The glamorous side of Hollywood is well known, the parties, the money, and the overall extravagance of the scene, but what about the other side?
With the abundance of drugs and alcohol available to celebrities, along with no one advising them against it, we have seen many sad news reports of someone passing from an overdose. Some notable celebrity deaths that really showed the dark side of Hollywood would be Whitney Houston, Amy Winehouse, and Elvis Presley. While Elvis didn’t necessarily die of a drug overdose, he did take a series of drugs, which resulted in many unregulated bad habits leading up to his untimely death.
So, why does this happen? You would assume that people with so much money and status would be able to afford the help they need, yet these tragedies still happen. There are many reasons, with the easy access and pressure from the public, but enabling seems to be a big factor. The success of the Elvis movie in 2022 brought to light the past influence that managers have over their clients and the negative effects that can happen if this is taken advantage of. That’s not to say this doesn’t happen anymore, but with the growing use of social media, unethical practices have a higher chance of being brought to light. Genetics are also a significant contributor to addiction. This is something that is not specific to celebrities, but nevertheless, it’s still a major factor.
Social media also puts pressure on celebrities. They can paint a bad light and shame celebrities for going out or being caught drinking. Bad publicity can be detrimental to the mental health of celebrities and can further push them down a dark path. The representation of addiction in film and media also pushes unhealthy expectations. For example, Haymitch, an alcoholic, has no trouble sobering up in “The Hunger Games,” which ignores the real struggle of recovery. This pushes the narrative that the effects of addiction have few long-term problems and are easy to overcome. Recovery is not an easy thing, and when films portray that it is, it also lowers the significance of partaking in drugs and/or alcohol in the first place.
However, there are many celebrities who have overcome addiction and are actively speaking and drawing attention to this issue. Social media can be used positively by spreading awareness about the issue of addiction.