PAST STRUGGLES WITH HEROIN
INCLUDING 2001 OVERDOSE LEAVING
HIM IN A COMA.
WITH ME NOW, ADDICTION MEDICINE
SPECIALIST AND HOST OF ASKED
DOCTOR DREW, DREW, YOU ARE THE
FIRST PERSON I THOUGHT ABOUT IN
TERMS OF WHO I WANTED TO TALK TO
BECAUSE YOU’VE TREATED SO MANY
PEOPLE JUST LIKE TAYLOR HAWKINS,
ONE OF THE FEW PEOPLE WHO
UNDERSTAND, NOT ONLY THEIR
PHYSIOLOGY BUT THE MENTAL
FORTITUDE IT TAKES FROM A YEAR
AFTER YEAR TO MAKE PEOPLE
HAPPIEST THEY’VE EVER BEEN,
PEOPLE SPEND TONS OF MONEY TO
SEE YOU PLAY AND YOU ARE IN A
STADIUM OF TENS OF THOUSANDS OF
PEOPLE AND GIVE THEM THEIR BEST NIGHT EVER AND THE KIND OF
NIGHT EVER AND THE KIND OF
PRESSURE TO DO THAT YEAR AFTER
YEAR, IT’S UNIMAGINABLE AND
SOMETHING A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE
NOT TALKING ABOUT.
>> THAT’S ABSOLUTELY TRUE AND
EVERYTHING YOU’VE HEARD ABOUT
TAYLOR, I’VE KNOWN HIM A LONG
TIME, IS A ONE-OF-A-KIND.
THE DISEASE OF ADDICTION ONLY
TAKES WONDERFUL INTELLIGENT
PEOPLE ARE MERELY AN THAT’S ONE
OF THE REASON I LOVE WORKING
WITH A INTERCEPT DEVASTATING
WHEN PEOPLE DON’T MAKE IT.
HE HAD AN OPIATE ADDICTION, YOUR
DOSE OVERDOSE IN 2001, IT
DEFINED HIS ADDICTION AS, IT’S
UNTREATED, EVERY DAY ADVANTAGED
BY AN ACTIVE PARTICIPATE TATIAN,
IF YOU’RE NOT DOING SOMETHING
EVERY DAY, HER LIFE IS IN
DANGER.
IT’S WORSE THAN THE MAJORITY OF
CANCERS.
PEOPLE NEED TO TREAT THE
DISORDER AS SUCH.
THE WORK, PEOPLE LIKE TAYLOR
LOVE THEIR WORK, HE LEFT IT.
HE KNEW HE WAS BRINGING JOY TO
MILLIONS OF PEOPLE, IT WAS
RELATIVELY EFFORTLESS, HE HAD TO
WORK HIS BUTT OFF BUT NOT AS
THOUGH IT WAS TRYING FOR HIM, HE
LOVED DOING IT AND THAT IS THE
PROBLEM WITH PEOPLE WITH
SUBSTANCE ABUSE ORDER WHEN THEY
ARE IN THE PUBLIC EYE.
THE MOST SERIOUS RISK IS
RETURNING TO WORK TOO EARLY.
THEY LOVE THEIR WORK AND MAKE
LOTS OF MONEY, PEOPLE AROUND
THEM MAKE MONEY AND THEY PUSH
THEM BACK TO WORK PREMATURELY.
THE GREATEST EXAMPLE WAS ROBERT
DOWNEY WHEN HE KEPT TRYING TO GO
BACK, HE GOT WORSE AND WORSE AND
WORSE.
FINALLY HE LEFT FOR THREE YEARS
AND CONTEMPLATED IT NEVER WORK
AGAIN AND FOCUS ON HIS RECOVERY
AND NOW HE HAS A GLORIOUS CAREER
IN ADDITION TO OUR GREAT
RECOVERY.
KENNEDY: I MEAN, I DON’T WANT TO
BE INSENSITIVE BUT I GET SO
HEARTSICK HEARING THESE STORIES,
WHETHER PEOPLE DIE FROM OVERDOSE
LIKE HEATH LEDGER PEOPLE TAKE
THEIR OWN LIVES LIKE KURT COBAIN
AND CHESTER PENNINGTON, IS THERE
SOMETHING SIMILAR IN ALL OF THEIR MAKEUP?
THEIR MAKEUP?
IS THERE SOMETHING WHERE YOU ARE
WALKING THE LINE BETWEEN LIFE
AND DEATH?
>> THAT’S A COMPLICATED
QUESTION, DEPRESSION CERTAINLY
IS A COMMON FEATURE OF ADDICTIVE
ALLERGIES AND TRAUMA, EVEN A
MORE IMPORTANT AND COMMON
FEATURE OF PEOPLE WITH TOUGH
ADDICTIONS SO IT IS THE TRAUMA
OFTEN THE UNDERLYING SOURCE OF
THE MISERY AND PAIN THE OPIATES
ARE SUPPOSED TO TREAT AND THE
DRUGS ARE SUPPOSED TO TREAT AND
IS A SOURCE OF MOOD DISTURBANCE.
SOMETIMES WHEN PEOPLE USE DRUGS
PROLONG FEARS OF TIME, IT’S HARD
TO FIND SATISFACTION IN LIFE AND
ROUTINE EXPERIENCES OF LIFE IN
CERTAIN PARTS OF THE BRAIN ARE
NOT AS RESPONSIVE AS THEY SHOULD
BE SO THEY CAN HAVE A FLAT
FEELING OF THE WORLD, IT CAN BE
EXTREMELY CHALLENGING.
MOOD DISTURBANCES ARE A COMMON
FEATURE AND THERE’S ANOTHER
ASPECT TO DRUG ADDICTION, SOME
PEOPLE FLIRT WITH DEATH AS AN
ACTIVE PART OF DISEASE, IT’S NOT
REALLY SUICIDE, IS JUST WHERE
THEY TAKE IT.
KENNEDY: IT’S HEARTBREAKING.
I’M SURE WE’LL LEARN MORE ABOUT
THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF HIS PASSING
BUT I HOPE SOMEONE INTERNALIZE
INTERNALIZE --
>> LET ME JUST SAY THERE ARE REPORTS ABOUT CARDIAC PATHOLOGY,
REPORTS ABOUT CARDIAC PATHOLOGY,
HIS HEART WAS VERY LARGE.
THAT’S ALL SECONDARY TO THE
DRUGS, WHATEVER THAT IS, IT WILL
BE SECONDARY TO THE DRUGS AND
ALCOHOL.
THE PRIMARY STORY IS DRUGS AND
ALCOHOL.
UNTIL WE TAKE THIS AS SERIOUS AS
OTHER LIFE-THREATENING
CONDITIONS, LOOK AT THE STREET
IN CALIFORNIA AND YOU WILL SEE
PEOPLE DYING OF THE SAME ILLNESS
IN MY GOODNESS, WE JUST LET IT