Alcohol & Drug Addiction Treatment

In her 20’s, with a successful singing/songwriting career in the 1930s and 40s and nicknamed “Lady Day”, Billie Holiday was a highly influential and important artist as she contributed to the beginning of a new genre of music – jazz. She is recognized by her deep, sultry and vibrant voice, dissonant notes and her emotionally impacting songs such as “Strange Fruit” and “Lover Man”.

But, like other artists in her time, drug abuse and alcohol were prominent. She started using hard drugs in the early 1940s when she was in her mid-20s. This only led to a down trend in her life outside of song, and eventually her death. Arrested several times, Holiday was convicted in 1947 for possession of opium and had her New York City Cabaret Card revoked, meaning she could no longer perform or work in any club for the remaining 12 years of her life. By the late 40s/early 50s her health was noticeably deteriorating. The drug and alcohol abuse had adversely affected her voice and it was heard in her performances as it didn’t have that same vibrant beauty it once did. Lady Day, once a lady of beauty, art and genuine emotion, was now a physically and mentally wasted fragile form of herself.

Weakened by hard drug and alcohol abuse and liver and heart disease, she was taken into the hospital in May of 1959 with only $0.70 in her bank account and $750 on her person. Police were at the doors waiting to arrest her for possession of drugs even as she lay dying in her hospital bed, when only a month before she had been arrested for possession of narcotics. She died two months later the day after the police were instructed to leave.

This is a sad ending for the story of such an influential and beautiful singer! She really should’ve been helped much, much earlier.

Artists play an important role in the world – to create futures. Holiday played a big role in the creation of jazz – which had a large impact of change in society as well as influence over other genres of music, but she was stopped short at a young age. I, for one, am glad to have long term drug rehab programs today where artists like Billie Holiday can go to help themselves dig out of the dark, downward spiral of drug and alcohol abuse so they can live to contribute their aesthetic pieces of art to society and create hope for the future.

But unfortunately, her career was ended much too shortly by drug abuse. It seemed for artists of this time, drug use was a norm, and she hooked herself very quickly and at a very young age on speed, heroin and Southern Comfort. Janis attempted halting her drug use a number of times. Once a somewhat overweight girl before drugs, she had physically deteriorated to a skeletal and wasted point in 1965 and decided to get off drugs. But later, she relapsed and was back on hard drugs again. Then after having noticed her audience was listening to “every note [with] ‘is she gonna make it?’ in their eyes” she was off to Brazil with a friend and boyfriend in February 1970 and off drugs. But upon her arrival in the States just a couple months later, she was back on heroin which in turn quickly led to the deterioration of these relationships. It was early October of 1970, mid recording her biggest selling album “Pearl”, Janis Joplin was found dead at the young age of 27 of a heroin overdose in her hotel room.

Janis tried to kick the habit of hard drug and alcohol abuse several times, but they don’t call them “hard drugs” for nothing. As a fan and fellow artist, I would have loved to have helped Joplin complete a non 12 step rehab program where she could have gotten help that works! Programs that use holistic means by detoxifying her body, handling the reasons she started the drug use in the first place and doing cognitive counseling and life skills therapy so that she could have continued to lead her audience through her voice.

Because her voice did more than sing songs of great emotion, it spoke. She was a powerful woman in a genre of music dominated by men and at a time when music and love rang in everyone’s conversations, and as such was a role model and spoke to thousands at a time and fellow artists alike and they listened attentively to every word. People were ready for change, ready for love and good feeling to an answer and ready for a leader that was just like them. She had a chance to influence the world for the better. Had she gotten proper help like an inpatient drug rehab, Joplin, with her powerful voice could have gone on to record many more albums and leading the world. Drugs were Janis Joplin’s demise. It led to the deterioration of close relationships, her mind, her body and her career. It really is a shame to let any artist or anyone you know continue on this trend. If we let others or ourselves fall into a drug induced downward spiral, who will lift us out to greater, better things? Like Janis, we can lead society to a better condition. If you or someone you care about needs drug rehabilitation, get started on helping them now!

Drug rehab for celebrities has been a hot topic as of recent in the news. Look at all these facilities that are structuring their programs to fit the needs of VIPs or celebrities. Though a very profitable business, the results in terms of success are very low. All you have to do is look at people like Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan, and Amy Winehouse to see the revolving door at these residential drug rehabs. These exclusive drug rehab centers promote their lavish amenities, organic food, yoga classes, massage therapy, and Egyptian cotton sheets to lure their next patient into their treatment center. Many times the rehab program will even promote that various celebrities have been to their program but of course due to confidentiality reasons will not release names.

Certainly my intention is not for a person to avoid enrollling in a program which will be both comfortable and private, but at the same time it is important to remember the reason the individual is entering rehab in the first place. You are not going to rehab to learn how to ride horses or rock climb; you are going to get off drugs and alcohol and re-learn how to live life without these things, and so it is of vital importance that the program—not just the amenities—are effective.