Estimated reading time: 24 minute(s)
Johnny Depp has been in the news lately because of his legal proceedings with his ex-wife Amber Heard due to a defamation case. While the judgment of the proceedings is another matter to discuss, the news has piqued the interest of many people in Mr. Depp’s personal life, particularly focusing on his addiction struggles.
An Overview of Johnny Depp’s Drug Addiction
Substance abuse seems like a scary experience to handle for regular citizens. But when you are a celebrity falling into this vicious cycle, the endeavor can quickly become one of the most difficult ones to overcome. Johnny Depp’s life is living proof of this statement, he has been struggling with drug addiction for as long as we can remember. The subject was long lost until it recently came into the news as a part of Depp’s legal proceedings with Amber Heard. As a part of this trial, his therapist revealed how Depp had been struggling with addiction to alcohol, opioids, stimulants, and benzodiazepines. What’s worrying is the fact that each of these substances can kill a person at any given moment, which is why it’s essential to keep them under control and seek timely help.
Johnny Depp has been testifying about his drug and alcohol experiences throughout his life. The statements he issued at different stages of life confirm how addiction is a common trend across the world, and both celebrities and regular citizens are equally prone to developing it. It also teaches us some important lessons, such as the following:
- How exposure to substances at a very early age can impact drug use in the future
- How important it is to achieve emotional sobriety
- How long-term consequences of early drug exposure often force people to self-medicate and exacerbate the already existing issues
- How trauma can singlehandedly increase the risk of a relapse
- How toxic relationships can mess up the recovery journey for people with long-term addiction
What was Johnny Depp Addicted to? An Overview of all Johnny Depp Addiction Issues
When we talk about Johnny Depp’s addiction, it is essential to know that this movie actor has been struggling with more than one type of addiction throughout his life. Some of the common types of substance use disorders he worked with include the following.
Nerve Tablets
The addiction troubles for Johnny Depp started at a very early age, even before his teenage life. The renowned actor had an abusive mother who used to verbally and physically assault him and his siblings routinely. As per Depp’s own statements, she requested him to bring him a bottle of “nerve tablets” that she used to calm herself down. Due to the chaos and family abuse, Depp also started using these pills to relax and escape from the abusive household dynamics.
Marijuana and Other Similar Drugs
Marijuana was reportedly Depp’sfavorite recreational drug, and he smoked it very commonly to keep himself detached and calm. Soon after developing an addiction to this illicit drug, Depp did not shy away from trying other similar substances to take the edge off. Some of these drugs include cocaine, benzodiazepines, and stimulant drugs.
Opioids
The list of Johnny Depp drug addiction types also includes opioid addiction, which he has openly admitted. The actor revealed that he developed an addiction to Roxicodone, a prescription opioid when he started taking it to manage his leg injury. According to Depp, he was well aware of his growing addiction and admitted that he kept on taking it to prevent withdrawal symptoms. Soon after realizing the issue, they sought assistance to overcome it.
Despite the early drug use, Depp claims that he somehow kept his addiction under control throughout his life and never utilized them to “party.” He also reportedly went sober for many years with complete abstinence from alcohol or drugs. He has also been proactively negating rumors about being high on psychedelic drugs during the filming of his film called Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.
How Addiction Affected the Life of Johnny Depp: The Return of Addictions
Despite successfully achieving and continuing sobriety for 18 months, Depp soon returned to his substance abuse habits to cope with the ongoing stressors in life. He even went against his advice about delaying the inevitable and chose to use substances to numb his pain. From an expert point of view, the reason behind his relapse is traumatic stress that forced the actor to re-use substances.
Research indicates that up to 60 percent of people who successfully achieve sobriety end up reusing the substances once again. Of these cases, up to 76 percent are due to stressful influences in life. When an individual has been using drugs to self-medicate, it is not surprising to see them resort to the same methods when they face intense painful or emotional situations.
Since Depp has been admittedly using alcohol and drugs to numb his emotions which were supposedly plaguing him. His return to drug use was always a statistical probability given his long history of trauma and addiction, along with the current circumstances he has been facing for the past few years. However, it is essential to highlight that even for such people, preventing relapse by controlling important triggers and risky situations is possible. These triggers can be anything like certain places, people, ideas, objects, or activities. Once an individual recognizes these triggers, they can seek professional help to acquire strategies and skills to avoid them.
Johnny Depp Drug Addiction: Was it a Case of Dual Diagnosis?
Someone suffering from a substance use disorder and an underlying mental issue is said to have a dual diagnosis. People may develop a dual diagnosis for a variety of issues. While some may develop a mental health disorder due to long-term drug use, others self-medication with drugs or alcohol to cope with a mental health disorder. Regardless of the development pattern, dual diagnosis cases always require special care as both issues are interlinked, and you cannot treat one without paying attention to the other.
In the case of the Pirates of the Caribbean-famed actor’s battle with addiction seems to stem from a mental health issue. Some of the reported Johnny Depp health issues that contributed to his addictions include depression, primary dopamine imbalance, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Even the actor himself has admitted that a significant part of his addiction was due to internal struggles. He also mentioned in an interview how he once started using drugs to celebrate and deal with his ascent to the newly-achieved superstardom. For him, drug use was never recreational or to have fun.
What We Can Learn from Johnny Depp Addiction?
Reviewing the life story of Johnny Depp gives many lessons regarding drug use and its management. For starters, it clarifies how important it is to seek help for past trauma and addiction. Using substances to self-medicate can never be a permanent solution to cope with ongoing stressors. Instead, learning to avoid triggering situations and establishing healthy boundaries in any relationship are the only ways to acquire long-term recovery.
We can also appreciate how toxic relationships can impact a life and potentially destroy it. The implications of these toxic relationships are particularly damaging for people struggling to heal from trauma and addiction while maintaining sobriety. Remember that returning to drug use after achieving sobriety can potentially prove deadly; hence, refraining from a relationship that promotes relapses is advisable.
In the case of Johnny Depp and his ex-wife, it is pretty evident that their relationship was highly toxic. It is also clear how his marriage’s circumstances perpetuated Depp’s addiction cycle. So you believe that you are in a toxic relationship and struggling to achieve a sober life, make sure you address both issues. You are not alone in your struggles, and help is always available. Plenty of treatment centers are available to help individuals with a dual diagnosis find lasting recovery with minimal relapse prevention skills.
FAQs
Is Johnny Depp in recovery now?
While Depp has been in recovery once in the last decade, no one exactly knows if he is actively pursuing a sober life or not.
How long has Johnny Depp been sober for?
Johnny Depp declared being sober a few years ago; however, he returned to substance use only 18 months later. According to the last known information, he is not pursuing a sober lifestyle.
Is there a Johnny Depp rehab?
According to sources, Johnny Depp did not join a rehab to overcome his addictions. Instead, he went to his 45-acre-large private island in the Bahamas to recover on his doctor’s advice. In his private beach home, Depp completely renounced drugs and attempted to spend a week without using them. However, as reported by his ex-wife, Depp became extremely unstable and erratic during this detox interval. Following this incident, Johnny Depp has repeatedly announced how he has been working on his sobriety but has not mentioned any rehab center he has been in touch with for this purpose.
