Post Grammys Macklemore Speaks About His Issues Of Addiction

Seattle based rap sensation Macklemore, along with his partner Ryan Lewis, was a runaway hit at the 2014 Grammys, topping off a whirlwind year with a handful of Grammys, including best new artist, and sending the media into a whirlwind by using his performance as a means of marrying thirty three couples during the broadcast.

Macklemore has been dubbed by many individuals both in and outside of the industry as a “conscious rapper,” because of the fact that he often raps about social and personal issues that are close to him. Although Macklemore has long used his music to speak out about a variety of issues, many people did not realize until recently that the break out recording artist has a history of drug abuse and a strong personal reason for fighting the crusade against addiction.

Close Friend Lost to Addiction

In a recent interview for a new program launched by MTV called “Half of Us,” which is designed to help college students fight prescription drug addiction, Macklemore relayed the heartbreaking story of a younger friend with whom Macklemore had known when he was younger and gone through twelve step meetings with.

Like Macklemore, the young friend was also an aspiring recording artist who struggled with prescription drug addiction. When that friend was only twenty years old, he died of a drug overdose just hours after Macklemore had seen him for what would be the last time. The tragedy had a huge impact on Macklemore.

Macklemore “Walks That Line”

Macklemore continues to be heavily impacted by his young friend’s death for a number of reasons, not least of which is the fact that the rapper says he “walks the line” between sobriety and drug use all the time, regardless of how successful he has, and that he always will.

He explained that if it were not for the fact that he surrounded himself with a sober community that helped to support him and his health, he would be in grave danger of succumbing to addiction in the same way that his friend did. This position supports what has long been known by recovering addicts and recovery professionals: that there is no cure for addiction and that staying sober is a lifelong process that requires a strong support system.

Advice On Giving Advice

Macklemore also urged friends who are concerned about a loved one to give advice in the form of a question, suggesting that many of the pieces of advice that a friend may want to give are thoughts that already exist within the mind of the person. The person they are worried about could already be thinking that and asking thought provoking questions can help someone who is going through a difficult time come to important realizations about whether they are really happy and fulfilled and whether there are any steps they can take to improve their lives and the ways in which they are working toward their dreams.

Giving advice in this way may be much more effective and have a much lower chance of making a person angry or defensive.

Justin Levin is a licensed Family and Marriage Therapist from Milwaukee, WI. As a Clinical Services Manager he is focused on providing teenagers with the addiction treatment they need at Adolescent Growth.

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Was Michael Jackson A Drug Addict Before His Death?

Dr. Stuart Finkelstein, who treated MJ during the 1993 “Dangerous” tour, says that yes, the singer was already addicted to prescription drugs at that point. The story has surfaced because the physician is testifying in the wrongful death trial currently determining who is to blame for the singer’s untimely death.

Continuous use

Dr. Finkelstein traveled internationally with MJ and when he realized that Michael was heavily abusing opiates, mainly in the form of morphine and Demerol, he told MJ’s camp of his concern. He communicated to an AEG Live executive and to Michael’s tour manager, Paul Gongaware, who is actually now also an AEG Live executive, that in his professional opinion, Michael Jackson is a drug addict. The physician gave Michael a shot of Demerol and a 24-hour intravenous morphine drip while the crew was in Thailand for a performance.

While on that leg of the tour, Michael complained of a severe headache, so Dr. Finkelstein called MJ’s Los Angeles doctor, who gave the orders to administer an injection of Demerol. The physician testified that Michael Jackson’s "buttocks were so scarred up and abscessed that the needle almost bent. He obviously had had multiple injections in his buttocks prior to arriving in Bangkok."

When Michael felt unable to perform, Dr. Finkelstein gave him another 24-hour dose of morphine. The physician was alarmed to see that Michael also wore a Duragesic patch, which allowed the user to absorb another form of opiate through direct contact with skin.

While testifying, Dr. Finkelstein also informed the court that MJ’s make-up artist and hairstylist was seen giving Michael Demerol injections. It appears that the singer has convinced everyone in his life to help him use opiates in various forms. It is actually quite amazing to think that the most popular performer in the world was addicted to such a harmful set of substances for so many years.

Refusing help

Apparently some of those closest to Michael also knew of his drug addiction. The “Dangerous” tour did not make it to all the intended cities. MJ’s good friend, Elizabeth Taylor, flew into Mexico City for an intervention. She took Michael to a hospital in England immediately, but his drug use did not stop.

The singer’s team did not do anything with the information at the time and the tour and his career were back to their number one priority. Michael continued to receive opiates via injections, patches, and ongoing drips.

What Michael needed instead was for his friends and family to look into drug rehab programs for men. Michael could have really benefited from formal rehab that forced him to be clean and to address his reasons for drug use.

Drug rehab programs for men could have offered MJ an opportunity to develop camaraderie and support that he and never before experienced. For the first time, the singer could have found understanding and relatability, and he could have worked through the tumultuous childhood and fame that seemed to haunt him. Instead, he self-medicated for decades and left behind three children.

A quality improvement manager at Balboa Horizons, Kate Green is passionate about assisting others on their journey in overcoming drug and alcohol addiction. Learn more about the addiction treatment process on this infographic.

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Eminem Opens Up

Remember when we found out that Eminem was fully addicted to prescription pills? Despite his self-disclosure of drug and alcohol abuse in song after song (examples: Purple Pills and Drug Ballad), did we really understand that he was addicted?

He was reaching a point of success in the music industry, a rags to riches kind of story, and seemed to be working hard to keep that earned status.

The Documentary

In a new documentary, though, Eminem (Marshall Mathers) is letting it be known that his prescription drug addiction nearly killed him. How to Make Money Selling Drugs gives the audience an inside look at just how bad addiction got for Eminem. In his words, “Had I got to the hospital about two hours later, I would have died. My organs were shutting down. My liver, kidneys, everything. They were gonna have to put me on dialysis. They didn't think I was gonna make it. My bottom was gonna be death."

In the world of addiction treatment, the concept of “rock bottom” is prevalent. Not all addicts need to hit a bottom like Marshall did, but he is making the point that for him, death was the only thing that was going to stop him from popping those pills.

As his celebrity status grew, Marshall would get rid of anyone who tried telling him he had a drug problem. He was Eminem. He could send people away if he wanted to. He did not have to listen to that.  He recalls thinking that these people were ridiculous. That guy is saying I’m a drug addict? That I have a problem? I don’t. I’m not shooting heroin or smoking crack. Get that guy outta here!

During one episode of heavy use, Marshall was rushed to the hospital. After nearly dying, Eminem knew he needed rehab. A men’s addiction treatment program was the next step in his life.

Detox

Detoxing was difficult, as it is when anyone stops taking opiates like Vicodin, which was one of his drug’s of choice. He talks about being awake for basically three weeks straight as his body and brain adjusted to pre-drug functioning.

He was also taking Xanax and Valium, among other drugs. The combinations that Marshall’s body experienced makes it hard to find a good place of balance again. Feeling no pain during active use, and then getting clean all at once, makes any pain now feel unbearable. Emotions come rushing to the surface while your body is beyond uncomfortable.

The Process Of Healing

Once you make it past detox though, you can begin to heal.  Men’s addiction treatment was not easy for Eminem, but he did make it through. He is sober today, as far as we know, and he wants addicts and alcoholics who are going to rehab to know that it does get easier.

The documentary, in theaters, will show the truth about drug addiction through Eminem’s experiences. Will it show the full picture? From that first Vicodin, that numbed everything in all the right ways, to near-death with the reality of major internal damage, to men’s addiction treatment?

Hopefully the film can inspire others to seek treatment too.

Kate Green is passionate about covering the world of addiction reocver from her time spent working with Balboa Horizons Treatment Services http://www.balboahorizons.com/.

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