Heroin Tragedies

Any kind of addiction is a tragedy. It takes so much away from someone’s life: hopes, dreams, love, drive, etc. Heroin is especially difficult to break free of without going to a rehab facility because it is highly and easily addictive. The withdraw effects that one goes through in detox is incredibly difficult to deal with. Most would not be able to do it on their own. If the user does not want help, it could very possibly end in tragedy.

Heroin Use Among Celebrities

Heroin has been in the mix with many celebrity tragedies. One of the better known stories is that of Jonathan Melvoin, the touring keyboardist for the Smashing Pumpkins. On July 11, 1996, Melvoin and the Smashing Pumpkins drummer, Jimmy Chamberlin were injecting heroin and drinking alcohol. It is always dangerous to mix alcohol and drugs. Often, the fatal overdosing occurs only because the drugs were mixed with another drug or alcohol. Late that night, Melvoin collapsed. Chamberlain could have helped, but he fell unconscious as well. When Chamberlain woke up early on July 12, he and the band’s security manager tried to revive Melvoin. They were unsuccessful. When the ambulance arrived, he was pronounced dead on arrival. After all of this, Chamberlin decided to go to rehab for his drug problem.

Another tragedy happened to a well-known comedian, John Belushi. He died of a dangerous mixture of cocaine and heroin (commonly called a “speedball”). Although he seemed funny and high-spirited on television, his co-workers found him aggressive and a scene-stealer. He had a drug problem since high school. He would tell his friends and wife that he had to use them in order to get up in the morning. If anyone suggested rehab, he would claim that he knew how to use the drugs properly. However, in the end, he did have a fatal overdose at the age of 33 years old.

Janis Joplin is another celebrity heroin tragedy. She began using drugs when she moved to San Francisco in 1963 and was known to usually take speed and occasionally heroin. She was also known to drink often. Joplin had been clean for a period of time, but on October 4, 1970, at the young age of 27, she overdosed on heroin and alcohol. It was found that the heroin Joplin used was unusually pure.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers suffered their own tragedy when guitarist Hillel Slovak overdosed on heroin. During the early years of the band, Slovak first began experimenting with heroin. He left the band for a short time to work on his own things, but returned full-time in 1985. Just as the band was starting to hit the Billboard Charts, Slovak, age 25, died of an overdose on June 25, 1988. The band decided to stay together and wrote many songs about Hillel Slovak. Slovak’s brother published a book with Slovak’s diary and art.

David Sorrenti was only 20 when he died of a heroin overdose. Sorrenti was a well-known fashion photographer. He helped the “heroin chic” style rise to fame. Sorrenti fell in love with a model who was a heroin addict which started his quick fall into drug abuse. Six months later, on February 1997, he passed away. He died because of a kidney ailment, which was believed to be due to his illness and heroin abuse.

If you or a loved one is addicted to heroin, it is important to seek help. Once addicted, the effects are devastating. Most lose their jobs, dreams, and ambitions. In some cases, it only takes one shot to become addicted. But, there is hope. If you are interested in receiving information on heroin detox or rehab, please call our toll free number at (866) 872-6491.