Hollywood Substance Abuse Statistics

Hollywood is not a place that requires any introduction. This Las Angeles area is where the American film industry finds its headquarters. Needless to say the glam and the pressures of the entertainment industry are highest in this region. Money and drugs both flow freely in this area where almost everyone is addicted to some substance or the other. Of the 141,740 people living here in 2008, a large number has tired drugs at sometime or the other.

There is hardly a party in Hollywood that is considered complete without the use of these drugs. Cases of drug overdose fill up the police records extensively. Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, River Phoenix, John Belushi, and Michael Jackson are all names of celebs that have lost their lives to a drug overdose. It gets worse, since apart from John Belushi, all the others had taken an overdose of prescription drugs as opposed to illegal ones. Be it cocaine, hash, marijuana, crack, heroine or prescription drugs, Hollywood sees it all.

Hollywood statistics prove that the age for celebs of the area, who check themselves into drug rehabs, is getting younger every year. The child artists fall prey to these drugs much faster than the adults do. Kids of celeb parents also take prescription and illegal drugs in order to fit in with the general trend in Hollywood.

The problem worsens since most of the offenders in Hollywood tend to be the rich and the famous and easily slip from the hands of the law. While drug traffickers are dealt with strictly, the money involved can get to be a huge incentive and the fear of prison gets washed off easily. This is the reason why despite several attempts by the police force, the drug situation in Hollywood seems to be on a rapid increase.

This increasing drug abuse in Hollywood does seem to have resulted in a number of rehabs mushrooming in the area. These rehabs have dedicated their services to helping drug addicts to beat the odds and return to a drug free life. The problem with the Hollywood area is the high rate of relapse. Since the drug is available all over the place easily, even those who have been to rehabs several times often fall prey to addiction repeatedly. Illicit and prescription drugs both are found everywhere in Hollywood right from the work place to a small party with friends. This is the reason why most rehabs at Hollywood will focus on prevention of relapses.

Right from periodic meetings to support groups to even a sponsor who helps to fight off the urge to take the drug again, these rehabs have developed several such programs. Many of the Hollywood drug rehabs have become popular all over the country due to their good success rate. These rehabs pay special attention to the privacy of the patient, since many a time these patients are celebs.

While the rate of drug usage in Hollywood does not seem to be declining as yet, one does hope that the region will be able to break free of its drug abuse image and come clean to provide entertainment that is not marred by drug abuse instances.