Whitney Houston 1963-2012: the relationship between the music scene and drugs

13:40 Whitney Houston 1963-2012: the relationship between the music scene and drugs 0 Comments

For the second time in as many months the world has lost another entertainer to drug and alcohol abuse. Whitney Houston's death today will come as something of a shock to her millions of fans. I'm not one of them at all but following the death of Amy Winehouse from drug and alcohol related complications last year, it highlights yet again the association between drug abuse and celebrity. The music world, in particular, is known for its fast-paced, hedonistic lifestyle. Hundreds of entertainers down the years have confessed to being alcoholics or drug addicts. Elvis Presley, the Beatles,Ozzie Osbourne (along with his children), Mel Gibson, Russell Brand, Paris Hilton, Martin Sheen - the list goes on. There seems to be a strong co-relationship between drug and alcohol abuse and celebrity. It almost comes with the territory. TMZ and other entertainment news shows and websites practically wouldn't exist were it not for drug and alcohol misuse. The interrelationship between drugs and alcohol and the entertainment industry needs further research. From my observations, it seems to me that many entertainers (as creative people) have sometimes needed some sort of stimuli (of the drug variety) to be so. Also it's the pressure that comes from being famous too that often does people in. And that's why drug and alcohol barons always target the rich and famous as they make good, well-paying customers.  Houston obviously succumbed to the temptations and pressures of being a celebrity. I often sometimes wonder about how celebrities crave the spotlight but yet want to shy away from it at the same time. This type of contradictory behaviour needs to be better understood and perhaps mental health professionals need to do more research into this issue as well. If some sort of answer were found, then mental health workers could understand how to treat alcohol and drug misuse/abuse amongst the entertainment community more effectively. Perhaps, as Virgin founder Richard Branson stated recently, we need to take a more liberal view of drug policy given that criminalising drug use has failed for both rich and poor users alike. If we were to take a more medicalised approach to treating drug addiction instead of just a criminalised one, then we would be able to support drug users more openly, proactively and effectively, irrespective of their background. But today the entertainment industry is mourning another of its own members again who has died young. RIP Whitney Houston.