Drug Addiction in the 1%: A Sobering take on Celebs

By Alexandra Rivera
Live Wire Staff Writer

When celebrities die, it is human nature to have sympathy for the talented soul whose time on earth was cut short. Our favorite icons that we grew up watching in movies and on TV or whose music we listened to are just gone in an instant. Our hearts break for the families and the fans that were left behind. Their families are left to pick up the pieces, while being hounded and invaded by the media and their enthusiastic admirers are left with nothing but gossip and speculation in the tabloids.

Just recently one of those fallen talents was none other than actor Philip Seymour Hoffman. He was a beloved and gifted Oscar-winning actor who won an Oscar for his works as the title character in the film “Capote.” He was also starring in the current teen blockbuster series “The Hunger Games.”

It was a shock to hear about the performer’s passing on Feb. 2. It was an even bigger shock to hear how the 46 year-old actor died: a drug overdose. Many of our favorite stars had succumbed to deadly drugs such as heroin, prescription medications like oxycontin and cocaine. Other artists who shared Hoffman’s fate include, Cory Monteith from the TV series “Glee,” Chris Farley, who was known best for his comedy skits on “Saturday Night Live,” and recording artist Amy Winehouse, just to name a few.

Though, society turns the other cheek to the “other” tortured souls that have also fallen victim to drug abuse. Those others are the ordinary men and women, young, old and everything in between, who have also died of these habits. Their deaths are only ever heard about through word of mouth or through a personal connection or relationship.

Which poses the questions: why is society sympathetic to celebrity abusers, but judgmental and unaware of the non-famous users? Why do we overlook the fact that they are just as equal to the addicts we see on the streets? Is it their fame and money? Or is it the simple fact that, as the pop-culture focused civilization we have become, celebrities have been immortalized?

Our culture has  laced these stars on such high pedestals they have reached this level of perceived indestructibility, whereas non-famous  individuals are deemed mere junkies, unfit for society, and unworthy of our sympathy. But what we keep learning over and over is that celebrity does not protect anyone, famous or not, from the scourge of drug addiction.

Drug addiction must be acknowledged and addressed on all levels of society. It destroys everyone who falls under its spell, regardless of class, celebrity status, or financial stability. A hundred people overdose every day, we can’t mourn only the famous ones.