GATES HIDE LIVES OF DRUG ABUSE

Los Angeles Daily News

LOS ANGELES -- John Belushi's death by drug overdose 16 years ago at the
Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood was a wake-up call to Hollywood's flagrant
use of cocaine and other hard drugs.

But Hollywood's insatiable appetite has continued to play havoc with the
careers, reputations and lives of many prominent stars -- River Phoenix,
Chris Farley, Robert Downey Jr., Kelsey Grammer and, just last week, Charlie
Sheen, to name just a few.

And now in the deaths of comic actor Phil Hartman and his wife, Brynn, the
link between celebrity and drugs has once again surfaced. Police say Brynn
Hartman, reportedly suffering from a long-term cocaine abuse problem, killed
her husband and then herself last Thursday morning in their Encino home.

Some industry observers said the incident indicates Hollywood hasn't shaken
its old habits. Rather, like the rest of American society, it has simply
transferred them from the hedonistic party scene of 15 and 20 years ago to a
more private, socially acceptable -- or at least invisible -- environment.

``Where drug use persists, the problem is really the same problem, whether
the drugs are being consumed and enjoyed in a nightclub, or whether they're
being consumed in Encino,'' said Charles Fleming, author of ``High
Concept,'' a just-published account of the fast times and rapid downfall of
the late Hollywood mogul Don Simpson.

Substance abuse remains common, according to therapists who treat
celebrities with addictions. And while such highly publicized deaths as
those of Belushi and Phoenix have brought more attention to drug abuse, it
also has driven addicts into hiding, making treatment more difficult.

``They didn't clean up their act -- drug usewent underground,'' said Carolyn
Perry, owner of the Tri City Institute, a methadone clinic frequented by
many entertainers.

Hollywood isn't serious about stamping out drug abuse, said Dr. Drew Pinsky,
director of chemical dependency at Las Encinas Medical Center in nearby
Pasadena. ``It's a lot of posturing,'' he said.

Law enforcement officials say drug abuse among celebrities is indicative of
the larger society's widespread addictions. The only difference, they say,
is that the rich and famous have more cash to satisfy their illegal appetites.

``It's a peculiarity of the industry that a certain kind of person at a
certain level of power can design a life that is free of most of the
negative consequences of drug abuse,'' Fleming said. ``They can afford a
staff, they can afford assistants. They're sometimes allowed to go farther
in their abusive lifestyles.

``Unfortunately, these performers are surrounded by people who, as long as
they're doing their work, support them in everything else.''

Checked-by: Melodi Cornett