| By :
Valery Satterwhite
Drug abuse is not a new phenomenon. Nor is it limited to those wallowing in their own swill on ne'er do well row. In increasing numbers, drug addiction - particularly prescription drug dependance - is found lurking behind the velvet curtains in the homes of the smart, successful and affluent. The frenetic life of the affluent uber busy woman with a relentless pressure and schedule of career, family, philanthropic and social activities leaves her with nary a moment to breathe, let alone manage her emotional distress. Each event must be completed at a level of perfection to maintain a leading position within her cultural tribe. To keep up this pace year after year after year is mentally and physically exhausting - at best. All too often those on such a vigorous treadmill to meet unrealistic expectations turn to unhealthy coping remedies to stay alert and get threw one harrowing day after the next. Empty inside, some people choose to self-medicate to muffle the cry of inner emotional pain. To add insult to injury, the rat race distance is run on stilettos. There is simply not enough of a well-fed inner soul to keep up the pace. Soon one little "Mother's helper" isn't enough. Before you know it, these little pills are popped like tick-tacs just to numb out enough to get some sleep. OxyContin in particular - television's Nurse Jackie's favorite - has been singled out as a threat. For the wealthy, its easily affordable, FDA-approved and seems a safer and more 'respectable' alternative to illegal street drugs. Do I have to mention to what medicated lengths Michael Jackson went to get a bit of rest and peace of mind? Pain relievers are now killers among the well-to-do behind the estate glittering gates and marbled high-rise lobbies. Perfection on the outside, on the inside a crumbling mess. The achievement bar - whether it be career success or social status - it set higher and higher over time creating unmanageable stress. What starts as a seemingly harmless quick fix becomes a chronic hidden and sometimes fatal disease. What compounds the problem is the fact that many prominent executives and celebrities surround themselves with enablers - inner circle friends and employees who serve to satisfy every misguided whim. Paid entourage members have no desire to lose favor - and their own "prominence by attachment" - by intervening in their employer's self-destruction. We have seen examples in the tabloids of star struck medical and legal professionals willing to support and satisfy the whims of their patients or clients. If you or someone you know has a Mother's Little Helper by her side I encourage you to exchange that destructive resource with a profession who can work with you discreetly and confidentially to transform emotional pain into life-affirming experience of unconditional self-love, personal responsibility and respect for individual boundaries. Then, and only then, will the cavernous void within be filled and satisfied.
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