. What got me through it was a lot of therapy, soul searching, discovering why I took the drugs in the first place, because that’s really what it is.”
Don Rogers
If you don’t know the name, you might remember the story. Don Rogers was a first round pick for the Cleveland Browns back in 1984. Rogers was able to finish two seasons with the Browns where he won Defensive Rookie of the Year during his first season. With a promising future, Rogers cut his career short when he died of a cocaine overdose. Unfortunately, the heart attack took place the day before his wedding.
These are only a few of the countless examples of people who seem to have it all becoming addicted to some sort of controlled substance. No matter how lonely you feel, you’re not alone in the crazy struggle of addiction.
