Celebrities Addicted to Prescription Drugs

Prescription drug abuse has affected many lives, but when the person is a celebrity and has thousands of fans, news travels quickly.

Luckily, the latest star to succumb to prescription drug abuse has a happy ending: Burt Reynolds, 73, beat his struggle with prescription pain killers by taking the steps to get help: he got addiction treatment and is alive to tell about it.

“Unfortunately, too many people don’t take that step,” comments Mary Rieser, Executive Director for Narconon Drug Rehab. “They start using prescription drugs, get addicted, and then hide this fact. If they are a celebrity with a lot of influence, it is, in many cases, difficult to convince them they are not invincible and will die if they don’t get rehab help.

“Look at the talent we have lost recently: Michael Jackson, DJ AM, Heath Ledger, Anna Nichole Smith- had someone taken the steps to get them help, they might still be around today.

“The question is: for the celebrities we see that are in the public eye, how many non-celebrities are being affected by prescription drug addiction? Many, many of them.”
 
In a statement, Mr Reynolds agreed; "I felt that in spite of the fact I am supposedly a big tough guy, I couldn't beat prescription drugs on my own. I've worked hard to get off of them and really hope other people will realize they need to seek professional help, rather than ignoring the problem or trying to get off of the prescriptions on their own.

"This has been a challenging time for me personally, and I really appreciate the outpouring of love and support from my fans, friends and family. I am looking forward to getting back to teaching and working."

If you know someone who has problems with prescription drugs, get them help before it is too late.