Charlie Sheen – the Adventure Continues

Just over a year ago, Charlie Sheen and his wife Brooke Mueller committed themselves to an alcohol and drug addiction treatment and recovery program to “clean up” saying that this was something they both needed to do for the sake of their children.  Since that point in time, the two have gone their separate ways and Charlie’s life has been the constant focus of the celebrity media with stories being published almost daily.  Suffice it to say, his life has been a rollercoaster of events, none of which have been very positive.

In the past year, he has been arrested for his violent behavior with a prostitute in their hotel room, his CBS sitcom “Two and Half Men” was canceled in mid-season, and then he was fired from the show.  The latest news involves him and his “Torpedo of Truth” touring show, which bombed in its debut.  Supposedly, the show was such a disappointment to the Charlie Sheen faithful that many of his fans left the entertainment venue booing and demanding their money back.

In addition to the above, there have been numerous conversations and videos released that displayed his erratic behavior and lewd comments about the comedy series and its producers as well as just incoherent rambling about that and his new philosophies on life.  On top of that, Charlie looks like 100 miles of bad road or a warrior that continues to fight hopeless, losing battles.  Not to over-editorialize, but it is clearly apparent that something seems horribly out of balance with the man.

So you have to speculate about his sobriety and whether or not he is still living substance free.  Erratic behavior and mood swings are just a couple of the red flags that indicate a person is suffering from alcohol and/or drug abuse, and you can clearly hear and see these signs in those past interviews and videos.  He recently demanded and went through more rehab but not in an addiction treatment and recovery facility – supposedly it took place at his place of residence.

What many addicted individuals fail to realize is that once they have undergone detox and treatment, the recovery process begins, but it never ends for as long as that individual is alive.  It is an ongoing process involving commitment, strong will, and continual support.  Without these three elements, there is a much greater risk of them relapsing back into their addictions and starting all over again.  It’s a vicious cycle that is difficult to break without the proper help and support.

Could any of this be the case with Charlie Sheen? It’s entirely possible and you have to wonder whether or not he truly values his life enough to break that cycle for good.  Another thing that you have to consider is that all this media attention may be feeding his ego and justifying what he feels is acceptable behavior.  Clearly, there is a lot of cause for debate and speculation with all of this.

One truism about substance addiction is the fact that the longer it persists and the deeper an individual falls, the harder that cycle is to break.  Some individuals are fortunate enough to become substance-free and totally recover with a short-term stay in rehab while others may need anywhere from 6 months to a year in a long-term program in order to accomplish the same thing.  Sheen and his wife were not in that addiction treatment and recovery program that long so was it enough? With Charlie, it appears that it wasn’t.

Statistics don’t lie and the following ones are some of the most prominent ones where alcohol and drug addiction among adults is concerned:

• roughly 24 million Americans who are 12 years of age and older need to enter a substance addiction treatment and recovery program

• 71% of all substance abusers 18 or older are employed
• alcoholism alone is responsible for over 500 days of lost work time

• alcohol abuse was the most frequently documented form of substance abuse among adults that are 50 years old or older, 76% of which were over the age of 65

• the most commonly used illegal substance is still marijuana, although cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine are considered the primary drug threats in the US along with marijuana

• it is estimated that roughly 10% or 30 million Americans use marijuana today

When you take all of the above into consideration, it is no wonder that the medical community and health professionals also view alcohol and drug abuse as a serious public health threat.  Each year, there are some 40 million reported cases of death due to overdose and serious illnesses that are associated with alcohol and drug abuse, so you can easily understand why there is so much cause for alarm.

In addition to alcohol and the 4 substances mentioned above, two other concerns of the DEA and public health professionals involves MDMA’s, which are more commonly referred to as either “club” or “date rape” drugs (e.g. Ecstasy) and prescription painkillers.  The former is very popular among the younger crowd (18 to 25 year olds) while the later is common among all age groups from teens to seniors.