It is often believed that an alcoholic or drug addict must be willing to do everything to overcome their addiction. It makes perfect sense logically to believe that the same concept applies in reverse. Alcoholics and addicts will do anything to obtain their coveted drug.
Addicts’ ability to think outside the box in order to “get a fix” is often impressive. But the late, great Michael Jackson is one of the best examples of how addiction can ruin a brilliant career.
Jackson experienced a variety of physical and psychological problems. The pop star struggled with a severe case of vitiligo. People with addictive personalities tend to be spontaneous, like many difficulties in life. Jackson used bleach to cover up his skin problem on some body regions.
However, Jackson’s persistent efforts to hide his emotional challenges might have produced his most difficult struggles. His drug problems are well known. An upcoming documentary from TMZ will tell the story of Michael Jackson’s horrific battle with his addictions.
The show, “TMZ Investigates: Who Really Killed Michael Jackson?” will air Tuesday, September 6, on FOX. Former Jackson physician Conrad Murray talks about how Jackson would manipulate doctors to secure drugs.
Murray says that his client was “a manipulative drug addict who used doctors to get what he needed.” Murray was blamed for Jackson’s death in 2009. The death was ruled a homicide. Conrad Murray was charged with administering what was deemed a fatal dose of propofol.
Murray served just less than two years of a four-year sentence for involuntary manslaughter. In the TMZ documentary, Murray now alleges that he did not know that Jackson was getting similar drugs from different doctors all at the same time.
Debbie Rowe, Jackson’s ex-wife, told TMZ she knew about the abuse. Rowe claims that a late Hollywood dermatologist, Arnold Klein, was responsible for giving Jackson certain drugs. She also said that Klein allowed Jackson to get high on Demerol right in front of him.
In her interview for the documentary, Rowe went on to insist, “He (Arnold Klein) would write prescriptions that were not conducive to what a dermatologist would normally write a prescription for.” The story digs even deeper.
It’s alleged that Klein helped Jackson concoct at least 19 different aliases. He would then use these aliases to get a far larger set of prescriptions than a single person could ever have secured. Rowe believes these events all had a compounding effect on Jackson’s drug issues.
Jackson would use this assortment of aliases to get multiple prescriptions for the same drugs. Dr. Harry Glassman, Jackson’s plastic surgeon, explained. “Michael is responsible, to a great extent, for his own demise, but he certainly had a lot of help from the medical community.”
Drug addiction is terrible. It steals the soul of the addicted. Those who help people fall farther and farther into addiction do not help. They are enablers. However, the responsibility ultimately rests with the addict. It’s amazing how far sufferers will go to keep on suffering.