Charlize Theron is known worldwide as an Academy Award-winning actress, but behind her successful career is a childhood marked by alcoholism, domestic violence, fear, and loss. Theron has spoken publicly about growing up in South Africa with a father who struggled with alcohol and about how those experiences affected her long after childhood. Her story … Read more
Ray Charles was one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, blending gospel, blues, jazz, R&B, rock, and country into a distinctive sound that helped shape soul music. Behind his extraordinary career, however, was a long struggle with heroin. His experience demonstrates how substance use disorder can exist alongside talent and professional success—and … Read more
Selma Blair has built a successful acting career while privately carrying struggles that began long before Hollywood. In her memoir Mean Baby and subsequent interviews, Blair opened up about alcoholism, childhood trauma, anxiety, physical pain, motherhood, and her eventual decision to live without alcohol. She has said she became sober in 2016. Her story demonstrates … Read more
Jamie Foxx’s life has included extraordinary success, family challenges, loss, fatherhood, and a frightening medical crisis. Throughout those experiences, several women have played important roles in providing guidance, love, protection, and motivation. Four women stand out in his publicly documented story: his grandmother, Estelle Marie Talley; his sister, Deidra Dixon; and his daughters, Corinne Foxx … Read more
Halle Berry’s story highlights an often-overlooked impact of addiction: a person does not have to struggle with substance use themselves to be deeply affected by it. Berry has spoken openly about growing up with an alcoholic father and witnessing domestic violence within her family. These painful childhood experiences left emotional wounds that influenced how she … Read more
Addiction rarely develops because of one emotion or one difficult relationship. Substance use disorders are influenced by a combination of biological, psychological, social, and environmental factors. However, powerful emotions such as envy, jealousy, resentment, rejection, and anger can become triggers for substance use—especially when a person has learned to use alcohol or drugs to escape … Read more
Artificial intelligence chatbots have quickly become part of everyday life. People use them to answer questions, study, brainstorm ideas, solve problems, practice conversations, and find emotional support. For many people, these tools are useful and easy to control. However, some individuals may begin spending so much time interacting with chatbots that the behavior interferes with … Read more
For decades, many people have heard that moderate drinking—particularly a glass of red wine with dinner—might be good for the heart. Some observational studies appeared to show that people who drank small amounts of alcohol had lower rates of cardiovascular disease than people who did not drink. Today, the picture is much more complicated. Researchers … Read more
People living with addiction are often told to “just quit,” “try harder,” or “have more willpower.” Although motivation and determination are valuable parts of recovery, overcoming addiction involves much more than simply choosing to stop drinking or using drugs. Substance use disorders can affect brain systems responsible for reward, motivation, learning, stress, and self-control. Over … Read more
Aaron Hernandez was once one of professional football’s most recognizable young players. The former New England Patriots tight end appeared to have a promising athletic career, but his life eventually became associated with serious legal problems, imprisonment, and his death by suicide at age 27. After his death in 2017, examination of his brain revealed … Read more