Dealing with a Drug Addiction from a Young Age

Dealing with a drug addiction can be challenging for anyone, but it can be most destructive when the individual abusing the substances is young. As addiction is an illness, it can have a massive negative impact on the brain, and as a young person’s brain is still developing, it can potentially stunt future development. This, in turn, can lead to a host of mental health issues such as anxiety or depression. An example of this happening is the case of Paris Jackson, who has abused drugs since she was in her early teens to self-medicate after the sudden death of her pop star father, Michael Jackson.

Self-Hatred

Eighteen-year-old model Paris Jackson has admitted that she made multiple attempts to end her life after suffering years of ‘self-hatred’. In 2013, she was admitted to hospital after a suicide attempt; in an interview after the event, Paris explained, “It was just self-hatred. Low self-esteem, thinking that I couldn’t do anything right, not thinking I was worthy of living anymore.”

Paris was just eleven years old when her father passed away, and this, in conjunction with a sexual assault by a ‘complete stranger’, left her contemplating suicide on many occasions. She added, “I don’t want to give too many details. But it was not a good experience at all, and it was really hard for me, and, at the time, I didn’t tell anybody.”

Detrimental Impacts

Speaking of when her father suddenly passed away in 2009 when she was just ten years old, Paris said in the interview, “‘Time heals’ is a load of c**p. It really doesn’t. You just get used to it. I live life with the mentality of ‘Okay, I lose the only thing that has ever been important to me.’ So, going forward, anything bad that happens can’t be nearly as bad as what happened before. So, I can handle it.”

Dealing with the loss of a loved one at such a young age can have obvious detrimental impacts on an individual’s life. This, in turn, can result in mental health issues in later life, just as Paris has developed problems in the form of depression and self-hatred.

Worthless

Once she started her modelling career, Paris has been pleased with the results of her ‘therapeutic’ job, as her self-esteem has improved massively. She said, “I’ve had self-esteem issues for a really, really long time. Plenty of people think I’m ugly, and plenty of people don’t. But there’s a moment when I’m modelling where I forget about my self-esteem issues and focus on what the photographer’s telling me – and I feel pretty. And in that sense, it’s selfish.”

Dealing with a drug addiction on top of her issues left her mentally scarred and feeling worthless; this is what resulted in her suicide attempt in 2013 that left her hospitalised. Like many addicts, she would abuse drugs to numb the pain and self-medicate in an attempt to make herself feel nothing, rather than feeling depressed.

Help and Support

Like Paris, many people around the world will fall victim to a drug addiction that can eventually lead to other mental health issues; issues that will take over the individual’s life. If you are suffering from a drug addiction and require assistance for trying to overcome it, contact us here at Blue Skies Recovery. We have helped many people who have struggled with drug addiction and assisted them to move on to lead a happy, sober life afterwards. We have designed our clinic so that it ensures maximum comfort among our guests, and our attentive staff will provide around-the-clock care. If you would like further information or have any queries, then do not hesitate to get in touch and we will assist you in any way that we can.

Source:

1. http://www.ok.co.uk/celebrity-news/988186/paris-jackson-battled-depression-drug-addiction-suicide-attempt
2. https://uk.news.yahoo.com/paris-jackson-opens-father-michaels-185906447.html