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

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.

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V) has released their first draft. In this new version of the American Psychiatric Association document used by virtually everyone to diagnose behavioral health problems, the disease categories for substance abuse and dependence will be replaced with a brand new “addictions and related disorders” category.

Why The Categorization of Drug Addiction is Changing

The hope of the American Psychiatric Association has for making this change is that it will create a clearer line between those who are physically dependent upon a prescription drug and those who are addicted to their drug of choice.

In a press release, the APA stated: “Eliminating the category of dependence will better differentiate between the compulsive drug-seeking behavior of addiction and normal responses of tolerance and withdrawal that some patients experience when using prescribed medications that affect the central nervous system.”

Their point is that many people will develop a physical dependence upon a drug during the course of treatment, but that this singular fact does not make them a drug addict. When it is appropriate for their treatment, they can simply cut back on their dose slowly under their doctor’s supervision and stop taking the drug completely and without incident.

Someone suffering from drug addiction will find this simple exit plan from their drug of choice to be impossible. The psychological addiction and cravings are the defining characteristic of drug addiction and it is this distinction that the APA would like to make in the new DSM-V.

How the Categorization of Drug Addiction is Changing in the DSM-V

One of the biggest changes is the new category that will include substance-use disorders. Each drug type will get its own category with its own diagnostic criteria. Not much will change in terms of diagnostic criteria except that “drug craving” will be added and “problems with law enforcement will be dropped.” As the APA points out, “cultural considerations… make the criteria difficult to apply internationally.”

Cannabis withdrawal criteria is also a new addiction to the DSM-V. The APA says it occurs with the “cessation of cannabis use that has been heavy and prolonged,” results in “clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.” Some listed symptoms of marijuana withdrawal include irritability, anxiety, anger, weight loss/ decreased appetite, insomnia, depression, and physical symptoms like sweating, fever, headache, et cetera. At least three of these need be present to diagnose marijuana withdrawal, according to the new DSM-V.

Why The Categorization of Drug Addiction Matters

For many, insurance is the only way to pay for drug and alcohol rehab. If the problem is not categorized as a medical issue that requires medical treatment, then insurance companies may start rejecting claims that request coverage for drug and alcohol detox treatment and medications. As these are both necessary for recovery and typically very expensive, it’s important that their classification be as clear as possible.

Charles O’Brien, M.D., Ph.D., is the chair of the APA’s DSM  Substance-Related Disorders Work Group. He says: “The term dependence is misleading, because people confuse it with addiction, when in fact the tolerance and withdrawal patients experience are very normal responses to prescribed medications that affect the central nervous system.

“On the other hand, addiction is compulsive drug- seeking behavior which is quite different. We hope that this new classification will help end this wide-spread misunderstanding.”