1. Phillip Seymour Hoffman Sniffs Heroin for a
Week, Enters Drug Detox Program
Written by Spencer Kinard
June 3, 2013
| Last Updated on Wednesday, 05 June, 2013 09:43
Actor Phillip Seymour Hoffman has come forward this week, openly discussing how he spent the past
2 weeks in a drug detox facility. Hoffman claims that he had a drug problem many years ago, but has
been sober for nearly 24 years until a recent relapse on prescription pills led him to snort heroin.
Hoffman says the heroin use went on for about one week until he realized he needed to seek
treatment/detox for the issue. When he was 22 years old, Hoffman went to rehab and got clean and
sober, admitting that before treatment he would do any and every drug that he could get his hands on.
After treatment the actor went on to having an extremely successful career in acting. He also expressed
gratitude for having gotten sober prior to becoming famous.
This is a great example of how not to let a minor setback derail your entire life. Relapse is a known part
of recovery, and doesn’t have to define who you are or send you on a downward spiral that ultimately
ends up being destructive to your life. Hoffman recognized that he had a problem and that he was on
the wrong path, and he quickly made intelligent, informed decisions about checking himself into a
detox facility in order to address the issue. Oftentimes, relapse tends to define who a person is rather
than become an event that a person can recover from. The guilt and shame associated with returning to
old behaviors can prevent a person from moving on with their life and ultimately act as very destructive
forces in the lives of an alcoholic or drug addict.
It’s important to understand that relapse can and should be a short lapse of time wherein the affected
individual understands what they must do in order to get back on track and does so quickly before the
damage caused by the drug and/or alcohol use becomes un-repairable. If you have never relapsed
before, the event can be particularly traumatic and it’s important that you utilize the supports you’ve
already put in place in order to help you get out of a potentially dangerous situation for both your
health and your personal life. Everyone has their own “path” of recovery and it’s important that even if
you have a setback, you position yourself so that you are surrounded by a support system that can help
you get back on your feet. This is just one of the reasons why it’s important to “center” yourself in the
program while you are sober.
Phillip Seymour Hoffman isn’t just a great actor; he’s a good example of how to recover from a setback
such as a relapse in order to maintain the life that you were living. Many people relapse and destroy
everything that they worked for in sobriety. This doesn’t have to be the case. You can recover from a
“slip” or a “relapse” if you work hard and utilize your substance abuse treatment program without
being too afraid or ashamed to reach out and ask for help.