From a distance, the lives of celebrities can appear appealing, even enviable. The crowds of fans, the glossy profiles, the awards shows, the raucous parties—all of these things and more are indicative of a privileged world where money and fame can get a person almost anything they want. Children and teens, in particular, may try to copy celebrities, mimicking their styles or using the products they endorse. But, they might also try to emulate the hard-partying, fast-paced life of their favourite stars and, as a result, may also need a drug and alcohol treatment program to help get their lives back under control.
Substance and alcohol abuse is a growing problem across Canada. If you know a teen who may be dealing with these issues, Venture Academy offers a wide range of behavioural health services and programs, including drug and alcohol treatment. With campuses in Barrie, Ontario, and Red Deer, Alberta, Venture Academy has a proven track record of helping teens from across Canada break unhealthy habits and get back on track. Don’t hesitate to ask for help; call Venture Academy at 866.762.2211 to learn more about our treatment options, facilities, and programming.
A Dark Side to Celebrity
Despite the appeal, there is a dark side to fame. Celebrities are people. Just like you, they are subject to a variety of pressures and temptations. It is an open secret that drugs and alcohol circulate freely in these circles and are often available to stars who are still too young to resist pressures from the adults around them. On occasion, teen celebrities may need a professional intervention to manage these stressors. Likewise, when a child or teenager is misusing drugs or alcohol, they can also turn to examples of celebrities getting drug and alcohol addiction help as a blueprint for their own recovery.
Celebrities Who Have Received Drug and Alcohol Addiction Help
We can learn from how some of these young stars have managed their substance abuse issues and their recovery. Many celebrities have, as teenagers, faced addiction and successfully recovered from it, including:
- Daniel Radcliffe
- Hayden Panettiere
- Demi Lovato
- Rivkah Reyes
Remember, if they can get help, so can you!
Daniel Radcliffe
Problems with drugs or alcohol that arise in a person’s teenage years may not be addressed immediately. Daniel Radcliffe is just one star whose teenage issues with substance abuse were not resolved until his early 20s. Radcliffe was just 11 when the first of the Harry Potter movies catapulted him to stardom. As the film series progressed, audiences literally watched Radcliffe grow up in the spotlight: he wrapped up the last of the series—Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2—just before he turned 22. The enormous pressure of playing a near-universally beloved character at the centre of a worldwide phenomenon was not easy to deal with. Radcliffe became heavily reliant on alcohol while filming the series’ later installments. Radcliffe spoke about the sense of being watched by the public and the paparazzi in his late teens and how this feeling contributed to a reinforcing loop of alcohol dependence: “The quickest way of forgetting about the fact that you were being watched was to get very drunk. And then as you get very drunk, you become aware that ‘oh, people are watching more now because I’m getting very drunk, so I should probably drink more to ignore that more.’” Radcliffe credits the people in his personal and professional life for caring enough to give him guidance and good advice but ultimately had to decide to quit drinking himself. Radcliffe is open and honest about his past struggles and now lives his life without alcohol.
Hayden Panettiere
Hayden Panettiere is known for her roles in Heroes and Nashville. Like Daniel Radcliffe, Panettiere has been in show business for almost her entire life, beginning with toy commercials at eleven months old and booking a role on the soap opera One Life to Live when she was just about five. And, like Radcliffe, Panettiere’s problems with alcohol and drugs began in her teens, with her handlers supplying “happy pills” to keep her “peppy” during interviews. Panettiere was too young to understand what the adults around her were encouraging her to do, and pushing these pills would lead Panettiere to abuse opioids and alcohol as her career continued to escalate. While Panettiere was able to control her cravings when she had to be on-set, off-set was a different matter, and her dependence on these drugs grew more and more out of control. Her struggles were further exacerbated by postpartum depression after the birth of her daughter in 2015 and the subsequent breakdown of her marriage. Eventually, Panettiere had to confront these challenges. She checked herself into rehab for 8 months in late 2015 and continues with trauma therapy. Panettiere knows that staying clean is something you work on each day: “It’s an everyday choice, and I’m checking in with myself all the time […] But I’m just so grateful to be part of this world again, and I will never take it for granted again.”
Demi Lovato
As we’ve seen so far, growing up in the entertainment industry can be dangerous for child stars, and it is no different for Demi Lovato. Lovato began their career at age 10 on Barney and Friends. They would subsequently be featured in Disney’s Camp Rock and signed a recording contract with Hollywood Records. Unlike Radcliffe and Panettiere, Lovato was still a teenager when they received help for their substance abuse problems; after their family, friends, and colleagues staged an intervention (following an incident in which Lovato punched a backup dancer), Lovato entered rehab at 18 years old for cocaine and alcohol addiction. Lovato’s alcohol and drug use went hand-in-hand with mental illness, eating disorders, bullying, and even sexual assault, with each condition or set of extenuating circumstances exacerbating the others. Lovato continues to work on their substance use problems, having gone through several stints of rehab and opening up about the occasions in which they overdosed, most notably in 2018 after six years of sobriety. While addiction is an ongoing struggle for Lovato, they remain open about these challenges and mentor young people facing similar issues.
Rivkah Reyes
Rivkah Reyes burst onto the scene at age 10 in the film School of Rock, in which they played bassist Katie. Following the release of the film and the actor’s increased visibility, Reyes recalls how they would be openly bullied at school, writing, “I’ll never forget one girl who came up to me and asked me to sign her lunch card, then tore it up and threw it in the trash in front of me.” Reyes was also sexualized by older male fans, and they felt extreme pressure to book another role so they could support their family. These pressures and more contributed to their drug and alcohol use, which they used to cope with these problems between the ages of 14 and 24. But, Reyes has been in recovery since 2015. He has been open about the challenges of sobriety and how they maintain their focus, writing, “no credit or feat is as cool as the fact that I have been in recovery from alcoholism and addiction for two years (and frankly, it’s [expletive] hard to maintain sobriety, but sometimes the idea of a TMZ headline reading ‘That one girl from School of Rock dead from an overdose at 27’ is all it takes to keep me from a relapse).” Reyes resumed performing in 2017, touring as a stand-up comedian.
Drug and Alcohol Treatment Is Available Today at Venture Academy
Personalised drug and alcohol addiction help isn’t just for the rich and famous. If you know a teenager in need of drug and alcohol treatment, Venture Academy is available. Our programs take a holistic approach to treatment and recovery, supported by a variety of year-round outdoor activities on our scenic campuses in Red Deer and Barrie. Reach out to Venture Academy today! We’ll be happy to take your call at 866.762.2211 or use our short, secure web form anytime.
