So yesterday, Zac “6-pack” Efron admitted to completing a stint in rehab five months ago. Rumor has it he checked in over a struggle with alcohol and cocaine. I wasn’t surprised when I heard the news, but it sure seems like many people were. One specific news outlet said this, “We are shocked that Zac Efron went to rehab over a drug addiction!”
Shocked?! Really?
I’m not shocked at all. Addiction is everywhere. It is the epidemic of our generation. It’s affecting nearly every family in this country. And this story proves that it doesn’t discriminate by social class, salary level or societal status. Furthermore, no age group, race or gender is immune.
So again, I am not shocked.
But what I do find very interesting and very useful to people dealing with addiction in their lives is what sources are saying about his personality and how driven he was to keep his addiction private. Check this out.
“Zac is really good at keeping it together, He’s a huge control freak and has always been obsessed with keeping his partying on the down low, this getting out is his worst nightmare.”
For parents dealing with children who are using or experimenting, no matter what their age. This quote about Efron is a great clue into the behavior and personality of an addict. I know, because this is exactly how I used to act. I manipulated and conned my way into the driver’s seat of every relationship and circumstance in my life. I had to be in control. I controlled my employees, controlled my parents, controlled my friends and controlled my children. Why? So I could do what I wanted, when I wanted.
If you find yourself in a situation where a loved one, a child, a spouse or anyone else close to you is consistently lying and manipulating their way into a position of control. Be on alert. That’s not a good sign.
Same goes for isolation and privacy. When you see someone with an obsessive personality, a history with addiction or excess, who is spending an inordinate amount of time by themselves, be on alert! It doesn’t matter where this is taking place, whether they are locked up in their office, being reclusive at home or just holed up in their bedroom. Don’t let this type of behavior go on for too long. You’re just enabling a self-defeating behavior.
In the end, there’s always a lot to learn from a public figure caught in the grips of addiction. But that doesn’t give any of us the right to pass judgment. So with that said, I want to wish Zac the best of luck in his newly found sobriety! And to that effect I will end this post with a bit of positive news from the “six-pack” himself. A quote I can certainly relate to when it comes to a life of sobriety…
“I’m good, real good.” – Zac Efron