Well-known Alcoholics
Alcohol, among other things, has been initiated into our pop culture. Even the celebrities are not spared from this addictive substance. Here are some of the well known alcoholics that you may or may not have heard that they really were:
Alexander the Great, a conqueror, strategist and military genius was the first famous alcoholic that publicly admitted his alcoholism in the history of man. Many consider his advanced alcoholism to be his cause of death at the age of 32.
Writer-novelist, and very disturbed individual, Edgar Alan Poe, was an alcoholic. He took on from his father; this may be proof that alcoholism maybe a genetic trait and not just influenced. Young Edgar was raised by family friends and not by his father. He tried several times to join the army but his drinking eventually got him booted out. His drinking, as others would think might be the source of his self-torture. At age 40, Edgar died after being found on the streets, delirious and weak three days prior to that. The speculated cause of his death was alcoholism.
But not all drunken writers end up dead. One of the well-known alcoholics is Stephen King, a famous writer with a scary mind and alcohol problems. By the time he was twenty eight, he admitted to taking to alcohol. He spent most of his free time in drug and alcohol bingeing. Constant family intervention got him to turn away from drugs and sobered up from then on.
From one art form to another, alcoholism breaches the boundaries with writers and musicians. Eddie Van Halen, a rock star, was also a victim of alcohol. Eddie’s relationship with his ex wife, Valerie Bertilelli, was allegedly ruined by his behavior. Valerie said that he was a gentle man in the early part of the marriage but later revealed his true colors and his drinking destroyed more than twenty years of married life. After their divorce, Eddie turned his life around and tied the knot with Janie Liszewski in 2009. Eddie was so serious about his change that he refused alcohol to be served in the wedding reception.
But Eddie’s is not the only inspiring musician story. Eric Clapton was a religious man before turning to drugs. Upon quitting, he moved on to helping others to battle the bottle. I think I missed this one. I never knew that Eric was a substance abuser, one of the well-known alcoholics in the music industry.
From rock bands to boy bands, AJ McLean of Backstreet boys also had alcohol issues. He was already addicted to during the start of the Backstreet boys’ climb to fame. After intervention from the band members, AJ was eventually put into rehab and turned his life around—for the better.
There are a lot of well-known alcoholics out there but not all of them have turned their life around. Some are in rehab some are dead, and some–no longer famous. Here are some actors and actresses who admittedly or not, have or have had alcohol problems. Lindsay Lohan, Robin Williams, Robert Downey Jr., Ben Affleck, Samuel L. Jackson, Patrick Swayze (may he rest in peace), Dennis Quaid, Winona Ryder, Demi Moore, Elizabeth Taylor, Colin Farrel, Kiefer Sutherland, Melanie Griffith, Drew Barrymore, , Mel Gibson, Matthew Perry, Charlie Sheen, Amy Whitehouse, Kate Moss, and many more.
With the rampant use of prohibited substances like drugs and alcohol, a question pops out of my mind: How can we stop our kids, or even ourselves from using these abusive substances when these people, whom we call idols—well-known alcoholics as they are, don’t have the capability to stop?
