The internet yesterday was ablaze like a wild fire following an Instagram live video by popular emcee Keko.
The video caused widespread conversation on social media as Keko appeared to be intoxicated, with a strange skin texture, while smoking animatedly.
This caused public outcry for the rapper to be assisted thus sparking off a drug use debate on social media.
This is not the first time Keko is being affiliated with drugs as in 2019, in an interview done by Canary Mugume for his drug centered documentary, “smoking away the music”, Keko’s former manager and affiliate Shadrack Kuteesa, attributed Keko’s downward spiral in the industry to drug use.
However, Keko is simply a pebble in a wider ocean of celebrity victims to the vice of drugs.
Internationally, acts like Ozzy Osbourne, Kurt Cobain, Justin Bieber, Snoop Dogg among a plethora of other Holly wood A-listers have admitted to being victims of drug use.
Others such as Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Heath Ledger and Amy Winehouse have lost their dear lives to the drugs.
Locally, various celebrities have told tales of their addiction problems: Jackie Chandiru, Cute Kaye, Keko, Toniks, among a plethora of other victims.
Drugs and stardom are intricately connected.
However, why do so many celebrities end up going down this dingy and ghastly rabbit hole?
According to Michael’s house website, a rehabilitation facility in the United States that deals with A-listers, celebrity addiction is primarily attributed to access.
Among other things, substance abuse represents a major drain on a person’s wallet. And whereas many abusers have to be creative when it comes to finding ways to sustain their habit, celebrities often need look no further than their plus-sized bank account. Simply put, the rich and the famous can afford to feed an addiction in a way the average nine-to-fiver can’t.
Money can open up doors to addiction even in the absence of fame.
Time. Whether a person is between shows, seasons, or tours, long stretches of downtime offer powerful motivation for stimulation. According to a senior lecturer of psychology at Leeds Beckett University, this may be the biggest culprit lurking behind many celebrities’ addictions.
There is power in the kind of structure found in a steady regular job, he explains. “If you have to wake up every morning and go into work, there’s an external restriction that helps protect against impulsiveness.” This is in contrast to someone who may work for four or five months on a film only to have the next six months stretch in front of him or her like a blank canvas. In those situations, Archer said, it can take a stronger individual to resist the temptations that money and fame are only likely to compound.
Narcissism. Be it the reason or the result of whatever fame-seeking career a person may be pursuing, narcissism and the isolation it breeds can leave a person especially vulnerable to addiction.
“You see a trained narcissism with young celebrities—especially with athletes,” Dr. Scott explains.
“They have been taught since their youth that they’re different, special, or better. You have it in the entertainment business as well, particularly with young stars. When they grow up, that narcissism.