These 5 Famous and Talented Women Couldn’t Be Saved From Their Drug Addiction

 They tragically died, but can you learn from them?Photo by Diego Lozano on Unsplash

I loved my alcohol and drank for the majority of my adult life. I finally found sobriety almost four years ago, and I couldn’t be more grateful.

It took many years of casual drinking before I began indulging to the point of concern. Sure, there were instances throughout my life where I overdrank, but for the most part, I had “it” under control.

After retirement, however, with my children grown and on their own, my drinking escalated. After all, I was free. I earned my retirement and the right to do as I pleased.

Until that is, I realized my drinking was out of control, and I quit. No, not that quickly. It took two years of reading every quit lit book I could get my hands on, failed twice until finally — as the saying goes; the third time is a charm.

Since giving up the drink, I’ve been passionate about sharing my story and those of others addicted.

Though I never was interested in trying drugs, I understand the lure. Also, a dear family member became addicted to pain pills prescribed by doctors. It broke my heart to see the struggle.

These five beautiful, talented women were addicted to drugs; some also indulged in alcohol, in addition to narcotics. Sadly, they weren’t able to save themselves.

You probably already know their stories, but let’s not forget them or their short, tragic lives.

Five tragedies

Whitney Houston — Ms. Houston rose to fame quickly with her debut album titled with her name in 1985.

Her big acting break was starring in the film “The Bodyguard” with Kevin Costner. Shortly after that, she began to abuse drugs, with cocaine her main choice. She battled her addiction for many years. Whitney’s bodyguard found her facedown in the bathtub. Her death was ruled an accidental drowning along with heart disease and cocaine use. She died at age 48 in 2012.

Marilyn Monroe — Ms. Monroe is one of the most written about, and her story of fame, fortune, and drug abuse is widely known. She worked hard yet had few friends and was lonely though surrounded by adoration. According to sources, Marilyn suffered sexual abuse at the hands of Hollywood producers and studio heads. This treatment exacerbated her drug use and mood disorder. She had sedatives, sleeping pills, amphetamines, speed, and other drugs on her nightstand. Rather than intervene, her doctor continued to prescribe her prescription drugs. Ultimately, this was the cause of her demise at age 36 in 1962.

Judy Garland — The Wizard of Oz is her signature film, and this is when she first became hooked on drugs so she could keep up with the grueling schedule. Her non-stop agenda continued for many years — all the while, she used barbiturates, stimulants, and depressants. Ms. Garland was given these drugs by studio producers so that she could keep working. Eventually, she died from an overdose at age 47 in 1969.

Amy Winehouse — Amy ultimately died from alcohol poisoning, but her first addiction was to drugs; heroin, cocaine, crack, and marijuana, which she abused for many years. She quit taking drugs, and her drinking worsened in an attempt to help with withdrawal. She fell again and had a final episode of binge drinking that killed her at age 27 in 2011.

Janis Joplin — Janis was another iconic performer with an addiction to drugs — meth and heroin and was well-known for her love of Southern Comfort. She tried to sober up by returning to her home from San Francisco, where she was performing, but on each return to California, she would again take up her addictions. Janis overdosed at age 27 in 1971.

Famous yet alone

These women had access to drugs, and money was never an obstacle. More commonly, they were given drugs by the people involved in their careers.

Although famous and celebrated, they were frequently lonely, alone, and ripe for the temptation of drugs and alcohol to offer solace.

I’ve learned that those addicted to drugs often feel isolated and don’t have the support of family or friends.

Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we fail. — Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Help is available

Please seek help if addiction is a part of your life. You are precious, unique and you can be helped:

National Drug and Alcohol Treatment Hotline 1–800–662-HELP (4357) and Help.org are places for you to begin your new future.

According to Science — These Are the 5 Best Abs Exercises for You

I don’t expect 6-pack abs at my age, but any improvement would be a plus.

Photo by mr lee on Unsplash

I have a noticeable tummy. It’s rather bulgy. The rest of my body is slender and somewhat muscular yet the abs are lacking in firmness.

I’m sure part of it is my age — I’m well into the Third Third of my life. Another part, the women in my family typically carry their weight in their tummies. I guess it’s destiny.

However, I still work on firming the bulge a few times a week.

I've even found success with the 30-day plank challenge on an online site. I surpassed the 30 days, completing 40 days of planks. 

Part of the challenge was to hold the plank for 2 minutes. Of course, we work up to the 2-minute hold. I achieved the 2-minute mark on day 15 and continued adding seconds every day.

My abdominals ached after the first few days. On subsequent days I didn’t feel the workout as much. However, I know holding a plank for 2 minutes works more muscles than the abdominals. 

My triceps and shoulders felt the workout as well.

I found it surprising that the plank is not one of the top 5 abs exercises.

The exercises

1. Bicycles — The most challenging abs exercise for the rectus abdomini proved to be the bicycle. Lying on your back, you pretend you’re riding a bicycle. Place your hands behind your head, then bring your legs into tabletop — knees over hips, shins parallel to the floor. With your head in your hands, curl your head, neck, and shoulders up off the floor as you rotate your torso over toward your right leg and extend your left leg straight at a 45-degree angle — aiming your left armpit to the right hip. Reverse the movement to return to center, lower your head down, as you draw your left leg back into tabletop before switching sides.

2. Captain’s Chair —This is a gym exercise using the Captain’s Chair exercise equipment. It is a chair back with two handles, elevated above the ground, with no seat. Place your forearms onto the armrests of the chair and grip the handles with your legs dangling. Slowly tuck your knees in toward your chest. The motion should be controlled and deliberate as you bring the knees up and return them back to the starting position.

3. Crunches on an exercise ball — Lie back on a large exercise ball until your thighs and torso are parallel with the floor, feet flat on the ground. Cross your arms over your chest and slightly tuck your chin in toward your chest. Contract your abdominals and raise your torso up off the ball no more than 45 degrees. Spread your feet wider apart for better balance. To challenge the obliques, make the exercise less stable by moving your feet closer together.

4. Vertical leg crunch — Life flat on your back on a workout mat, interlace your fingers and place your hands behind your head, then extend your legs straight up toward the ceiling so your feet are over your hips. Keep your head heavy in your palms and curl your head, neck, and shoulders up off the floor. Make sure to keep your chin off your chest with each contraction, like you're pinning an orange against your chest.

5. Reverse Crunch — Lie flat on a mat with your lower back pressed to the ground. Put your hands behind your head or extend them out flat to your sides — whatever feels most comfortable — then extend your legs straight up toward the ceiling so your feet are over your hips. Contract your low abs to lift your hips a few inches up off the floor like you’re trying to touch your toes on the ceiling. Lower back down with control.

As the writer for the Well+Good newsletter, Rachel Kraus states — “the most effective abs workout is the one you’ll do consistently.”

The most efficient exercises should target all the different muscle groups in your abdomen: transverse abdominis, rectus abdominis, pelvic floor, and obliques.

The exercises chosen were recommended by the biomechanics lab at San Diego State University. The lab tested 13 popular moves to see which ones challenged these muscles the most.

This was a fairly small study, performing tests on 30 men and women for one hour each. Still, the insights are valuable.

My experience

The bicycle exercise is one I have used for decades. My greatest problem with it is my neck begins to ache after a while. I persevere as long as possible. I do have achy abs the next day or two.

I have not tried the Captain’s Chair, and perhaps I will in the future. I have used an exercise ball in the gym prior to Covid, and I felt results from this one, too. 

The vertical leg crunch is one I used years ago and will give it a go. The reverse crunch is a great exercise, provided I place my hands under my tailbone to ease the stretch. This also proved successful for me.

The reverse crunch is another one I’ve used somewhat consistently. I tend to have lower back issues, so I place my palms on the floor under my tailbone. This helps release pressure.

Will I go back to my planks? Probably, but now I don't feel guilty when I don’t complete them, as they’re not in the top five.

Any exercise we do regularly is a plus. Our bodies love to move and stretch and be well-oiled, and what better way than to give them a workout?

You're Going to Love These Quirks of 10 Famous Writers

Some of them were truly inspired and gifted.

Photo by Gaman Alice on Unsplash

I love to read. I have since I picked up my first Nancy Drew Mystery as a young child. 

I know my mother read to me — fairy tales mostly. But it was the reading I did on my own that I most remember.

Now I enjoy writing. Since January 2021, I've been writing on Medium and this blog and having fun learning, reading other writers, and keeping all my senses on high alert for new ideas about what to write next.

I also have become intrigued with authors I admire and some whom I've not yet read their work.

I love digging around to see what else is fascinating about them.  

I've written about writers who were severe drinkers — alcoholics for the most part. See my article Check Out These 8 Famous Writers Who Sadly Were Alcoholics published on Medium on March 12, 2022.

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Now I'm curious about the odd quirks and idiosyncrasies of famous authors. 

Here are several exceptional ones:

Gertrude Stein — Lively, bustling Paris streets enlightened Ms.Stein rather than distracting her. She found inspiration no matter where she was — in a cafe or at the local market. She would take out her notebook and write wherever the idea hit.

William Faulkner — This author loved his whiskey and indulging in it while writing was common. He was proud of this habit and is quoted as saying: "And I thought then, if that was the life it took to be a writer, that was the life for me."

Anthony Burgess — had an interesting way of dealing with tedious or repetitious tasks. He would open a dictionary to a random page and use words that appeared to complete the piece he was currently working on. He did this while writing "A Clockwork Orange."

Truman Capote — This author was an extremely superstitious man with weird practices. Truman would never begin or end a piece of work on a Friday. A chronic smoker, he would never permit more than two butts in the ashtray at one time, placing the excess in his pocket. He also would not stay in a hotel room if the room number or the phone number added up to 13.

Dan Brown — Dan says the best cure for writer's block is hanging upside down wearing gravity boots. He insisted this practice helped calm him and enabled him to concentrate on writing. Every hour he would pause his work and do stretches, push-ups, and sit-ups.

James Joyce — Ulysses and other memorable works were written by Mr. Joyce while he was lying down on his stomach, using large blue pencils and wearing a white coat. He had poor eyesight, the pencils allowed him to see his writing, and the white coat reflected more light on the page.

Edgar Allan Poe — Mr. Poe loved his pets and considered his cat, Catterina, his guardian. She would sit on his lap while he wrote. Oddly, according to rumor, the cat died two weeks after Mr. Poe's passing.

Virginia Woolf — Ms. Woolf believed the best way to write was standing at a desk built just for that — allowing one to write while on her feet. It was three and a half feet high with a tilted top. She spent two and a half hours each morning writing. Legend has it that Ms. Woolf wrote this way because her sister Vanessa Bell, the painter, stood painting and didn't want to be outdone by her sister.

Lewis Carroll — Mr. Carroll also preferred writing at a standing desk ala Virginia Woolf. He had a preference for the color purple for his ink. He used this ink as a mathematics teacher at Oxford and continued using it for his writing.

Agatha Christie — Ms. Christie loved munching on apples while she soaked in the bathtub conjuring up plots for her mysteries. Her mother was against allowing Agatha to learn to read. At age 8, Agatha taught herself.

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Wouldn't you love to have a time machine and look back at the fascinating lives of these outstanding writers?

I'd also love to get into their heads to see how they mustered up the ideas, characters, and plots.

Their idiosyncrasies make them even more captivating.

I find it engrossing to see what routines and neuroses creatives employ in their lives, proving that whatever works for you is what you need to do. There's no need to follow a routine that "seems" right if it isn't suitable for you, whether you're a writer, a painter, a plumber, or a heart surgeon.

 

Bob Dylan is One of Many Famous Creative People Who Love to Walk

Though not famous, I, too, am a daily walker, and many ideas are born while strolling the ‘hood.

Photo by Robin Ooode on Unsplash

Bob Dylan was seen meandering up and down the side streets off Ocean Avenue in Long Branch, N.J., one dark, stormy afternoon.

A resident considered him a vagrant and called the police. 

A 24-year-old officer arrived and asked Bob for his ID. He didn’t have it on him, so she asked him his name. Bob Dylan, he responded, with no sign of recognition from Officer Kristie Buble. 

She asked him what he was doing in Long Branch, and he replied that he was there for a concert. Still no realization of who he was. After all, this man was disheveled and rain-soaked and looked like a lost old man.

He was brought back to his hotel, where his manager vouched that he was, indeed, Bob Dylan.

He was roaming the streets looking for the house where Bruce Springsteen wrote: “Born to Run.”

We’ll never know if Dylan ever did locate that house.

In another century

Ludwig Van Beethoven was another walker, often through the countryside while composing. It is well-known that he was inspired to create his Symphony №6 — the Pastoral Symphony, because of how it evokes the landscapes through which he walked.

Virginia Woolf, one of England’s most renowned writers, was an avid walker. She would recite her drafts while she was strolling.

The main character of Mrs.Dalloway, Clarissa, takes walks through London. 

Ms. Woolf wrote in her journal: “To walk alone in London is the greatest rest.”

Many have discovered inspiration or conceived a new plan while taking a stroll. 

Getting lost in our thoughts while wending our way down country lanes or city streets is a booster for all forms of creativity.

"All truly great things are conceived by walking. "— Friedrich Nietzche.

Albert Einstein was fond of sleeping (at least 10 hours nightly) and walking.

During his time at Princeton University, he walked a mile and a half round-trip daily while devising his theories on quantum mechanics.

Henry David Thoreau walked around the woods along Walden Pond for four hours daily. He wrote: “Methinks that the moment my legs begin to move, my thoughts begin to flow.”

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In recent times, Steve Jobs was another walker who strode to solve problems. 

To clear his head and exercise, he often walked the streets of Palo Alto. It was also commonplace for him to hold meetings while walking. He believed it kept everyone focused, effective, and creative.

Walking sparks creativity

According to a study by Stanford University, walking can increase creativity by an average of 60%, and as high as 81% in some cases.

The researchers have found that “creative thinking improves while a person is walking and shortly thereafter.” 

The study found that walking indoors or outdoors similarly boosted creative inspiration. The act of walking itself, and not the environment, was the main factor. Across the board, creativity levels were consistently and significantly higher for those walking compared to those sitting. — Co-authors Marily Oppezzo and Daniel Schwartz.

I often will get up from my computer and wander around the rooms in my home when stuck for a word or thought, and voila! Out of the ethers, the answer appears.

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I love Austin Kleon’s book Keep Going. In it, he writes about his daily morning walks with his wife and two boys — rain or shine. 

He has this to say:

"Walking is a way to find possibility in your life when there doesn’t seem to be any left."

Give walking a go and see what you may create as a result.