Substance Abuse & Matrimony: A Cautionary Tale from Sinead O’Connor

When will people learn that drugs, alcohol and marriage just don’t mix? Commitment is hard enough without adding substance use or addiction to the equation. Don’t take it from the treatment professionals, though. There are plenty of celebrity examples ready and willing to serve as cautionary tales, with new ones cropping up every day.

Irish singer Sinead O'Connor just announced that she is walking away from her 16-day marriage to fourth husband Barry Herridge. The couple tied the knot Dec. 8 in a drive-through Vegas ceremony, but it wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment thing. Still, the planned union turned sour that first night, according to O’Conner’s account in Britain’s Sun newspaper.

In the interview, O'Connor admits she went on a frantic hunt for cannabis on their wedding night. “We ended up in a cab in some place that was quite dangerous,” O'Connor is quoted as telling the Sun. “I wasn't scared -- but he's a drugs counselor. What was I thinking?” The night only got worse from there. “Then I was handed a load of crack,” O’Connor continues. “Barry was very frightened -- that kind of messed everything up a bit, really.”

Still, it was O’Connor who ended the marriage, saying she did so out of “respect and love for the man.”

Meanwhile, Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Brandi Glanville rang in the New Year in Las Vegas by tying the knot with her good friend Darin Harvey, a mixed martial arts manager. It’s a union she confirmed with multiple Twitter posts that seemed alcohol-fueled, to say the least.

"I'm married again - suuuuuuck it!" Glanville tweeted, adding, "It wasn't planned and we will handle it, but good times!" She also posted pics of the nuptials on the social media site. The newlyweds then headed to a strip club to celebrate.

By Monday, the alcohol had worn off and the groom tweeted it was just a “drunken BFF thing.” Glanville went further, denying the marriage was even legal and tweeting, “We were just having fun!”

Glanville was previously married to actor Eddie Cibrian, with whom she has two children. The couple divorced in late 2010 and Cibrian wed LeAnn Rimes in 2011.

While adults are free to marry and divorce whomever they please, incidents like these (along with the quickie Vegas marriages of Britney Spears and Jason Allen Alexander, Dennis Rodman and Carmen Electra, Nicky Hilton and Todd Meister) help make the case that heavy partying and lifelong commitment don’t mix well. Drugs and alcohol aren’t just dangerous, they also impair the ability to make good decisions. You don’t need to have a substance abuse problem or be battling an alcohol addiction to be negatively affected, either.

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