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CNN Live Saturday

Why Do Celebrities Get Addicted to Drugs?

Aired May 19, 2001 - 13:27   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DONNA KELLEY, CNN ANCHOR: The issue of celebrity addiction is our focus, and joining us is Karen Durbin, she's a film critic and contributing staff writer for "Elle" magazine. Hi, Karen, thanks for coming to talking with us.

KAREN DURBIN, "ELLE" MAGAZINE: Thank you.

KELLEY: Why is it a lot of people would look at this and say, it's just time after time after time they're giving them another chance, why a celebrity would risk their family, their career, everything for their addiction?

DURBIN: Well, really, I think they risk it for the same reason that any other addict does. I -- being famous, having a fabulous public job, none of that has much bearing on being an addict. It could even up the pressure.

KELLEY: Well, you feel that it's an issue of self-worth, which I think is very interesting.

DURBIN: I think it is. I mean, you know, not everybody gets addicted to drugs. Their were -- there were a lot of drugs when -- in the '70s and the '80s, and some people did them recreationally. What people like Darryl Strawberry and Robert Downey Jr. are doing has nothing do with recreation. I don't think it even has much to do with pleasure.

KELLEY: What do you think it does have to do with?

DURBIN: I think it's self-destructive, and I think it's both a way of checking out of feelings that are just intolerable and really intolerable confusion about who they are and how they're supposed to be and how they're failing to be. And I also think that it is a way of destroying yourself. It's a little death of what they are doing.

KELLEY: And so, that goes back to the issue self-worth like you were talking about, but some folks might think, they have all this money, they have a lot of adoration, and why they would turn in that direction?

DURBIN: Well, it's the adoration of strangers and money -- as hard as it is to believe this in America -- money really does not buy happiness. It just buys things. And you know, when Downey was busted a couple of times ago, he -- the judge said: "Why do you do this to yourself?" And he said: "It's as if I have put a gun in my mouth, and I like the taste of the gun metal." I mean, that's basically a man, you know, looking into some kind of abyss who likes the taste of a gun in his mouth.

KELLEY: Right. And then you get into this issue of being mentally, emotionally and physically addicted to something.

DURBIN: Yes, although I think the physical addiction is the least of it. It takes -- it takes four or five days to get off heroin, it takes -- you know, cigarettes are terrifically addictive, and they don't destroy people's lives, they destroy their lungs.

But partly because they're legal and partly because they don't do a lot of you, except make you -- they have a slight narcotic effect -- you know, we don't see them in the same light. I mean, the question would be, why would anybody smoke? Because that really is deadly.

KELLEY: Right, and there could be many reasons. Chemical imbalance, depression, as Darryl Strawberry's doctor has said, a number of reasons.

We thank you very much, Karen Durbin, who is a film critic and contributing writer for "Elle" magazine. Nice to have you with us. Thank you.

DURBIN: Thank you.

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