VOA标准英语2012--Music Industry Addresses Drug, Alcohol Problems

 

Music Industry Addresses Drug, Alcohol Problems

The shocking stories are familiar - lives cut short by alcohol and drug abuse. Cocaine¹ contributed to Whitney Houston's death. She drowned in her bathtub in a Beverly Hills hotel earlier this year. Michael Jackson died not far from there in 2009 after his doctor administered a lethal² dose of the sedative³ Propofol. British singer Amy Winehouse was troubled by addiction⁵ and died last year of alcohol poisoning. 

Experts say alcohol and drug abuse is a problem in the general population. But entertainers are especially vulnerable because of the long hours on the road and the intense demands of performing. 

“There's a lot of down time, a lot of traveling, a lot of boredom⁶, a lot of sitting, a lot of doing nothing," said Bob Forrest.

Bob Forrest is a musician, a recovering addict⁴ and a drug counselor⁷.

"And so you tend to - at least I did, and most of my friends - tend to, at the very least, drink excessively," he said.

Drug and alcohol abuse is a special risk for those who find fame and fortune as performers, says Neil Portnow. He is president of MusiCares, an industry charity, and The Recording⁸ Academy, which presents the Grammy Awards.

“And the way that it plays out sometimes is over a long period of time, where somebody can develop the thick skin to deal with the issues that come with fame and fortune," said Portnow. "And then sometimes it's pretty quick and sometimes it's pretty young. And so those folks are not always well equipped to deal with that.”

He says some people around the artist can be enablers and others may turn a blind eye to the addiction. 

Psychiatrist⁹ Charles Sophy treats celebrities¹⁰. He says many are in denial.

“[They say] No, it's not me, or I don't use that much, but my doctor gives it to me," said Sophy. "All of those denial places are going to be impediments and hold you up from connecting to treatment to get a better outcome."

Sophy says successful artists are creative and driven, and some have underlying¹¹ emotional problems that fuel addiction and need treatment.

“For instance, is there an anxiety disorder¹²? Is there a mood disorder? Is there an attentional disorder, something that drove their creativity to become successful and where they're at, but also will become an impediment for them," he said.

Some young musicians think drug use is part of being creative, says Billy Morrison, a guitarist who stopped using drugs. 

“The availability and the so-called 'cool' factor - which is disappearing - play a bigger part in the entertainment business than other professions," said Morrison.

He says the industry is less tolerant of drug use now than a few years ago. Harold Owens, senior director of the Musicians Assistance Program of MusiCares, says the industry is dealing¹³ with it.

“We get a lot of calls from managers," said Owens. "Managers, agents, they're concerned about their artist. One more time, their artist has relapsed and they need some guidance.”

He says MusicCares helps addicted¹⁴ entertainers get into good treatment programs.

Those who work with celebrities say the key to dealing with drug abuse is early intervention¹⁵, effective treatment and a support system. They say recovery can be a lifelong process. 

1 cocaine   

n.可卡因，古柯碱（用作局部麻醉剂）

参考例句：

• That young man is a cocaine addict.那个年轻人吸食可卡因成瘾。
• Don't have cocaine abusively.不可滥服古柯碱。

2 lethal   

adj.致死的；毁灭性的

参考例句：

• A hammer can be a lethal weapon.铁锤可以是致命的武器。
• She took a lethal amount of poison and died.她服了致命剂量的毒药死了。

3 sedative   

adj.使安静的，使镇静的；n. 镇静剂，能使安静的东西

参考例句：

• After taking a sedative she was able to get to sleep.服用了镇静剂后，她能够入睡了。
• Amber bath oil has a sedative effect.琥珀沐浴油有镇静安神效用。

4 addict   

v.使沉溺；使上瘾；n.沉溺于不良嗜好的人

参考例句：

• He became gambling addict,and lost all his possessions.他习染上了赌博，最终输掉了全部家产。
• He assisted a drug addict to escape from drug but failed firstly.一开始他帮助一个吸毒者戒毒但失败了。

5 addiction   

n.上瘾入迷，嗜好

参考例句：

• He stole money from his parents to feed his addiction.他从父母那儿偷钱以满足自己的嗜好。
• Areas of drug dealing are hellholes of addiction,poverty and murder.贩卖毒品的地区往往是吸毒上瘾、贫困和发生谋杀的地方。

6 boredom   

n.厌烦，厌倦，乏味，无聊

参考例句：

• Unemployment can drive you mad with boredom.失业会让你无聊得发疯。
• A walkman can relieve the boredom of running.跑步时带着随身听就不那么乏味了。

7 counselor   

n.顾问，法律顾问

参考例句：

• The counselor gave us some disinterested advice.顾问给了我们一些无私的忠告。
• Chinese commercial counselor's office in foreign countries.中国驻国外商务参赞处。

8 recording   

n.录音，记录

参考例句：

• How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间？
• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。

9 psychiatrist   

n.精神病专家；精神病医师

参考例句：

• He went to a psychiatrist about his compulsive gambling.他去看精神科医生治疗不能自拔的赌瘾。
• The psychiatrist corrected him gently.精神病医师彬彬有礼地纠正他。

10 celebrities   

n.（尤指娱乐界的）名人( celebrity的名词复数 )；名流；名声；名誉

参考例句：

• He only invited A-list celebrities to his parties. 他只邀请头等名流参加他的聚会。
• a TV chat show full of B-list celebrities 由众多二流人物参加的电视访谈节目

11 underlying   

adj.在下面的，含蓄的，潜在的

参考例句：

• The underlying theme of the novel is very serious.小说隐含的主题是十分严肃的。
• This word has its underlying meaning.这个单词有它潜在的含义。

12 disorder   

n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调

参考例句：

• When returning back,he discovered the room to be in disorder.回家后，他发现屋子里乱七八糟。
• It contained a vast number of letters in great disorder.里面七零八落地装着许多信件。

13 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

14 addicted   

adj.沉溺于....的，对...上瘾的

参考例句：

• He was addicted to heroin at the age of 17.他17岁的时候对海洛因上了瘾。
• She's become addicted to love stories.她迷上了爱情小说。

15 intervention   

n.介入，干涉，干预

参考例句：

• The government's intervention in this dispute will not help.政府对这场争论的干预不会起作用。
• Many people felt he would be hostile to the idea of foreign intervention.许多人觉得他会反对外来干预。