DOWNEY'S RELAPSE NO SURPRISE

Robert Downey Jr. Relapsed, Arguably, When He Elected To Spend Thanksgiving
By Himself In Glitzy Palm Springs, Calif.

Wandering alone in a resort city for the rich and restless on a
prototypical family holiday is a poor recipe for staying away from drugs.
And, sure enough, Palm Springs police found about a quarter pound of
cocaine and methamphetamine when they searched the actor's hotel room after
receiving a phone tip from an anonymous caller.

Addictive relapses are most likely to occur when three conditions are
present: negative feelings like boredom, depression, and loneliness;
availability of drugs and the time and opportunity to use them; and social
settings which, if they don't encourage drug use, are at best indifferent
to such use.

Any number of Hollywood and show business notables have expressed their
regrets over Downey's return to drugs. They offer condolences and say how
much they like the distressed actor. But if only one such admirer could
have invited Downey home for Thanksgiving during his hiatus from his
recurring guest role on "Ally McBeal," it is unlikely that Downey would be
facing drug possession charges.

Instead of spending time in a family setting, Downey checked into Merv
Griffin's Resort Hotel & Givenchy Spa in Palm Springs, attending tawdry
night clubs with Palm Springs hangers on.

One such individual told "Access Hollywood" that Downey seemed morose over
his separation from 7-year-old son, who was with his former wife.

Downey's uncle, "Saturday Night Live" writer Jim Downey, has claimed that
it was the stress of long days before the cameras on "McBeal" that led to
his nephew's downfall.

Yet, Downey seemed glad to return to this acting stint after he was bailed
out of the Palm Springs jail, and coworkers and friends reported no
previous signs that he was abusing drugs while he was working steadily on
the FOX TV series.

It is ironic that, in most cases when someone is apprehended for using
illicit drugs, the person is removed from work. But employment is a
positive prognosticator of who will be able to overcome drugs. It provides
a life structure along with social contacts and psychological rewards that
counteract the inclination to use drugs.

From this perspective, preventing Darryl Strawberry from playing baseball
for the Yankees last season when he tested positive for drugs was perhaps
actually likely to lead him to use cocaine again. That is, hanging around
with old friends and with little positive to do presented ideal conditions
for Strawberry's relapse this fall.

Downey, who at age 35 is a seasoned actor with an Academy Award nomination,
must, of course, take responsibility for his own life. But, while we
regularly offer addicts stints of treatment, along with threats of prison
if they use drugs, we ignore them when they are not
institutionalized. Little attention is given to structuring their time and
supporting their sobriety.

Thus, they often quickly re-enter situations that prompt relapses.

Where Downey goes from here -- a return to prison, a new stint of
treatment, more threats and efforts to keep him on a short leash -- could
miss the point.

Instead, efforts could best be directed towards helping him to plan a sober
lifestyle, to maintain associations with people who do not use drugs, to
connect with his son and other family members, to engage in work and other
positive activities, and to see that he has the capacity to create a
drug-free lifestyle.