Celebrity Kids and Drug Abuse
Children have always been popular in the movies. From 1935-1938 Shirley Temple was the biggest movie star in Hollywood. She began her career at age three and retired from films at age 22. During her career American audiences flocked to the theater to see her.
Since that time countless other child actors have been movie stars for different generations. Not all of them handled fame as well as Shirley Temple, who went on to become a successful public servant. Many of them felt the pressure of working at a young age, the stress of being in the public spotlight, and the emotional burden of often being the sole provider for their family. That’s a lot to handle for an eight-year-old.
Unfortunately, many of these children turned to drugs and alcohol for comfort. Often they were coddled and over-indulged by their parents and other adults who lacked the willpower to say “no.” Given the celebrity environment in Hollywood movie circles, drugs were often available, and plenty of irresponsible adults were happy to provide drugs and alcohol to child stars.
Drew Barrymore came from a legendary Hollywood family. The granddaughter of legendary actor John Barrymore, Drew first appeared in advertisements when she was only eleven months old. She gained major fame as Gertie in the Steven Spielberg hit E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. She was seven years old.
Drew went on to have roles in several movies over the next few years. She also developed severe drug and alcohol abuse problems, going into rehab twice by the age of fourteen. Drew was, like Shirley Temple, fortunate in that she has been able to continue to have a career and is still a bankable star in movies.
Less fortunate has been Lindsay Lohan. Like Drew Barrymore, Lindsay was a child star at an early age. She began her career at age three as a fashion model. At age ten she starred in the Disney movie The Parent Trap, a remake of an earlier Disney movie. She went on to star in Freaky Friday and Mean Girls.
Lindsay also developed a fondness for alcohol and drugs. In recent years she has become somewhat of a spectacle for her drunken antics, often caught in compromising photos by paparazzi. Although she has tried to continue her earlier success in movies, she now often is portrayed as something of a joke in movies and in Hollywood conversations.
The Olsen twins, Mary-Kate and Ashley, were also stars at a young age, stealing scenes in their television show Full House. One of the twins, Mary-Kate, later went into rehab for an eating disorder, anorexia, and reportedly fought cocaine addiction. The twins’ movie careers have dwindled.
Drug abuse is a hard enough obstacle for adults to handle. When you add the additional pressures of growing up in the public eye while dealing with the turmoil of adolescence, you have the perfect recipe for disaster. Going into treatment for substance abuse is something no child should ever have to do. however, it’s a better choice than being left to deal with such problems without guidance.
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