Few can deny that the entertainment industry has a conflicted relationship with the portrayal of substance abuse on screen and in popular music. While some pieces show addiction as a disease, struggle and potentially life ending, one does not have to search far for a film or television program that makes you think that drug use is just another part of having fun.
Some of Hollywood’s most talented stars – most recently Philip Seymour Hoffman – have lost their battle with substance abuse. Despite this, drugs continue to be represented in a distorted fashion.
Lovato Speaks Up Against Indifference
Frustrated with the industry’s seeming indifference to the situation, singer Demi Lovato recently took to Twitter to voice her opinion on the situation. In a long series of tweets, the former “X-Factor” judge who has had her own issues with drug and alcohol abuse called on entertainers to change their feelings about addiction and see it for the disease that it is.
“It’s time people start really taking action on changing what we’re actually singing/rapping about these days because you never know if you could be glamorizing a certain drug to a first time user or alcoholic who could possibly end up dead because they end up suffering from the same deadly disease so many have already died from,” Lovato wrote.
Getting the Right Help
“This stuff is not something to mess with.” Lovato is completely right. Although parents try their hardest, teens often take their cues from media and entertainment. At this vulnerable age, it can be easy for them to get caught up in drug and alcohol experimentation.
Is your teen exhibiting the signs of a drug or alcohol problem? Contact Intervention Services to learn how our youth intervention services could help your child.