All sources of information, videos, pictures, and citations are documented in the following:
The Health Professionals Directory
Happy Valley News Hour
Online Dictionary
Karima Habibali, Transpersonal Psychotherapist, Turning Point Detox Centre, Hamilton, ON.
CBC Online
YouTube- Eric Lamaze
Marilyn Manson Lyrics- The Dope Show
Lastfm.com- Nine Inch Nails Photography- The Perfect Drug
WiseGEEK
PerezHilton.com
Crack is Whack
Vistabay.com
Star Power
Celebrity Influence on American Society
YouTube- Alice In Wonderland
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
The glamorous life?
The media gives society what it thirsts for: glamour, stars, controversy, glamour, entertainment, fashion, glamour. A critical literary piece, Celebrity Influence on American Society, which analyzes the influence of celebrities on society states, “Americans are obsessed with the lives of people who are glamorous, rich and pretty.”
If parents are so concerned about the influence that celebrities have on youths, then why are the lives and habits of the stars such a significant source of entertainment in our culture? It is overtly true that the accessibility of information due to technology quickly provides us with all the latest celebrity scandals- but how we choose to let these influences affect our lives is independent from how this information is presented to us. If we must feed our obsession, we must use discretion as to how we will perceive and act in response to the reports we are exposed to. If celebrities using drugs is a relevant and exciting form of entertainment, then what exactly is it that would imply that others should practice such habits, when the tragic downfalls of the stars are the focus of the headlines? Hmmm…
If parents are so concerned about the influence that celebrities have on youths, then why are the lives and habits of the stars such a significant source of entertainment in our culture? It is overtly true that the accessibility of information due to technology quickly provides us with all the latest celebrity scandals- but how we choose to let these influences affect our lives is independent from how this information is presented to us. If we must feed our obsession, we must use discretion as to how we will perceive and act in response to the reports we are exposed to. If celebrities using drugs is a relevant and exciting form of entertainment, then what exactly is it that would imply that others should practice such habits, when the tragic downfalls of the stars are the focus of the headlines? Hmmm…
STARPOWER?
Before we consider whether or not celebrity influences have an impact on youth drug use, we must factor in how much influence celebrities actually have, and how important it is for celebrities to act as role models. An analytical piece on the role of celebrities as models for the rest of society entitled ‘Star power: do celebrities have a responsibility to be role models?,’ defines the importance of celebrity behaviour in relevance to influence on youths.
"The real issue isn't how celebrities behave--it's how we behave. We should not try to be like someone else or copy the actions or styles of others, especially if we know it's wrong. If you are always hiding in other people's shadows, then you will never really know who you are."
Being confident in yourself is relevant in making decisions about what will harm or benefit you. There is a difference between establishing your sense of fashion or musical taste in response to your favourite star, but judgement needs to be made to decipher what is appropriate and what is self destructive in terms of how far you are willing to go to represent your favourite celeb. Hmmm...
"The real issue isn't how celebrities behave--it's how we behave. We should not try to be like someone else or copy the actions or styles of others, especially if we know it's wrong. If you are always hiding in other people's shadows, then you will never really know who you are."
Being confident in yourself is relevant in making decisions about what will harm or benefit you. There is a difference between establishing your sense of fashion or musical taste in response to your favourite star, but judgement needs to be made to decipher what is appropriate and what is self destructive in terms of how far you are willing to go to represent your favourite celeb. Hmmm...
And the results are in...
A presentation of information and statistics of people who use drugs, and general information outlining the risks and health problems inflicted by drug abuse is relevant to understanding why people do drugs. An article entitled “Teen & Adult Drug Use Statistics that will blow your mind,” provides facts to consider when analyzing the influence of celebrities on youths to engage in drug habits. Modern society’s acceptance of drugs, legal tolerance, and increasing numbers of individuals using drugs are factors that are analyzed by Vistabay. Vistabay is an institution that researches and provides information on the history and current issues presented by drug abuse, and why people choose to do drugs.
Different types of drugs are analyzed, including the five most popular drugs that this generation has proven to abuse the most. Crack-cocaine is one of the seemingly most popular drugs included in this study, and is said to have been at its most popular in the late 1990’s: “‘crack cocaine’ – sold primarily to poorer, inner city neighborhoods.” People living in poverty who resort to drug use are not likely to be aspiring to be the next Britney Spears, but have grown up in an environment deprived of funds and use drugs to escape the reality of their poverty, and any potential abuse that occurs within their households and communities. Hmmm...
Different types of drugs are analyzed, including the five most popular drugs that this generation has proven to abuse the most. Crack-cocaine is one of the seemingly most popular drugs included in this study, and is said to have been at its most popular in the late 1990’s: “‘crack cocaine’ – sold primarily to poorer, inner city neighborhoods.” People living in poverty who resort to drug use are not likely to be aspiring to be the next Britney Spears, but have grown up in an environment deprived of funds and use drugs to escape the reality of their poverty, and any potential abuse that occurs within their households and communities. Hmmm...
'Crack is Whack'
‘Crack is Whack’ is an account of currently popular and notorious celebrities with drug addictions. This article helps to answer the question of why celebrities do drugs in the first place. “The pressure, constant scrutiny, and insecurities that come with stardom have caused many celebrities to turn to substance abuse for comfort.” If people choose to directly blame celebrity influence for youth drug habits, and we base celebrity drug use on reasons such as pressure and insecurities that are a result of their fame, can we not trace the blame back on the media itself for throwing stars into such a blinding spotlight? If society was not so obsessed with gossip, controversy, and scandals, then the paparazzi would not be inclined to catch stars in their falls from grace. However, due to popular culture’s thirst for change, and for something different and interesting, how easy it is to target stars as they are crashing down. The pressure to look perfect and talented at all times drives them to drugs to escape the stress of their stardom. Society is most entertained by such scandals, and this is what people want to hear about. If celebrities are considered to be bad influences based on their drug habits, then why is it that their indiscretions always make the front page? Hmmm…
And the WORST influence is...
Perez Hilton, “Queen of all Media,” has posted on his blog an entry detailing that Miley Cyrus is the “worst celebrity influence of 2009.” Cyrus, known for her career acting and singing for Disney programs, and her alter ego, Hannah Montana, has evidently been trying to break free from her innocent, children’s television portrayal. An online poll recorded this data, earning the young Cyrus 42% of the votes for the worst celebrity influence of the year. Hilton also notes that this percentage was higher than those of Britney Spears and Kanye West, even after Britney’s notorious downward spiral into drugs and depression. Having said that, Miley Cyrus has never been slandered or even accused of abusing illegal or legal drugs! She is a young, rising star in popular culture, and her squeaky clean image has only been soiled by her ‘overtly sexual’ nature during her musical performances. So, if celebrities are to blame for influencing youths to do drugs, how is it that parents voted Miley the worst celebrity influence of 2009, without photos of her stumbling down the red carpet with bulging eyes and a rehab story? Hmmm…
You may ask yourself, well, how did I get here?
WHY DO PEOPLE DO DRUGS? This is a question that everyone seems to want answers to! I present you with WiseGEEK, an online ecology of information pertaining to the real reasons people choose to use drugs. A WiseGEEK article called Why Do People Do Drugs?, gives their explanation of peoples’ choice to pursue drug habits. “Some drugs help us heal, some help us think more clearly, and some alter our perceptions of the world radically, shifting our brain chemistry.” Who is to say that celebrities don’t do drugs for these reasons also? If escaping reality is an acceptable explanation as to why the average person abuses drugs, then how does that relate to celebrity influence? If people, particularly youths, are enduring such pain and trauma that they are resorting to using drugs as an escape to an illusory world, then it is not likely that they are paying attention to the real world around them, including the media and the stars that graze the covers of popular magazines. People who rely on drugs to perform their day-to-day functions are generally using drugs to battle some sort of internal pain, and therefore are consumed with their internal battles. To them, that prioritizes over knowing what celebrities are doing. Hmmm…
*We're all stars now*
We're all stars now in the dope show
We're all stars now in the dope show
There's a lot of pretty, pretty ones
That want to get you high
But all the pretty, pretty ones
Will leave you low and blow your mind
We're all stars now in the dope show
We're all stars now in the dope show
They love you when you're on all the covers
When you're not then they love another
Marilyn Manson- The Dope Show
We're all stars now in the dope show
There's a lot of pretty, pretty ones
That want to get you high
But all the pretty, pretty ones
Will leave you low and blow your mind
We're all stars now in the dope show
We're all stars now in the dope show
They love you when you're on all the covers
When you're not then they love another
Marilyn Manson- The Dope Show
Don't let them know how far you go...
If celebrity influences were the primary reason that youths choose to engage in drugs, we would have to ask ourselves what it is that causes celebrities to do drugs. The answers to this would be similar if we did a study as to why anyone does drugs: to relieve themselves from stress and pressure, to numb themselves from traumatic experiences, family issues, or depression. Celebrities, believe it or not, are human beings! Not only that, but the majority of celebrities were not stars the moment they were born. This leads us back to the question of why celebrities do drugs, and the answer to this question is similar to the one that people would come up with when asked why people in general do drugs. To blame celebrities for the influence they impose on youths regarding drug use would lead one in a cycle of blaming former celebrities who influenced popular modern celebrities who abuse drugs, and blame their drug use on the celebrities before them, and the ones who influenced them, and so on.
Furthermore, to say that celebrities have so much influential authority over the illicit activities that youths engage in, would imply that celebrities have more of an influence on kids than their families and institutions that they belong to. Generally speaking, parents are discouraging drug use, true friends who care about the health and well-being of their peers are discouraging drug use, and churches, schools and coaches are discouraging drug use. Do celebrities have more influence on kids than their families and friends? If this is the case, then maybe parents should take a critical look at their morals and standards when it comes to raising their children. If your daughter cares more about looking like Lindsay Lohan and doing everything she does in order to supposedly glamourize herself, than she does about her family and her health, then there is something to be said about what is really causing the drug problem, the celebrity models or the role of the parents in her life. Hmmm…
Furthermore, to say that celebrities have so much influential authority over the illicit activities that youths engage in, would imply that celebrities have more of an influence on kids than their families and institutions that they belong to. Generally speaking, parents are discouraging drug use, true friends who care about the health and well-being of their peers are discouraging drug use, and churches, schools and coaches are discouraging drug use. Do celebrities have more influence on kids than their families and friends? If this is the case, then maybe parents should take a critical look at their morals and standards when it comes to raising their children. If your daughter cares more about looking like Lindsay Lohan and doing everything she does in order to supposedly glamourize herself, than she does about her family and her health, then there is something to be said about what is really causing the drug problem, the celebrity models or the role of the parents in her life. Hmmm…
Picking up the Pieces...
Some celebrities who are considered to be positive influences actually have a dark background of depression and substance abuse. A perfect example of such a person is Eric Lamaze, rider for the Canadian Olympic Equestrian Team. Lamaze brought home a gold medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympics for individual show jumping. This was the first time competing the Olympics for Lamaze, as he was unable to compete in the 1996 Atlanta Games and the 2000 Sydney Games. He tested positive for cocaine before both Olympics, and after the first time, considered suicide. Lamaze “picked up the pieces of his life,” and came out on top in the Beijing Olympic Games, also helping the Canadian Team bring home a silver medal in team show jumping. His success story touched the hearts of Canadians, and fellow equestrians, who understand how important his dream was to him, and how if you persevere through difficult times, the dream is still attainable.
The story of Eric Lamaze is a positive representation of how celebrities who have been at a time perceived as bad role models and influences to the rest of society, can make a positive example of themselves by turning their lives around and proving themselves to the rest of the world. Eric says of his fantastic story, "When you give people chances and allow them to come back from their mistakes, great things happen and I'm a perfect example that you shouldn't give up on people." He demonstrates not that young riders should engage in illegal drug practices so they can one day follow their dreams, but that people should not be ridiculed and judged by the rest of society for struggling with drug dependency. Lamaze illustrates that if people are given a second chance to redeem themselves from their mistakes, they may then be judged for the person they really are, and display their great talents and personality traits.
Many people who know who Eric Lamaze is may not have known about his troubled past and how his career suffered due to drug abuse. Seeing him come out of the Beijing Olympics with a gold medal, a silver medal, and recognition as one of the top riders in the world, actually gives a positive message to society: don’t let bad habits hold you back, and never give up on yourself.
The story of Eric Lamaze is a positive representation of how celebrities who have been at a time perceived as bad role models and influences to the rest of society, can make a positive example of themselves by turning their lives around and proving themselves to the rest of the world. Eric says of his fantastic story, "When you give people chances and allow them to come back from their mistakes, great things happen and I'm a perfect example that you shouldn't give up on people." He demonstrates not that young riders should engage in illegal drug practices so they can one day follow their dreams, but that people should not be ridiculed and judged by the rest of society for struggling with drug dependency. Lamaze illustrates that if people are given a second chance to redeem themselves from their mistakes, they may then be judged for the person they really are, and display their great talents and personality traits.
Many people who know who Eric Lamaze is may not have known about his troubled past and how his career suffered due to drug abuse. Seeing him come out of the Beijing Olympics with a gold medal, a silver medal, and recognition as one of the top riders in the world, actually gives a positive message to society: don’t let bad habits hold you back, and never give up on yourself.
Words from the Wise...
Celebrities should not be blamed for youths abusing drugs. Whether young adults listen to artists who engage in drugs, or what negative celebrity behaviour they are exposed to by the media, is not the reason they choose to use drugs. If this was the case, and celebrities were the true cause of kids developing drug habits, the rates of drug addiction would be much higher than they are, because so many people are exposed to and are interested in the work of stars who have drug habits. The choice to participate in illicit activities is a personal one. Karima Habibali, a Transpersonal Psychotherapist at Turning Point Detox Centre in Hamilton, says that with their patients who struggle with drug abuse, they aim to “explore their reasons for using/abusing alcohol/drugs internally; to heal trauma from within.” When working with patients, Karima does not focus on outside influences, especially those in the media, to make sense or redirect blame for their substance addiction. She believes that the direction people choose to take their lives, and the steps they take to reconstruct their lives after any damage is done, is an internal process. It does not make sense to say that certain music, films, or artists are the cause of these problems developing in the first place.
If, indeed, celebrities and their work were the source of individuals’ motivation to engage in drug abuse, then once their addiction is treated, their interests in art forms would change. “I would state that there aren’t differences in clients’ interests after a period of recovery and healing,” Habibali says of patients’ interests before and after treatment, “so much as there is increased motivation to pursue individual interests that had been lost within the depths of the addiction.” Her experiences have shown her that there is a general loss of interests amongst individuals with drug problems. Therefore, celebrity influences are not relevant to increased substance use, because people struggling with drug abuse lose interest in the world outside themselves.
If, indeed, celebrities and their work were the source of individuals’ motivation to engage in drug abuse, then once their addiction is treated, their interests in art forms would change. “I would state that there aren’t differences in clients’ interests after a period of recovery and healing,” Habibali says of patients’ interests before and after treatment, “so much as there is increased motivation to pursue individual interests that had been lost within the depths of the addiction.” Her experiences have shown her that there is a general loss of interests amongst individuals with drug problems. Therefore, celebrity influences are not relevant to increased substance use, because people struggling with drug abuse lose interest in the world outside themselves.
au⋅to⋅bi⋅og⋅ra⋅phy [aw-tuh-bahy-og-ruh-fee]: a history of a person's life written or told by that person.
Alyssainwonderland: I am a Journalism student with a passion for asking questions, people-watching and writing. I enjoy reading fictional work, biographies, and auto-biographies. Writers who inspire me the most are Lewis Carroll, Jacqueline Susann and Neil Strauss.
My interests include reading, writing prose, drawing, painting and horseback riding. I am an audio learner and music is a very important part of my life. I appreciate all types of music, and I do not believe that any music, movies, or art forms should be banned or censored. If individuals decide to make bad choices, then that is on their own account. The topic of my blog, which is the drug use of celebrities, is designed not to use stars as a scapegoat to account for the drug use of youths, but actually the contrary. I believe that it is not celebrity examples that drive people to drug dependency, and society should stop placing the blame on them. Why, instead, can’t we listen to what professionals, celebrities, and kids themselves, have to say about drug use, and see what the real reasons are that kids use drugs?
With my interest and research pertaining to celebrity drug use, and cases where stars have been blamed for drug related incidences in society, I will guide my readers in reconsidering what it is that should be blamed for youth drug abuse. This is not a blog, like most others, that points fingers at artists and actors who use drugs, and throws them into the spotlight to be used as a scapegoat and to be perceived as a negative influence. I will dig deeper into the habits of celebrities and youths, and provide professional inputs which will demonstrate that stars are not the reason that kids use drugs.
My interests include reading, writing prose, drawing, painting and horseback riding. I am an audio learner and music is a very important part of my life. I appreciate all types of music, and I do not believe that any music, movies, or art forms should be banned or censored. If individuals decide to make bad choices, then that is on their own account. The topic of my blog, which is the drug use of celebrities, is designed not to use stars as a scapegoat to account for the drug use of youths, but actually the contrary. I believe that it is not celebrity examples that drive people to drug dependency, and society should stop placing the blame on them. Why, instead, can’t we listen to what professionals, celebrities, and kids themselves, have to say about drug use, and see what the real reasons are that kids use drugs?
With my interest and research pertaining to celebrity drug use, and cases where stars have been blamed for drug related incidences in society, I will guide my readers in reconsidering what it is that should be blamed for youth drug abuse. This is not a blog, like most others, that points fingers at artists and actors who use drugs, and throws them into the spotlight to be used as a scapegoat and to be perceived as a negative influence. I will dig deeper into the habits of celebrities and youths, and provide professional inputs which will demonstrate that stars are not the reason that kids use drugs.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Welcome to the Jungle
Entrée. I will be taking you on a mystical journey to discover the drug habits of Hollywood's best and worst, and the influence, or lack of, that they actually have on popular culture. What are your kids being exposed to by celebrities? What publicised trends are acceptable, and which are not? Really, when it comes down to it, no one should make drastic lifestyle choices based on habits their favourite celebrities engage in.
Celebrity drug use is not an unfamiliar topic to young people. Looking back, stars like Courtney Love, Snoop Dogg, Lindsay Lohan, and Mary-Kate Olsen have been no strangers to the tabloids over the years, and not just for their music and acting. Flipping through our glossy-paged magazines and having a chuckle over who can't stand up straight, or whose head is totally in the clouds, is definitely entertaining. We need to take a closer look at what drugs are popular amongst celebrities, and how much blame for other peoples' exploits are placed on them, when really, is it our business what stars do behind closed doors? Is it what music and movies kids enjoy, or their parents' and society's examples and pressures that lead them to drugs? Did Amy Winehouse tell her fans that to buy her CD's and enjoy her music they must first develop an alcohol dependency? Didn't think so.
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