Robert Downey Jr Talks of Son's and His Addictions in Vanity Fair October Issue

Actor Robert Downey Jr, 49, shares his family's addiction problem in the October edition of Vanity Fair magazine. The star of the Toronto Film Festival entry The Judge gives more details about his personal demons as the cover story of the publication.

The then 31-year-old actor was stopped by police for overspeeding in 1996 and was found to have heroin, cocaine, crack cocaine and an unloaded .357 Magnum. He escaped twice for rehab and was sentenced in 1999 to 36 months jail term which he served for less than a year. 

There were two more arrests. In 2000, an anonymous tip led to police recovery of cocaine and meth in his hotel room. In2001, Downey was found roaming Los Angeles streets barefoot, was arrested again and fired from Ally McBeal.

The actor’s last arrest brought him back to rehab where he finally kicked his drug habit.

Looking back at those episodes, the actor told Vanity Fair, “Job one is get out of that cave. A lot of people do get out but never change. So the thing is to get out and recognize the significance of that aggressive denial of your fate, come through the crucible forged into a stronger metal. Or whatever. But I don’t even know if that was my experience.”

In June 2014, his 20-year-old oldest son Indio, a musician, with former wife Deborah Falconer, was arrested for cocaine possession. The actor downplays the “genetic factor” that people may link Indio’s drug habit, saying, “But that’s typical in the Information Age; things get accelerated … Pick a dysfunction and it’s a family problem.”

Now clean, Downey shared that his new addiction is the collection of cars, citing that he has a Bently, Porsche, Covette and Audis or a Honda Odyssey.

Celebrities like Downey are prone to drug addiction not only because they could afford the habit, but are often given the drugs for free just because they are celebrities. The Data Lounge Web site cited the case of actor John Belushi who died of speedball overdose when he was 33. Almost all the time, cocaine was given to him for free wherever Belushi went.

However, Dr Jason Jerry, director of the Cleveland Clinic, said that heroin use both in the entertainment industry and ordinary folks is an old story, citing that even in the 1950s, heroin use was common among many jazz musicians.

“Entertainers are just probably more in the spotlight than the rest of the population so we hear about it more,” Jerry said.

Whether they are celebrities or ordinary folks, people going through rehab could benefit from a treatment method byBioCorRx, Inc. BICXwhich has developed an innovative approach to alcohol and opioid abuse treatment called the Start Fresh Program that is believed by some experts to be a “game-changer” in the rehabilitation sector. The Start Fresh Program is a two-tiered program used by local addiction clinics across the United States which involves an outpatient medical procedure and psycho-social coaching. 

The first component involves an outpatient medical procedure to embed a biodegradable naltrexone implant under the abdominal skin and fatty tissue. The implant then delivers therapeutic levels of the antagonist drug, naltrexone, into the bloodstream which can curb one’s cravings for alcohol or opioids.

The second tier of the program involves a private, one-on-one coaching program to address the specific needs of the alcoholics and addicts, as well as to help him or her plan for a life free from substance abuse.

Learn more information about the Start Fresh Program and about possible investment opportunities with BioCorRx, Inc. by visiting its new investor relations website www.BICXcorp.com.