Five Ways to Avoid Celebrity-Level Problems

Celebrities High Level Problems

This week’s blog posts began with an analysis of the death of actor Philip Seymour Hoffman. Most of us didn’t even realize he was a drug user (although we also realized that drug use in Hollywood doesn’t really surprise us anymore.) Those close to him might have known, but they surely didn’t understand the depths he had sunk to emotionally. Sixty-five bags of heroin is a pretty good indicator that a person has problems.

With the antics of Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus, Lindsay Lohan, and a plethora of other celebrities making news because of their addictive behavior and their excesses, most of us are just thankful that we’re not dealing with their problems. They have the resources and the environment to really, really mess up their lives. Yet, just like the movies, celebrity behavior takes ordinary situations and blows them up to IMAX proportions. Yes, that’s right, sometimes all of us act like spoiled rich celebrities. Since none of us wants other people to think of us as a jerk, here are

Five Ways to Avoid Celebrity-Level Problems.

1. Remember that the universe doesn’t revolve around you. You have things you want to have or do. Surprise! Other people also have dreams, wishes, goals and desires. If you help them achieve their goals, then maybe you can count on them to help you.

2. Pay no attention to smoke-blowers. Celebrities surround themselves with yes-men (and –women) to validate every decision they make. You can do no wrong is never an accurate statement. Beware of people who only tell you what you want to hear. Surround yourself with people who will be honest and tell you the truth.

3. Watch the little things. Celebrities often isolate themselves, avoiding the “little” people, the commoners. In regular life, being considerate of every person you encounter means a lot. Something as simple as holding an elevator, or cleaning up after yourself, makes a difference in how other people perceive you.

4. Rely on more than your talent. In professional athletes in particular, it seems that because they can run faster, jump higher, or do things with a ball that other people can’t, they feel they’ve been bestowed with the right to be jerks. Even if you have a special talent, to get the most out of life you still have to have social skills, work hard, and pay attention to details. Most of us need occasional assistance from other people. Insulting, ignoring and belittling those around you does not motivate them to work on your behalf.

5. Keep a balance. This is the basis for much of the therapy we provide at The Rehab Center. In his book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey notes, “We each have a number of different roles in our lives…And each of these roles is important.” You may be a parent, a brother or sister, son or daughter, employee or employer, member of the community – it’s an individual thing. Remember to give proper attention to each of your roles. Prolonged excesses in any one area exposes you to the same problems that we read about celebrities having.

  • Although the product is aimed at adults, the facts speak for themselves. Nicotine is one of the most deadly and toxic chemicals ever derived from plants. Many types of e-cigs are flavored, making them more attractive to children.
  • If we can figure out what happens with oxytocin development in the first few years of a child’s life, we may possibly be able to determine what leads to addictive behavior.
  • With the antics of Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus, Lindsay Lohan, and a plethora of other celebrities making news because of their behavior and their excesses, most of us are just thankful that we’re not dealing with their problems.
  • Drug and alcohol addictions include physiological changes in the addict’s body as they use the substance. Gambling addicts receive “highs” when they gamble, as the brain’s pleasure center is stimulated. In the same sense, video games provide a type of “high” for gamers as they play.
  • When you’re trying to change your life, you begin that change from a particular point, with a limited amount of knowledge. If you suffer a setback, don’t fall back on where you were when you started.
  • While this study, and the ensuing news stories, are interesting from a nutritional point of view, they do terrible damage to the efforts of those of us in the field of addiction treatment. By saying that cocaine is no more addictive than Oreos, the stories minimize the horrible effects that narcotic addiction has on the individual, the family, and society.