The Canyon

Corey Haim is another sad casualty in the world of drug abuse.  The former child movie star of the 1980’s died early this morning.  There was no official report of the cause of death, but it is speculated to be related to his extensive drug use history.

Corey Haim Started Drug Addiction To Deal With Emotional Pain

Corey has told his story to many media sources over the years.  His drug use reportedly started in his teen years after he was sexually abused by a man.  Corey smoked marijuana as he filmed one of his big movie hits of the 1980’s, and before long he was using alcohol and other drugs.

Corey reportedly went to drug rehab several times and even suffered a stroke.  Doctors were astounded at the high levels of various drugs he was taking.  His daily valium use alone was up to 85 pills.  It seems almost a miracle that he survived through that period of his life.

In the mid 2000’s, he seemed to be staging a comeback in Hollywood.  He was involved in several movies and was in a reality show with Corey Feldmen.  The show apparently came to a close because Corey Haim continued to use drugs.

Corey Haim Attempts Drug Rehab Several Times

Corey seemed to make good faith efforts to get and stay sober, going to drug rehab and drug treatment programs numerous times.  However, it looks like the long term damage may have finally caught up with him.  Even if his death was not directly caused by a drug overdose, it is certainly possible that it was somehow linked to his drug use history.

It may be some time before we all know the final verdict on Corey Haim’s death.  Drug addiction can be so powerful and so destructive.  It’s like a time bomb waiting to go off.  Even when someone gains sobriety for a period of time, they can’t get lax for even a day.  As Corey indicated, he started using just one or two valiums at first.  Then it turned into four, five, six, and finally in the dozens of pills a day.

Reminder That Drug Addiction Can Kill

Corey Haim’s struggle with drug addiction is a definite sign of caution to anyone abusing any form of drug or alcohol.  It can catch up to you slowly unless you stop it in it’s tracks by going to drug rehab.  Even that is no guarantee of sobriety.  If you are abusing drugs in any way, stop and look at your life.  Take a moment to consider how drug treatment can keep you from having a tragic ending like Corey Haim.

photo credit: Cool Pixels

Posted in News
Add your comment

It is being reported from a variety of sources including Us Weekly and ABC News that the actor Corey Haim, 38, died early this morning from what appears to be an accidental overdose.

The details of the death of Haim, famous for 1980s movies including “Lucas,” “The Lost Boys” and “License to Drive,” vary from source to source. All agree that Haim was found between 1am and 3am in his apartment by paramedics and he was unresponsive. 

Haim has had a long history of drug abuse and addiction and it is assumed that his death was the result of a drug overdose. However, he was reportedly ill before his death and taking over the counter medication, so it is just as lpossible at this point that he succumbed to his illness as died of an overdose. An investigation is ongoing and a toxicology and autopsy report should be revealing.

Police Sgt. William Mann was on the scene. He said that Haim’s cause of death is unknown as of yet: “He could have succumbed to whatever (illness) he had or it could have been drugs. Who knows? He has had a drug problem in the past.”

Foul play is not suspected.

Haim was taken from an apartment in Oakwood apartment complex in Burbank to the hospital by paramedics. The apartment complex is said to be popular among young actors.

It is also being reported by some sources that Haim’s mother was with him when he passed.

Haim was certainly not in denial when it came to acknowledging his long struggle with drug addiction.

In 2004, he told The Sun: “I was working on Lost Boys when I smoked my first joint. I did cocaine for about a year and a half, then it led to crack.”

His drug addiction history continued when he entered drug rehab and was put on prescription drugs, using both stimulants and sedatives.

Haim said: “I started on the downers which were a hell of a lot better than the uppers because I was a nervous wreck. But one led to two, two led to four, four led to eight, until at the end it was about 85 a day.”

Later, in 2007, he told ABC’s “Nightline” that: “I feel like with myself I ruined myself to the point where I wasn’t functional enough to work for anybody, even myself. I wasn’t working.”

Haim was a teen heartthrob in the 1980s, but dropped off the map for awhile during the peak of his addiction. He filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1997, but in the past few years he had been working to reestablish his career. He did a reality show with fellow actor Corey Feldman on “The Two Coreys,” which was cancelled after two seasons; Feldman said that Haim’s drug addiction made their working and personal relationship  difficult to maintain.

Haim also worked on a few movies that have not yet been released.

Whether or not Haim died of a drug overdose, he never beat drug addiction in his lifetime. He told Larry King in 2007 that he was “a chronic relapser for the rest of my life.

Posted in News
Add your comment

When you hear about someone being addicted to drugs or alcohol, you may first think of physical addiction symptoms.  However, psychological addiction is a huge part of a person’s addictive lifestyle.  Read on to learn more about how the psychological component to drug and alcohol addiction keeps the cycle going.

Desire For Drugs and Alcohol Gets Out Of Control

A person doing drugs may start out experimenting and trying it in social settings.  With time, some people begin using drugs and alcohol for personal reasons beyond a social setting.  They start making changes in their schedule, their habits, and their relationships to better accommodate their drug use.  These can be signs of psychological addiction.

Drug and alcohol addiction gives people a lot to do and think about.  Addicts and alcoholics often spend a great deal of time acquiring their supply, thinking about getting their supply in the future, cutting out activities that interfere with their use, finding people using like they do, and even stealing to pay for their supply.  Just these activities alone can give a person a false sense of purpose to their day.  Also, the avoidance of reality can have a profound effect on the addict’s outlook on life and judgment.  As long as they continue to use drugs and alcohol, they feel relieved of the burden of real life to some degree.

Psychological Compulsion To Use Drugs And Alcohol

Psychological addiction involves a compulsion to get and use drugs, an urge that feels too strong to resist.  Whenever the compulsion comes up, an addict gets into a pattern of satisfying this urge just about every single time.  You could say this trains them to get used to instant gratification.  This entire setup is an unrealistic and dangerous way of thinking.

Impulses are natural for all humans, but it is also good to learn how to delay or dismiss these impulses.  An addict or alcoholic loses track of their good judgment to delay gratification.  This problem inevitably bleeds into the rest of their life, increasing their chances of behaving aggressively, attempting suicide, damaging relationships, and putting themselves in risky dangerous situations.  Yet despite the consequences of poor impulse control and instant gratification, the compulsion to use drugs and alcohol will override the truth.  The addicts and alcoholics will continue down their destructive path of addiction.

Benefit of Drug Treatment With Psychological Addiction

In order to get the best benefit from drug treatment, an addict needs to address their psychological addiction.  Even when they become physically sober, their psychological addiction can put their life in jeopardy.  Psychological aspects of addiction can be so challenging to live with.  Addicts may need to go through drug treatment more than once to adequately manage their psychological addiction.  Find out more about comprehensive drug rehab centers in your area today.

photo credit: quinet

Posted in Drug Addiction Treatment
Add your comment