Maybe all of us need to alter our feelings and state of mind at times. Mountain climbing, skydiving, yoga, using drugs and alcohol are all ways, as noted by psychologist David Duncan in his article Human’s Need To Alter Consciousness.
Johnny Depp
People use substances for many reasons: self-medication, recreation, consciousness expansion.
Johnny Depp has admitted his alcohol addiction during his early movie career was from a need to block his insecurities:
“I’d go to functions and back in those days I literally had to be drunk to be able to speak and get through it. I guess I was trying not to feel anything.”
[Irish Examiner – more quotes by Depp and others on the page alcohol]
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Robert Downey Jr.
At some point many of us find the abuse or overuse doesn’t help our lives move forward, or the downside is too down.
Robert Downey Jr. has admitted his use of narcotics for 10 years “tied my shoelaces together” and now sober thinks: “I’ve never been as trustworthy or worked so hard as I am now.. I’m having a better time. It’s more fun to be clear and accountable.”
[LA Times – posted on the addiction / dependency page]
[Photo from facebook.com/robertdowneyjr]
Juliette Lewis
Juliette Lewis has commented that her recovery from addiction (a number of years ago) was partly a vital career decision:
“My passion for my creativity was gone… going through my own self-discovery, I got back to my true self… and I became stronger, and re-realized my goals.”
[BUST magazine]
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In his appearance as a guest on The Ellen Show, Colin Farrell said he was finding that he is more creative being sober and happy.
“I was terrified that whatever my capacity was as an actor would disappear when I got sober,” he admitted.
“I ascribed to the notion that to express yourself as an artist, you have to live in perpetual pain. And that’s nonsense.”
Joel Kinnaman (crime drama TV series “The Killing”) said he struggles with smoking, and used an electronic cigarette during an interview.
“I’ve always had an easy time quitting. I’m just really good at starting up again,” he admitted.
Kinnaman says that in European theater circles, “there’s this romanticizing about the wounded artist; you have to be in pain to be able to portray pain.”
But he considers that nonsense.
Read more in the article: Pain and suffering and developing creativity
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> Some related pages:
addiction resources: articles sites
addiction books
alcohol resources …
drugs and creativity
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Douglas Eby (M.A./Psychology) is author of the The Creative Mind series of sites which provide “Information and inspiration to help creative people thrive.”
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