Celebrities Raise Awareness of Addiction

Absolutely anyone can be affected by addiction, regardless of age, religion, gender or financial status. Addiction shows no mercy. However, it is not just the addict that is affected; their loved ones also have to deal with the sometimes-reckless actions of their addicted friend or family member. This can be extremely distressing and frustrating for these people and, in many cases, can lead to relationships breaking down.

Many affected individuals will refuse to speak out about their addiction as they live in fear that they will be punished for their actions; an attitude that has been adopted by society due to the way the media portrays this illness. Recently, several influential people, including celebrities, have started to speak out about addiction to raise awareness. Russell Brand is one such celebrity who continually speaks out about addiction, as this is a subject that is very close to his heart. After suffering from addiction for many years, he wants to encourage as many people as possible to ditch the drugs or alcohol once and for all.

‘Waste of Time’

The forty-one-year-old comedian and former drug addict has recently posted a Trews special regarding addiction on the fourteenth anniversary of his sober life; he has addressed not only drug addictions but less-talked-about addictions such as gambling, sex and food addictions. He said that focusing attention on substances rather than why people abuse the substances is a ‘waste of time’. He stated that he believes an addiction stems from attempting to cope with ‘spiritual pain, emotional pain’.

Dealing with Spiritual and Emotional Pain

He said, “People who take drugs and drink to excess are trying to deal with a spiritual pain, emotional pain,” which he then went on to say is “deeply exacerbated by the materialistic conditions we live in – living in a world where you think problems can be solved by consuming something.”

Brand blamed the addiction epidemic on capitalism’s desire and need for mass consumption, saying that this results in ‘alienation and despair’. Going on to speak about addiction, he described it as ‘a disease that affects all strata of society’ but that it is worse for those who are less well off. He spoke about the beginning of the ‘war on drugs’ and concluded that this was to stop African Americans and anti-war activists from progressing further.

Drug-related deaths in both England and Wales reached a record high last year, and Russell said that the “conditions that create addiction are getting worse and worse”. He also added, “In a way, addiction is just the extreme conclusion and natural end-point to a culture that tells you all of your problems can be resolved by purchasing, acquiring and consuming.”

Help and Support with Addiction

If you are concerned that a loved one may be suffering from a drug addiction and you have had no previous experience with this, do not hesitate to contact us here at Middlegate. Our priority is to help individuals find a treatment provider that will help them to overcome their addiction. We work with providers who offer a range of treatments that can be tailored to suit the specific needs of any individual, to ensure maximum success. If you would like any additional information or have any general enquiries, then please get in touch with us today, and we would be more than happy to assist you in any way that we can.

Source:

  1. http://www.aol.co.uk/entertainment/2016/12/22/russell-brand-addiction-stems-from-spiritual-and-emotional-pain/
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