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With Whitney Houston’s daughter, Bobbi Kristina Brown, having been in a coma for the past two months after being found unconscious in the bath, close friend Chaka Khan has spoken out. The star has said that, although she is feeling hurt and disappointed, she is not entirely shocked at the turn of events. Chaka was a close friend of the late Whitney as well as Bobbi Kristina’s father Bobby Brown and her grandmother Cissy Houston.
Drug Discovery
Whitney’s public struggle with drug addiction was similar to Chaka’s own and, on hearing the news that drugs were found at Bobbi Kristina’s home, Chaka said that she feels ‘let down’. She says that she wishes Whitney was here for her daughter and knows she would have been devastated at seeing her daughter like this.
Addiction
Chaka had her fight with drug addiction and alcohol abuse, and her dad was a heroin user as well. Chaka once mixed sleeping pills with cocaine and almost died. She suffered from alcohol addiction until the early 2000s, after which she became sober, but after an injury, she became addicted to painkillers. However, she has been trying to stay clean since the middle of 2013 and said, “I call myself an ex-addict. For years, I was having fun, and it all made fun more fun for me. But life changes.”
Motivation
Chaka’s motivation to stay sober is her granddaughter Daija. She has tried to stay away from certain friends because of their problems and admits that it is necessary to hand pick situations in order to stay clean.
Chaka was given custody of her granddaughter in 2011 because of her son’s personal struggles and she says that she now has ‘another chance to do a better job at raising a child’.
Chaka is confident that Daija will not suffer the same addiction problems that she did because she has seen the worst of the illness at a young age. She says the youngster is totally anti-drugs.
Importance of Family for Addicts
Drug addiction is a terrible illness that consumes the person affected. It quickly becomes their whole world, and they find it difficult to get through each day without the drug they crave. As a person becomes more dependent on a particular drug, they will crave it more and will do anything to get it. They become more tolerant to the drug and, therefore, need more of it to get the same high.
Drugs can take over a person’s life and can destroy the relationships they have with loved ones. Nonetheless, in many cases, it is the love a person has for their family that will encourage them to seek help in the first place. Many addicts will agree to get help rather than lose the people they love the most. Children can often be a great motivator for those with drug addiction.
As well as encouraging a drug addict to get help, the love of family can often be the reason a person stays clean. Having the love and support of family members and the sense of not wanting to let them down can be enough to keep people on the straight and narrow.
Outside Help
Breaking free from addiction can be difficult but not impossible. No matter what type of addiction a person is suffering from, it can be overcome with the right support. Rehab Helper is a referral service offering free advice and support to those struggling with any addiction. We also provide free assessments and referrals to treatment providers in all parts of the UK. If you or a loved one is struggling with an addiction, call today for more information.
Source:
- http://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/chaka-khan-bobbi-kristina-brown-5430800
