ADDICTION EXPERT ON BILLY JOE ARMSTRONG

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REHAB FOR BILLY JOE ARMSTRONG

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Billy Joe Armstrong

As reported by the Associated Press, Green Day’s front man, Billie Joe Armstrong has checked in to rehab for substance abuse treatment on the heels of the release of the band’s new album trilogy, Uno!, Dos! and Tré! 

Can the Devastating Cycle of Addiction Be Prevented? The heartbreaking case of Billie Joe Armstrong illustrates the destructive power of addiction and shows that even fame, fortune and global applause are inadequate to combat this fatal disease. Watching the downward spiral of Armstrong progress publicly is tragic, yet an informative example of the grave cycle of addiction. Is rehab enough to break the chains of this deadly disease?

Addiction Expert: Ben Levenson, co-founder of Origins Recovery Centers: 

“Here is a Grammy Award-winning artist with every logical reason in the world to stay sober, but is unable to do so. The brain of the active addict is fundamentally impaired. The regions of the brain where executive thinking and higher reasoning reside are virtually non-functioning in the toxic brain,” comments Ben Levenson, co-founder of Origins Recovery Centers.

“As a recovered addict, I know firsthand that this disease is insidious, progressive and fatal when left unarrested. It pains me to no end to see another addict endure the horrors of addiction. Watching my own brother suffer from this disease and unfortunately overdose in 2001, my heart goes out to Billie Joe Armstrong’s family and friends,” empathizes Levenson.

Armstrong took the first step this weekend by checking into rehab and now this action must be followed by multi-disciplinary, longer-term treatment and aftercare. 

Levenson continues, “Addiction will not self-correct. Society must evolve the way it thinks about treating this chronic illness – it generally cannot be treated with short inpatient episodes. Effective treatment includes multiple phases of integrated care over a period of one year to eighteen months that gradually decompresses an individual and allows time for the deep clinical and emotional work and vital brain healing to occur.” 

Treatment works, but only if you live long enough to make it in the door and then take the proper amount of time to recover.

“Celebrities with addiction, like Armstrong, don't have it easier, but rather, harder because the very things they crave: fame, power, money and acclaim, happen to also fuel the very illness that is killing them,” concludes Ben Levenson.

Photo By: Sara de Boer/Retna