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Celebrity Assignment
Soumya Dayal
Department of Liberal Arts, Rochester Institute of Technology
PSYC 221: Abnormal Psychology
Dr Jessamy Comer
May 1, 2022
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Celebrity Assignment
Robert Downey Jr., a 56 year old man who went from an infamous “druggie” to
becoming Iron Man, is loved by kids and adults alike. Born on April 4, 1965, this Marvel
superhero has lived a life he despised, and because of which lost many important things in his
life. However, he rose from those depths of his hell and became a man who is an inspiration for
fighting addiction to many.
Downey is the son of Robert Downey Sr., a drug abuser himself. At the young age of
eight, Downey was given marijuana by his father (American Addiction Centers Editorial Staff,
2021, para. 2) which may have been the early debut of marijuana use that led Downey towards a
downward path of excessive use of cannabis and different substances. He admitted himself that
he may have been addicted to drugs since that age itself (BBC, 1999, para. 2). In his childhood,
drugs also served the purpose of the bond forming agent between his father and him (American
Addiction Centers Editorial Staff, 2021, para. 2), which sets the precedent of substance being a
useful thing which can be used to form relationships with others around him for a young child.
Moreover, his parents divorced in 1978 (Wikipedia, 2022, “Early Life and Family” section),
which could not have been easy for a 13 year old child to handle. He moved to California with
his father after the divorce, implying that he most likely continued to use substances with his
father.
Despite these problems, Downey decided to become an actor and moved out of his
father’s house in his early 20’s. Although he was getting his stardom and role in films like Pound
and Sherlock, his drug addiction worsened during that time too. He started getting caught for his
erratic behaviors, like not showing up on sets on time or being drunk and found sleeping in his
neighbor’s house, which were most likely the symptoms and results of his alcohol and drug use
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disorders. His role in the movie Less Than Zero could not have helped this building addiction.
Downey mentioned that since he was playing the role of “this junkie guy [...] that [he] became
the exaggerated version of this character” (A&E Networks Television, 2017, “Substance Abuse
Problems” section). During the late 90s, he was jailed multiple times for possession of
substances like heroin and cocaine (Kika, 2021, para. 5). There were some exact notable events
which showcased how drastic the effects of alcohol and drug use disorder were. In June 1996,
Downey was stopped by the police for speeding and was found with “cocaine, heroin and a pistol
in his pickup truck” (BBC, 1999, para. 9). Less than a month later, he was found passed out in
his neighbor’s place, while under the influence of substances and on parole (Wikipedia, 2022,
“Career Setbacks” section). This became a common event in his life. In November 2000,
Downey was arrested again in a Palm Springs hotel room, where he was “discovered with
cocaine and [...] was charged with felony drug possession” (A&E Networks Television, 2017,
“Personal Life and Challenges” section). In April 2001, there was another arrest warrant issued
against Downey, which was sent to the California Substance Abuse Treatment Facility and State
Prison, “in accordance with the newly passed California Proposition 36, which allowed
non-violent drug offenders to go into rehabilitation rather than prison” (Bull, 2015, “Drugs and
Mental Illness” section).
At this point, it was entirely proved that Downey had alcohol and multiple drug use
disorder. He made the following statement about his addiction in an interview which said “It is
like I have got a shotgun in my mouth, with my finger on the trigger and I like the taste of the
gun metal” (BBC, 1999). His disorders impacted his work, family, finances and fame. Even
though he was going to rehab, he was broke and unemployable (Vece, 2019, para. 5). Downey
mentioned that he was at such a low point in his addiction that he did not care if he ever acted
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again (Wikipedia, 2022, “Career Setbacks” section). This turned out to be true in many cases as
he was fired from multiple sets like God, The Devil and Bob and Ally Mcbeal when he did not
show up for rehearsals or lost all his credibility and had to go for rehab. Two of his romantic
relationships were affected because of his disorders. His first ever serious romantic relationship
with Sarah Jessica Parker broke because Parker could not handle his disorder and his actions due
to it (Torn, 2021). His ex-wife, Deborah Falconer, also divorced him in 2004 because of his
actions (Wikipedia, 2022, “Personal Life” section).
His actions had made the news at this point and many people had theories about which
disorders he has. Back in 2000, People Magazine put Downey on its cover with the headline Bad
to Worse and focused on Downey’s addiction to heroin and a fresh string of arrests (Vece, 2019,
para. 3). Of course, the fact that he had substance use disorder had become obvious by now, but
there were discussions about bipolar disorder too. The magazine spoke to his stepmother,
Rosemary Rogers Downey, who made the claim that he had a hard time staying sober because of
his bipolar disorder. This has some validity as even the DSM-5 states that “bipolar disorder …
[is] associated with a markedly increased rate of alcohol use disorder”(American Psychiatric
Association, 2013, p. 496). But the actor himself has denied this and there have not been many
events in his life that have clearly shown this to be true. Furthermore, Downey has consumed
many other drugs in his addiction period like cocaine, and there is a possibility that he has
comorbid substance use disorder related to those substances. But since there is not heavy
evidence isolating those drugs, in this paper the discussion will be focused on his alcohol and
cannabis use disorders.
According to the DSM-5, a person has cannabis use disorder if they meet at least two
criteria occuring within a 12 month period from the list that DSM-5 has (American Psychiatric
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Association, 2013, p. 591). Downey meets more than 2 criteria in both the cases, which I will
discuss with evidence below, and has been showing these for longer than a 12 month period.
Downey was first exposed to marijuana at the age of eight by his father(American Addiction
Centers Editorial Staff, 2021, para. 2), which is an extremely early debut for a drug. This got him
prone to this disorder then itself. Furthermore, the fact that his father had a cannabis addiction
made it a big risk factor for Downey to get addicted to cannabis. He admitted himself that he
may have been addicted to drugs since that age itself (BBC, 1999, para. 2). Considering that his
addiction continued through his 20’s, this meets the first criteria from DSM-5 which says
“Cannabis is often taken in larger amounts or over a longer period than was intended” (American
Psychiatric Association, 2013, p. 591). Moreover, Downey has admitted himself that he was at
such a low point in his addiction that he did not care if he acted ever again (Wikipedia, 2022,
“Career Setbacks” section). This meets the fifth criteria from the book which states “recurrent
cannabis use resulting in failure to fulfill major role obligations at work, school, or home”
(American Psychiatric Association, 2013, p. 591). Just by meeting these two criteria, he can be
diagnosed with cannabis use disorder according to DSM-5 but it does not stop here. There is a lot
of overlap of this disorder with alcohol use disorder as well as use of other substances.
With alcohol use disorder, the DSM-5 says that if you meet two criteria within a 12
month period, you can be qualified for alcohol use disorder (American Psychiatric Association,
2013, p. 491). Just like his cannabis use disorder, his alcohol use disorder continued through
most of his 20s, thus qualifying the first criteria in the DSM-5 “alcohol is often taken in larger
amounts or over longer periods than was intended” (American Psychiatric Association, 2013, p.
491). Moreover, Downey had had a series of erratic behaviors which were physically harmful to
him, qualifying the second criteria which states “recurrent use of alcohol in situations in which it
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is physically hazardous”(American Psychiatric Association, 2013, p. 492). For example, he was
found passed out in his neighbor’s house drunk while he was on parole (Wikipedia, 2022,
“Career Setbacks” section). Another criterion he does meet from DSM-5 is “Continues alcohol
use despite the social and interpersonal problems caused by the use” (American Psychiatric
Association, 2013, p. 492). This is very evident as his first romantic partner, Parker and his
ex-wife, Falconer, left him because of his actions and erratic behaviors. But the thing to note
here, and in many cases that I will mention, is that he was also under the influence of other
substances like cocaine and/or heroin during these events in his life. An example of such a case
is when he was arrested in a Palm Springs hotel room, where he was “discovered with cocaine”
(A&E Networks Television, 2017, “Personal Life and Challenges” section). Not just that, he has
been jailed multiple times for the possession of drugs like heroin and cocaine (Kika, 2021, para.
5). Keeping these events in mind, there is a complete possibility of diagnosing him with other
substance use disorders as well but in this paper, I chose to focus on alcohol and cannabis use
disorders as they were more prominent in the events of his life.
Now, all of these events in his life had to start somewhere. There have to be strong
factors involved to turn an addiction into a disorder that took over most of Downey’s life. As
mentioned, Downey was given marijuana by his father (American Addiction Centers Editorial
Staff, 2021, para. 2). This led to a very early onset of marijuana use in Downey’s life which
probably is a big risk factor for his cannabis use disorder. Moreover, since his father was the one
to give him his first marijunana cigarette, it is evident that he was a less than ideal role model for
Downey and lacked mature parenting skills which is one of the strongest etiological reasons for
Downey’s cannabis use disorder. Since his father and him bonded over marijuana, it set the
precedent of substance being a useful thing which can be used to form relationships with others
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around him (American Addiction Centers Editorial Staff, 2021, para. 2). Moreover, he admitted
himself that he may have been addicted to drugs since that age itself (BBC, 1999, para. 2). There
is no clear existing proof that Downey’s father had a substance/cannabis use disorder but it can
be conjectured based on the fact that he gave his 8 year old son a marijuana cigarette. Based on
this information alone, it can probably be concluded that genetics played a role in Downey’s
substance use disorder as well. But to prove the role of genetics more, Downey’s son, Indio
Downey had recently been caught with drugs and is now working on being sober with the help of
his father (Brian, 2020). So we can see that the drug addiction problem is running in the family,
from Downey’s father to his son.
​
Downey and his family did not have the best relations among themselves. His parents
divorced in 1978 (Wikipedia, 2022, “Early Life and Family” section), which could not have been
easy for a 13 year old child to handle. He moved to California with his father after the divorce,
implying that he most likely continued to use substances with his father. Since the environment
plays a big role in getting this disorder, his father smoking around him alone might have caused
this disorder in Downey.
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Downey’s alcohol use disorder onset after he was in Hollywood. Along with alcohol, he
also started consuming cocaine and heroin (Arrow Passage, 2021, “Robert Downey Jr.” section).
I believe major reasons for that to happen were his peer relationships, career stress and hindrance
in romantic relationships. When he joined Hollywood, his early friends regularly drank, around
whom he continued those activities too. He already had the idea as a child that substances are a
good way to bond with others around you. It is also one of the effects Hollywood’s limelight and
fame has on someone, which could have have affected Downey to drink more than usual in order
to get more fame. Moreover, because of his addictions and some habits involving drinking, using
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multiple substances like cocaine, marijunana and heroin, and even possession of weapons(BBC,
1999, para. 9), he was fired from multiple sets like God, the Devil and Bob and Ally Mcbeal
when he did not show up for rehearsals. His ex-wife, Falconer, also divorced him during this
time because of his irresponsible behaviors (Wikipedia, 2022, “Personal Life” section). His
relationship with Parker was also destroyed because of Downey’s addiction to drugs and alcohol
(Torn, 2021). Downey mentioned it himself that he was very selfish during the relationship with
Parker, adding “I liked to drink, and I had a drug problem, and that didn’t jibe with Sarah
Jessica…” (Torn, 2021). Getting fired from jobs and having strained relationships with his first
love who he almost married and his wife after also might have been the factors which
contributed to his alcohol use disorder. If not, it could have very easily been a coping mechanism
for a man who lost his jobs, his loved ones, and was almost going broke. Because of the effect
that his father had on him, alcohol might have seemed like the self-medication Downey could
indulge in. Around the same time, he had had many failed rehabs and a couple imprisonments
which was making him lose credibility as an actor (Wikipedia, 2022, “Personal Life” section).
Moreover, he was also broke (Vece, 2019, para. 5). Even though all of this was caused due to his
early cannabis use disorder and alcohol use disorder, these factors increased the effects of these
disorders even more in his life.
With Downey’s case, it is evident that even though the onset of the disorders was fairly
early in his life, the effects of it contributed as more factors for the disorders to be persistent. The
halt in his career, the difficult breakups and his problem with substances were so intertwined that
they probably made his treatment and following rehab even more difficult. It took him a long
time to successfully be able to finish rehab and has now maintained his sobriety since 2003. To
achieve this, he went through multiple mediums such as therapy, meditation, twelve-step
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recovery programs, yoga, and the practice of Wing Chun kung fu, the martial art he learned from
his fight consultant (Wikipedia, 2022, “Sobriety” section). His actual date of sobriety has not
been disclosed due to the 12-step principle of anonymity. It is said that his seriousness in getting
sober increased after his romance started with Susan Downey, who is now his wife (Linney,
2022). This makes sense as he already had two failed relationships, which were because of his
substance use disorders.
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The 12 Steps were created by the founders of Alcoholics Anonymous to establish
guidelines to overcome an addiction to alcohol. The program gained enough success in its early
years for other addiction support groups to adapt the steps to their specific substance or addictive
behavior. The program, as it says, includes 12 steps which goes from admitting to your problem,
to understanding that there is a greater Power, making amends to other people that you have
wronged, and ultimately having a spiritual awakening to cure yourself and helping others
(Juergens, 2022). It is a method which works with most of the clients and hence was a helpful
resource for Downey as well. It has not been disclosed what kind of therapy Downey went
through, but I believe it was a mix of different kinds of therapies to work with his issues. Based
on the information I have, I would suggest that psychodynamic therapy would be useful in his
case because his etiology contains things from his past, like forming emotional bonds with his
father using marijuana, dealing with his parent’s divorce, and living with a parent with a drug use
problem. Learning Kung Fu is not something people with substance use disorders usually go
through but taking drugs and alcohol in that amount messes up one’s physical health. Not to
mention, Downey was a young actor when his treatment began, so his physical health and
physique mattered even more. But his acting also gave him the privilege of having a personal
instructor for this physical practice. Yoga and meditation were part of his recovery program as
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well, though more details about what kind of yoga he did has not been disclosed. I suspect yoga
and meditation were a part of his plan because they are supposed to bring you inner peace and
give you a sense of strength and determination that you can take over any trouble you have. This
is why they are still part of many sobriety programs (Bridges of Hope).
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Downey has been sober outside recovery since approximately 2013, so his treatment
served him well. He has been doing well in his career and his personal relationships. He is one of
the main members of the Marvel Franchise and has been married to his current wife since 2005.
Although his rise to fame has been consistent ever since, and Downey has spoken about his
addictions in interviews quite openly, it has been a roller coaster for the actor since his
childhood. But he is healing from his childhood trauma in a way by helping his son, Indio
Downey, to recover from his addiction to drugs (Brian, 2020). I do not think Downey would ever
go back to the same path again. He is a successful man now, with a stable career and family. He
has shown to be emotional in some interviews about his life which goes to show that he
remembers the pain of his hardships and would not do something to go through with it again.
The things he has had to overcome truly makes him the inspiration people make him out to be.