Drug Abuse in the Music Community
Throughout the years we have seen the same tragedies shock the music community. Artist such as Amy Winehouse, Whitney Houston, Jimi Hendrix, Michael Jackson, and so many more have had their lives cut short by drug and alcohol abuse. It seems that the music industry is a breeding ground for addiction. It always on the news, we see young stars such as Demi Lovato attending rehab for drug addiction and every year we lose so many musicians to drug related deaths. Studies have shown that musicians are more likely to abuse drug because of their environment, depression, and their need to be creative.
Music culture has always been saturated with a variety of drugs. When you look back at history you will always see musicians struggling with drug addiction, in the 60s Brian Wilson from the Beach Boys struggled with opiate abuse, in the 70s Janis Joplin overdosed on heroin, this trend of abuse continue throughout the decades. This can be attributed to the environments that surrounds young musicians. The use of drugs is not discouraged in the music industry, rather many people within the community encourage its use. This makes it is very easy to access. Since there is such a large market, “Drug dealers will work a lot harder to get in good with a musician than they would with an average, middle class American individual, as they have so much more to gain from this endeavor.” (New Beginnings). The overall easy access and the pressure to be ‘cool’ have created a drug culture within the music industry.
Other studies have shown that musicians are more likely to be depressed which makes them more vulnerable to the temptation of drug abuse. “Health.com recently published a top 10 of professions with the highest rate of depression– one chart most artists wouldn't want to be on. However, people working in the arts are fifth most likely to suffer from depression, with around 9% of them reporting a major depressive episode in the previous year.” (Lindvall). Many musicians will try to self medicate with drugs to help their depression. This only leads them to fall into an uncontrollable lifestyle. When many Musicians go to rehab they will receive the correct treatment for their mental illnesses, and this will help settle their need for drugs and alcohol as a temporary cure.
Overall, the music community has experienced to many losses due to drug abuse. This should encourage everyone to do something to change this. Musicians, Producers, Managers and Fans should all stop encouraging drug culture within the music community. More resources should be available to young musicians to help them avoid drug abuse in their future. Many very talented musicians would still alive if it wasn't for the overwhelming amount of drug abuse in the community, so we should do something about it now, to avoid the same fate for young musicians.
https://www.voanews.com/a/music_industry_addresses_drug_alcohol_problems/666695.html
http://www.newbeginningsdrugrehab.org/resources/opiates-and-musicians-a-cruel-trend-of-drug-abuse-and-musicians/
https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2010/dec/17/musicians-depression
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/sex-drugs-and-early-death-research-reveals-musicians-living-fast-really-do-die-younger-8425989.html#gallery
Music culture has always been saturated with a variety of drugs. When you look back at history you will always see musicians struggling with drug addiction, in the 60s Brian Wilson from the Beach Boys struggled with opiate abuse, in the 70s Janis Joplin overdosed on heroin, this trend of abuse continue throughout the decades. This can be attributed to the environments that surrounds young musicians. The use of drugs is not discouraged in the music industry, rather many people within the community encourage its use. This makes it is very easy to access. Since there is such a large market, “Drug dealers will work a lot harder to get in good with a musician than they would with an average, middle class American individual, as they have so much more to gain from this endeavor.” (New Beginnings). The overall easy access and the pressure to be ‘cool’ have created a drug culture within the music industry.
Other studies have shown that musicians are more likely to be depressed which makes them more vulnerable to the temptation of drug abuse. “Health.com recently published a top 10 of professions with the highest rate of depression– one chart most artists wouldn't want to be on. However, people working in the arts are fifth most likely to suffer from depression, with around 9% of them reporting a major depressive episode in the previous year.” (Lindvall). Many musicians will try to self medicate with drugs to help their depression. This only leads them to fall into an uncontrollable lifestyle. When many Musicians go to rehab they will receive the correct treatment for their mental illnesses, and this will help settle their need for drugs and alcohol as a temporary cure.
Overall, the music community has experienced to many losses due to drug abuse. This should encourage everyone to do something to change this. Musicians, Producers, Managers and Fans should all stop encouraging drug culture within the music community. More resources should be available to young musicians to help them avoid drug abuse in their future. Many very talented musicians would still alive if it wasn't for the overwhelming amount of drug abuse in the community, so we should do something about it now, to avoid the same fate for young musicians.
https://www.voanews.com/a/music_industry_addresses_drug_alcohol_problems/666695.html
http://www.newbeginningsdrugrehab.org/resources/opiates-and-musicians-a-cruel-trend-of-drug-abuse-and-musicians/
https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2010/dec/17/musicians-depression
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/sex-drugs-and-early-death-research-reveals-musicians-living-fast-really-do-die-younger-8425989.html#gallery