Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson’s New Autobiography Talks Past Drug Addiction

The famous songwriter for the Beach Boys, Brian Wilson has had a long life of struggle, 50 years dedicated to working hard while managing symptoms of mental illness and a chronic drug addiction. He’s preparing to release an autobiography in 2015 that will give his fans all the details, and he’s not holding much – if anything – back.

Wilson is now 70 years old. He says: “I’ve been working harder in the last 10 years than I ever did in my whole career. And I love it! I love working. I started the Beach Boys when I was still in high school, and I guess I’ve never spent too much time thinking about all the things we went through — all the good times and bad times. I don’t like to dwell on the bad times, it makes me sad in my heart. But I feel a little stronger now. And I’m feeling a little bit like maybe now is a good time to look back.”

Mental Illness and Addiction

The two issues often go hand in hand. In fact, more often than not, a patient who is living with a mental health problem will also struggle with addiction. In many cases, they use drugs and alcohol in an attempt to “manage” their symptoms or ease their discomfort caused by knowing that they are somewhat different from other people or because they find it difficult to function on a day-to-day basis.

In order to heal from addiction, it is important that the patient also get the help they need for their mental illness. Because the symptoms of one often worsen the other, seeking help for just one disorder often means relapse when the other continues to be a problem.

Comprehensive Care

For all addicted patients, whether or not a mental health issue exists, it’s important to enroll in a treatment program that offers everything necessary to break free from addictive behaviors and develop new positive coping mechanisms. This means, for example, that patients who struggle with family problems should take part in family therapy or that those who are working through issues of childhood trauma or abuse must address it in intensive therapy. Because people often medicate difficulties or discomfort with drugs and alcohol and because these issues can arise during recovery and trigger relapse, it’s important that they get the attention they need during drug rehab.

Would you like to learn more about what you should expect from an effective drug rehab program? Contact us at Orchid Recovery Center today and get the information you need about our woman-focused drug rehabilitation programs here in Florida.