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“We’re all on the scale of addiction”. Russell brand: Comedian and public figure Born in Essex, England on the 4th of June 1975 Most Russell’s big breaks with stand-up comedy came in 2000 and since he has become one of Britain’s big-name comedians. Substance Addiction: Recovered from alcoholism and drug addiction Russell Brand has entertained with many stand up performances and has made heaps of TV appearances including his own chat show, The Russel Brand show in 2006. In 2008 Brand rocked the comedy world by acting alongside Jason Segel in the film Forgetting Sarah Marshall. From then on Russell had many successful appearances in movies most memorably, resurrecting the character of Aldous Snow in Get Him to the Greek. Since 2000 Brand has graced us with some amazing comedy material but along the way, there have been some very public dark times for this comedian. Russell’s substance abuse started at an early age when he left home at 16 and went on to be kicked out of his Drama School in 1991 for behavioural issues and substance abuse. Brands second attempt at drama school saw him excluded in his final year, he turned his focus solely on comedy and what a decision it was. But, Russell’s demons followed him throughout
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his career as he battled with chemical dependency on alcohol, heroin and with a sex addiction. In an interview with This Morning, he openly admits that fame ‘made him crazy’. Addiction is not something Russell now tries to mask, by his own admission he has battelled with a multitude of addictions but is now trying to use his popularity in becoming an advocate to help others. In an article with Positive News, Russell says that “we’re all on the scale of addiction.” Also, that “the most fascinating thing I discovered about myself through this process is that the thing that makes me happy is helping other people.” This political activist is trying to change the world for the better and has achieved being clean from alcohol and drugs for 15 years. He has given away his millions to many good causes and is using the 12 step programme that helped him during his recovery, in his new selfhelp book to aid people to take control and improve their lives.
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After a stressful day at the 9-5 can you imagine anything better than to indulge in your favourite bar of chocolate? I know better than anyone once that smooth, delicious chocolate touches my lips I can’t help but devour a full bar. Not even a second thought for ‘a moment on the lips a lifetime on the hips’. That bottle of wine to relieve stress that we promised ourselves we would only have one glass of. How many times do you overindulge day to day and are unable to help yourself? Whether it be that full bar you just had to eat or that glass of wine that turned into a bottle. Everyone can lose their inhibitions from time to time...but for some, it can be more sinister.; not being able to say no to drugs. In England and Wales, 3,744 drug poisoning deaths were registered in 2016, which is 70 deaths higher than in 2015. This is involving both legal and illegal drugs. There has been a lot of high profile drug abuse from people in the public eye with Ant Mcpartlin using what has been described as a cocktail of prescription drugs. How are numbers still increasing when we have seen the path of destruction an addiction can create? Undoubtably drug abuse is harmful to the user but it is just as devistating for friends and family members. Addiction can cause a seemingly ordinary person to exhibit chaotic behaviour with a serious risk to health and detrimental impacts on the brain and it’s hard to imagine the damage these chemicals can cause. Different drugs have different effects on the body, however, the long-term effects of taking any type of drug undoubtedly outweigh the short-term high. Substance use disorder not always but tends to develop in adolescence, in comparison to other stages of life when people are known to be vulnerable especially to behaviours that cause risk and are potentially dangerous.
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Deaths caused by drug misuse have increased in both males and females however predominantly more in males. This begs the question why anyone should be suffering from this progressive disease at all. Robert West who wrote The Theory of Addiction defines addiction as typically involving the uncontrollable pattern of drug-seeking and drug-taking behaviour that takes place at the expense of most other activities and in the face of damaging health and social consequences. An academic of psychology spoke to us about a subject that has been the topic of her research, cues in the environment that can trigger a craving for a drug. The academic explaines “for example, when somebody takes a drug they tend to associate the paraphernalia that they take that drug with, with the pleasure of taking the drug. So, for example, a smoker, not only is the smoking rewarding but also the things that are associated with that drug taking so the sight of the cigarette the smell of cigarettes.” She also explains how the brain has a pre-frontal cortex which is the part of the brain that helps with decision making. She describeds it as ‘the part of the brain that helps us put the brakes on’. She also describes how ques may make it harder for us to say no to a craving. “So, those ques, as well as the drug itself, can also enhance craving, making an addict want to take it. If your somebody who doesn’t have good control over that behaviour then you might find it quite difficult to inhibit that craving response and stop yourself from doing it. So, going back to that impulsivity about the pre-frontal cortex, that part in the front of your brain that’s like putting the brakes on. If you don’t have a very good functioning breakage system and you’re experiencing cravings, you’re not able to put the brakes on it and make the decision not to do it.”
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“I was able to see the person behind all the madness.” It’s the reckless behaviour that means addiction can take over, this and the health implications can seriously upset loved ones of someone suffering from a drug addiction. An interview with Cheyenne Honiball, whose father suffered from a heroin addiction throughout her childhood and adult years, has spoken out about the dark corners addiction can take you and the effects on her mental health. Her main goal is to help people understand that there is a human being behind the chaos. The dark reality
is an estimated two million people are fighting an addiction in the UK. It is mind-blowing to think these many people are in difficulty as they fighting an addiction, losing their families, jobs, friends and even their lives. Festival season has to be one of the most exciting times of the year. The sun’s beaming down, your favourite band are playing and everyone is rocking tassels and a sequin or two. The crowd is merry and so are you. You’re five pints down and ready to dance the night away. Your friend is
@shyhoniballart
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pressuring you to take something, nagging that you won’t enjoy the gig and everyone will think your boring. What do you do? The tragic reality is that not all drug poisoning deaths can be put down to addiction. A percentage of deaths are due to lack of knowledge of drugs and street drugs that are unregulated and unsafe. There are many families out there who have had to face the tragedy and devastation of losing loved ones from an accidental overdose. Arguably these overdoses are avoidable. This is not an addiction, sometimes it is someone trying a drug for the first time and getting sold a high purity street drug that is not safe. According to the Office for National Statistics, drug poisoning in males has increased by 78% and there has been a 19% increase in females. Drug use is increasing we cannot be oblivious to the facts, which opens the mass debate of controlling and regulating drugs to decrease the number of people falling victim to accidental fatalities. One advocate for addiction in every way possible is Russell Brand, even stepping into the hornet’s nest of politics and fuelling debates. In 2002 he spoke eloquently on the Home Affairs Select Committee as he told Mps addiction should be treated as an “illness, not a crime.” Brand stepped back into the political spotlight
in a labour conference in 2017 to support the decriminalisation and regulation of drugs. The fundamental message is that the illegalisation of drugs creates a stigma around the issue and in turn if drugs were made legal they could potentially be regulated, making it easier for them to be controlled. The subject is one of many opposing arguments, however, non-of this takes away from the real tragedy of excessive drug use. There is a lot of help readily available for addictions and accessible for families and loved ones. Your GP is always a good place to start for all types of addictions, as they have credible advice on how to seek help. Your GP can also offer any advice on mental health issues or external factors which you may be dealing with. If a doctor’s appointment is not likely or you feel uncomfortable with seeing a GP, there are lots of other organisations that can help. For drug addictions you can visit www.talktofrank. com or call 0300 123 6600 to find your local services. There are also lots of private treatment centres and charities, http://www.adfam. org.uk is where you will find a list of these organisations that also include alcohol treatment, drug treatment and help for loved ones
affected by someone else’s addiction. Rehab Recovery covers all types of addictions from substance to process addictions and they can be reached on www.rehab-recovery.co.uk or by phone, 0800 088 66 86. There are many people dedicated to aiding recovery and there is lots of help available.
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“Growing up with an addict opens your eyes from a young age.” Real life stories.... Q&A with Cheyenne’s whose dad was addicted to heroin throughout her childhood. What was your dad like as a person? My dad had a heart of gold. Whenever I was sick, I truly saw how pure his intentions were as a father. He had a great innocence within him that came to light through the love of music, this is when our bond truly blossomed as it gave insight into his chaotic lifestyle. He introduced me to the likes of Pink Floyd and Gary Numan in which he’d relate his life to the lyrics. He often would draw or write poems/letters as a way of expressing his emotions, his remorse and his unrequited love. How has having a family member suffer from addiction affected your life? Growing up with an addict opens your eyes from a young age. It can steal your innocence from you, in my case it caused deep trauma. It affected my mental health however, I gained compassion for people with addiction, I was able to see the person behind all the madness.
This has lead me to the point of hopefully helping others understand through my photography and documentaries. It’s so important for me to see the person, to see the vulnerability. Do you have any advice for a person helping someone close to them through addiction? The only advice I can offer is to try channel even the darkest aspects of life into something beautiful. Try and have compassion and to use it to make you stronger as an individual. Drugs generally turn people very manipulative, so having boundaries and setting limits to how much energy you invest in someone is important. You can’t help somebody who isn’t ready to change. Cheyenne has filmed a series of documentaries interviewing her father about his battle with addiction this plus her photography can be found on her Instagram page @shyhoniballart.
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