According to the 1996 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse,
which may actually underestimate illicit heroin use, an estimated
2.4 million people try heroin, the most dangerous drug around,
at some time in their lives. Nearly 216,000 of them reported
using it within the month preceding the survey.
If all these people are using drugs, how many of them are
known for their music? Practically none because if musicians
are going to do drugs, they're not going to let their image be
ruined. Sometimes the problem is obvious when these musicians
are on stage or being interviewed. Judging from the way they
act or talk, anybody can tell they're using drugs. On the other
hand, some keep it in the closet for as long as they can, without
anybody knowing except for them, or fellow band members.
Shannon Noon told Much Music about his bad experiences with drugs.
"I know my life would be a lot happier without these
obstacles that drugs and alcohol have set in front of me,"
he said. "There's been a lot of time and energy wasted and
a lot of creative parts of my life that have been completely
dissolved because of it."
It's too bad Hoon didn't know these things before he got into
drugs. We all hear about these drug addicts dying and we all
say "that's sad". If this disturbs us, how do you think
their families and friends feel?
I'd just like to warn future musicians about this problem,
because if you're getting into the music industry, a lot of drugs
are right under your nose. There's been some horrible, gruesome
stories I've heard about these addictions and I'd hate to see
anyone suffer from it.
I know for certain that if I ever got involved with music
making, I'd be tempted. But I'd stop myself from trying these
drugs. If I, or anyone else, for that matter, got addicted, we'd
wind up either recovering painfully from rehabilitation with
people's pity on our shoulders, or simply dead. |