Rethinking Excessive Habits and Addictive Behaviors by Tony Bevacqua

Author:Tony Bevacqua
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: undefined
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Published: 2012-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

11. “The Epidemic of Mental Illness: Why?”

12. “The Epidemic of Mental Illness: Why?”

13. “The Epidemic of Mental Illness: Why?”

Chapter 8

Celebrity Culture and Addictive Behavior

Many well-known people and the general public assume that having a “disease” must be the only explanation for why a rich and famous person would become self-destructive with addictive behaviors. Celebrities in American culture are rarely viewed as individuals with the same kinds of emotional problems, lack of coping skills, and unresolved early conflicts as the rest of us. Our media exploits bad behavior as entertainment if exhibited by rich, talented, and creative people. Tabloid news organizations remain in lockstep with the prevailing, disease-model approach to addiction via sensationalized news coverage. Rarely do you see “expert” guests on news shows that have a more progressive point of view based on the current knowledge and information available providing their input on a celebrity’s misfortune.

Megan is a twenty-year-old who works in a fashionable clothing store. She idolizes the troubled actress Lindsay Lohan. In fact, Megan has even seen her out in Los Angeles nightclubs. Megan likes to drink when she goes out and was stopped one night by police and charged with DUI. She knows the same event happened to Lindsay and has even heard her speak about her “disease” on talk shows and in magazine articles. Megan is now convinced she has the same disease and feels as though she shares something in common with a celebrity. She also figures that if Lindsay can’t get it together, what chance does she have?

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