Substance abuse affects one’s life, and throughout history, many celebrities, historical figures, and politicians struggled with addiction.
According to data from the latest National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), 22.7 million Americans need treatment for a drug or alcohol problem. And though it may sound cliché, addiction truly is a disease that does not discriminate.
And despite fame, fortune, and occupation, in the eyes of substance abuse, everyone is fair game. Proof of that can be seen in the all-too-common reports of famous celebrities who publically struggle with addiction or experience a relapse.
Comedian Artie Lange has no exception, he has had a tumultuous journey through addiction over the last 30 years, and it’s left him unrecognizable today. Lange’s nose collapsed as a result of his drug abuse, and he accidentally snorted glass shards while trying to get high, which permanently disfigured his nose. However, Lange hopes to use his damaged appearance as a reminder to stay sober, and he’s been able to do so for the last seven months.
Lange isn’t concerned about his disfigurement and sees it as a consequence of the bad decisions he made during his years of drug abuse. “I mean there were 30 years of drug abuse. Snorting heroin and cocaine,” he admitted. “I accidentally snorted glass once, which is a long story.” He hopes that his story will be a cautionary story for young people to steer clear of the dangers of addiction.
Despite Lange’s drug abuse, his collapsed nose wasn’t a direct result of snorting drugs, but from getting punched in the nose by a guy who was collecting money for a bookie. Lange acknowledges that he engaged in destructive behavior, but he wants to use his experience to help others avoid the pitfalls of addiction.
“Even if you make some money and have some success, you can still end up living like a straight-up scumbag,” he said. “I was never a bad person, but I did a lot of bad things because I was addicted to drugs.”
Lange didn’t hold back when talking about his struggles with addiction, including the time he snorted glass by accident in a desperate attempt to get high. He believed that he’d be the type of person who’d wind up dead in a hotel room after a bender, just like other comedians who died from their addictions such as Chris Farley and Greg Giraldo. Although Dr. Paul Nassif offered to help fix Lange’s nose if he stayed sober, Lange has no interest in fixing what his addiction broke.
Lange recently shared an update on his life, which included an image of himself on Twitter. In the image, Lange looked healthy and much happier, smiling and appearing to have lost weight. However, his nose was still visibly damaged from the punch by the bookie’s goon.
Lange publicly marked September 10 as his seven-and-a-half-month point in sobriety and declared that he has plenty of new stories to tell. Despite the challenges he’s faced, Lange is optimistic about the future and plans to go on tour soon.
Sources: AWM, Dailymail, Foxnews
