Drugs and Music, the Combination of Angels and Demons

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/billie-joe-armstrong-rehab-his-425111

Billie Joe Armstrong has had quite a time with his last tour. His alcohol and prescription drug abuse had him hitting the floor when he had a meltdown back in 2012. It was at the iHeartRadio festival and a storm was brewing as the band went on. When the set managers tried to cut him short, he smashed his guitar and started on a "I'm not Justin effing Beiber" rant. This all happened right in the middle of his set and the storm had finally hit and hit harder than a hurricane. Billie Joe had reached his limit and it ended up in a postponed concert tour, an album promotion that got sidelined, and a few weeks in rehab. Billie Joe opened up the experience to Rolling stone and talked about how his struggle with alcohol had played a role in his meltdown. He also went on to talk about his mixture of prescription drugs. Anxiety and insomnia, two conditions that Armstrong takes medication for. He mixed them to the point where he didn't know what he was taking when, and ultimately fell victim to what was supposed to even him out. Rehab had a negative and positive effect on him, as the withdrawal was horrific, but the learning that took place was very self aware and helpful. Billie Joe Armstrong is back on track with his life, and his tour went phonemically.

Let's face it, people do drugs and abuse substances. It's not just those who are famous and its not everybody. As fan of Green Day (mostly older Green Day let's just get that out of the way right now) I had heard of the Billie Joe Armstrong meltdown. It really got me thinking, why does this always seem to happen to those who are successful? Amy Winehouse, Kurt Cobain, and even John Lennon had drug problems. After careful thought, I came across what seemed to me the most obvious answer. External pressure. You see it in the schools of America and plenty of other places in the world as well. Human beings experiment with substances due to curiosity and pressure. Musicians are no different as they are indeed, human beings. The media's role in ruining people's lives is the reason we hear so much about these icons fall from grace. The biggest problem we have as "common folk" is that we eat this media  up. It's like crack (pun indeed intended) to us. We see these people who are famous get bad publicity and the reaction, positive or not, is what the new perception of these people are. I feel that we as a people, should let anybody, even those who aren't famous, work out their own lives without quick judgement. With positive support, we might actually see the abuse numbers decline and our society as a whole can be a better, more understanding place.