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Why is drugs and alcohol such a huge problem in the entertainment industry (especially with actors and musicians)?

It isn't really, think about how many normal people indulge in drugs and alcohol every day.

We are just more aware of famous people doing it.

Many people binge on drugs and alcohol, it's just that it's near impossible for celebrities to keep their personal lives secret in these times.

Because the spotlight is on them. It's also because they've got enough money to bail themselves out of any situation, and they just have to wait for the maneating media to go ruin another poor bastard's career for them to do more drugs and alcohol.

They have far more means and money to acquire it, but mainly it's because even minor celebrities get so much coverage by the media it's nuts is that it appears to be something mainly for the entertainment industry.

corpsesarefun wrote:It isn't really, think about how many normal people indulge in drugs and alcohol every day.

We are just more aware of famous people doing it.

...This...It's just that the media likes a good " shocking" story to tub thump over when ever some celebrity is caught with a straw up their nose...never mind that probably more than half the folks shoving camera's into his/her face are most likely high as well.

FITZZ wrote:

corpsesarefun wrote:It isn't really, think about how many normal people indulge in drugs and alcohol every day.

We are just more aware of famous people doing it.

...This...It's just that the media likes a good " shocking" story to tub thump over when ever some celebrity is caught with a straw up their nose...never mind that probably more than half the folks shoving camera's into his/her face are most likely high as well.

Yeah, but they're just decent average chaps like us, not like those damned celebs who we all watch on TV and listen to, copy their styles and listen to their ideas, and yet we wait on tenterhooks for the opportunity to rip and tear into them as soon as we can.

MrDwhitey wrote:

FITZZ wrote:

corpsesarefun wrote:It isn't really, think about how many normal people indulge in drugs and alcohol every day.

We are just more aware of famous people doing it.

...This...It's just that the media likes a good " shocking" story to tub thump over when ever some celebrity is caught with a straw up their nose...never mind that probably more than half the folks shoving camera's into his/her face are most likely high as well.

Yeah, but they're just decent average chaps like us, not like those damned celebs who we all watch on TV and listen to, copy their styles and listen to their ideas, and yet we wait on tenterhooks for the opportunity to rip and tear into them as soon as we can.

... Funny how that is huh? , " Gosh, I sure do love rock star X's music, can't wait until he OD's in some cheap motel with two hookers so I can feel morally superior as I stand around the water cooler at my crap hamster on a wheel job and talk crap about him with all the other good decent folk."...

I think boredom plays a part, at least if your super rich and famous. Think about it. You have enough money and connections to do what ever you want, go wherever you want and buy whatever you want. What do you do? Once you've bought yourself a huge house, cars, travelled around the world, you sit in your huge house and think to yourself, 'well, I've got everything I ever wanted.... What now?'

Now you get high.

corpsesarefun wrote:It isn't really, think about how many normal people indulge in drugs and alcohol every day.

We are just more aware of famous people doing it.

Yes and no.

We are more aware of famous people indulging themselves (they are famous, after all) but there is truth to the notion that the wealthy lurve their drogas.

To attempt at a joke: I think the Wallstreet Journal has seen more lines than the Star Tribune.

dogma wrote:To attempt at a joke: I think the Wallstreet Journal has seen more lines than the Star Tribune.

7/10, I laughed.

Albatross wrote:I think boredom plays a part, at least if your super rich and famous. Think about it. You have enough money and connections to do what ever you want, go wherever you want and buy whatever you want. What do you do? Once you've bought yourself a huge house, cars, travelled around the world, you sit in your huge house and think to yourself, 'well, I've got everything I ever wanted.... What now?'

Now you get high.

You've a good point there. What else is there after achieving pretty much everything legally?

I remember hearing that for people who work on film/TV sets etc, the pressure and stress is often used as a reason/contributing factor towards high drug taking.

Ive not long finished reading Nikki Sixx's Heroin Diaries, and it seems that from his perspective his drug and alcohol addictions were partly due to his deep seated neuroses and issues with his family history, partly due to boredom (on tour they were effectively only working for two hours per day leaving 22 hours for mayhem, off tour it was more like 24 hour mayhem) and mostly due to having vast sums of disposable income and very little responsibilty. He got out of some deep gak purely because he was a rock star, where average joe's would have had the book thrown at them.

corpsesarefun wrote:It isn't really, think about how many normal people indulge in drugs and alcohol every day.

We are just more aware of famous people doing it.

What about musicians though? just about every artist I'm fan of seems to have experimented with drugs at one point in there career.

Cheesecat wrote:What about musicians though? just about every artist I'm fan of seems to have experimented with drugs at one point in there career.

I'm gonna take a shot in the dark and say that, despite every example needing to be judged on a case by case basis, it can be a response to the stress of their job...

Now I know what you're thinking...Some rock star with all the money in the world, stressed? Well, I'm sure that the glamorous life isn't all its cracked up to be...You're subject to unrelenting media attention, you have to do gigs at all hours of the night, getting up on stage and possibly exerting yourself for hours at a time...worrying about that one crazed fan that wants to kidnap you and but you in a box...can take a toll on the mind and body...

that's just a theory anyway...I'm not a musician and I've never known one but that's the impression I've gotten anyway...

Famous or not, artists (actors, musicians, songwriters) tend to be more out on the edge of things in general; there is the old adage about Hell having the best House Band.

Think about everyone you know in their late teens and early twenties. Take out all the introverts, the quiet stay at home types, and just think about the ones that like going to parties, love being the centre of attention.

Think about how many of those people are on drugs.

sebster wrote:Think about everyone you know in their late teens and early twenties. Take out all the introverts, the quiet stay at home types, and just think about the ones that like going to parties, love being the centre of attention.

Think about how many of those people are on drugs.

Yeah but I wouldn't say most of those people are actually addicted to drugs they just over indulge with them during party settings because that's considered the norm at parties plus some people enjoy being

intoxicated. I don't know many people who would take drugs by themselves almost all of them would do it if they were around there buddies (which usually happens at parties) and there buddies were doing it.

The exception being cigarettes, cigars and weed I've seen quite a few people consume those drugs by themselves but I'm talking more about coke, drinking, heroin, meth, etc addictions as smoking addictions

seem to be somewhat tolerated (well they're legal at least) and very few people seem to have problems with weed in Canada.

Cheesecat wrote:Yeah but I wouldn't say most of those people are actually addicted to drugs they just over indulge with them during party settings because that's considered the norm at parties plus some people enjoy being intoxicated. I don't know many people who would take drugs by themselves almost all of them would do it if they were around there buddies (which usually happens at parties) and there buddies were doing it.

Sure, but not every single musician is addicted to drugs, taking them all the time. Like any other young, outgoing person, they're taking them at parties, or before a night out on the town.

From there it's a numbers game, with whatever percentage getting seriously hooked.

sebster wrote:

Cheesecat wrote:Yeah but I wouldn't say most of those people are actually addicted to drugs they just over indulge with them during party settings because that's considered the norm at parties plus some people enjoy being intoxicated. I don't know many people who would take drugs by themselves almost all of them would do it if they were around there buddies (which usually happens at parties) and there buddies were doing it.

Sure, but not every single musician is addicted to drugs, taking them all the time. Like any other young, outgoing person, they're taking them at parties, or before a night out on the town.

From there it's a numbers game, with whatever percentage getting seriously hooked.

You're right it's just media makes it sound like they're doing drugs all the time.

Cheesecat wrote:

sebster wrote:

Cheesecat wrote:Yeah but I wouldn't say most of those people are actually addicted to drugs they just over indulge with them during party settings because that's considered the norm at parties plus some people enjoy being intoxicated. I don't know many people who would take drugs by themselves almost all of them would do it if they were around there buddies (which usually happens at parties) and there buddies were doing it.

Sure, but not every single musician is addicted to drugs, taking them all the time. Like any other young, outgoing person, they're taking them at parties, or before a night out on the town.

From there it's a numbers game, with whatever percentage getting seriously hooked.

You're right it's just media makes it sound like they're doing drugs all the time.

Think about your own (or friends) drinking/drug habits. Generally, if there's a party on the weekend, then you (or your friend) is going to drink or get high. Now imagine you are the coolest, richest kid in school and you're going to every party, and there is one every night.

Cheesecat wrote:You're right it's just media makes it sound like they're doing drugs all the time.

I think that's a large part of it. 'Rocker lived the high life for his first five years in the industry, taking drugs and drinking heavily, but moved past that and is now a casual drinker' isn't really much of a story.

sebster wrote:

Cheesecat wrote:You're right it's just media makes it sound like they're doing drugs all the time.

I think that's a large part of it. 'Rocker lived the high life for his first five years in the industry, taking drugs and drinking heavily, but moved past that and is now a casual drinker' isn't really much of a story.

Also do you think with fine art being a high risk business that can be very unprofitable/unforgiving which could put a lot of stress on people who work in the arts, is also a major factor for drug abuse?

corpsesarefun wrote:It isn't really, think about how many normal people indulge in drugs and alcohol every day.

We are just more aware of famous people doing it.

I swear half the people I work with are either hardcore drinkers or potheads. The other half are cat people. Not sure which is worse.

Cheesecat wrote:Also do you think with fine art being a high risk business that can be very unprofitable/unforgiving which could put a lot of stress on people who work in the arts, is also a major factor for drug abuse?

Could be, I guess. I'd think there's probably a lot more stress for a struggling musician, than for being a really successful one. The latter has more adulation, and no money problems. His issue is more likely being chasing another high like the last concert, than stress.

The way I see it is that most people do drugs of some sort, whether its the legal or illegal kind. The type of people who have a tendency of going too far are also the type of people who love the spotlight, often have a talent that puts them there, and add them together... you get people who actually have enough money to be high 24/7.
When you have more money than god, nothing better to do, an addictive personality/a love of being adored, are invited/crashing every party you'll end up going way too far, way too often. Anyone can get addicted in those circumstances, and most/many do. How they handle that is another story.

Yea, it comes down to newspapers/News shows get much better ratings/sales with a drugged out so and so then a happy go lucky so and so

Cheesecat wrote:Why is drugs and alcohol such a huge problem in the entertainment industry (especially with actors and musicians)?

Why is Scientology such a huge problem in the Entertainment industry...they are both mysteries.