Recovery Amid Wealth And Opportunity

It’s not uncommon to hear of a celebrity going to rehab, or finding out a successful CEO has struggled with alcohol use. Sometimes these figures drop off the map, resurfacing once they’ve ‘cleaned up,’ only to make the news again a few months later for the same issues.

But aren’t they rich? They could buy the whole rehab—what’s stopping them from just getting better?

News stories and celebrity gossip often center around that idea, pointing out the unique opportunities the top 10% and 1% have to pursue recovery from addiction and mental health concerns. Why don’t they, when it seems so easy? 

Another question is this: if they do, can they clear the pitfalls of a life that often requires perfection, secrets, and exceeding even the most unattainable expectations?

Life in The Top 10%

Who’s the richest person you know? How does their lifestyle compare to yours?

Then, for most of us, triple or quadruple that level of excess and wealth. That’s the top 10%: actors, singers, royalty, oil tycoons, owners of high-end tech companies, and CEO’s of multi-billion dollar enterprises. They easily afford multiple homes, luxury cars, and don’t flinch at an ivy-league education for their kids. They vacation on tropical islands or massive mountain mansions. They have staff to do what we could consider daily tasks: shopping, paying bills, making meals. 

People in the lower 30%, or even 70%, meanwhile, carefully calculate each shopping trip, each vacation, and each bill to make sure they can cover their basic costs: food, rent, utilities, and other essentials. It’s all too common for a health issue or property damage to send individuals and families into a financially dark place. 

How much easier and better life would be with no financial worries!

The Corroded Side of The Coin

Life in the top 10% looks shiny on one side. On the other, though, it’s often a much different visage. With their positions and prestige the top 10% typically face intense pressure to perform, maintain an image of success, and meet expectations set by the public, their industry, and themselves. 

It’s true we all face pressures, stress, and expectations, regardless of our income or socioeconomic status. However, many of us would agree it sounds daunting to lead a global company with a worldwide impact and reputation to maintain. The stakes change. To maintain their image of success, some of the top 10% may use substances like alcohol, cocaine, or heroin to cope and reach past their normal human capabilities.

This can spiral into addiction—they may even feel destined to struggle with substances like so many of their coworkers and friends. It could seem like a normal part of life, but that’s fortunately not the case. 

Unattainable Expectations And Using Substances to Cope

The nature of someone’s profession can impose high-stakes expectations. An actor, for example, may be expected to win an Oscar by a certain point in their career. To do this they need to get cast in the right films and do everything they can to improve their acting skills, which may involve long hours of training and filming. 

They may not feel capable of meeting their expectations on their own, using substances like cocaine to feel more alert and work longer. This can be just as true for a CEO or a politician with images to maintain and benchmarks to hit. What begins as a seemingly foolproof way to boost performance and retain their success can quickly bloom into dependence, then addiction.

How Wealth And Prestige Can Protect Against Common Consequences

The rock bottom myth purports hitting your rock bottom as the ultimate motivation for treatment. (This is often true, though not at all required.) For many in the top 10%, their wealth and prestige serve as a cushion against rock bottom. This can lead them to believe their substance use has no consequences and causes no harm.

This belief is easy to understand—if you have the cash to make issues go away or cover them up (even from people close to you), they probably won’t seem like a big deal. Excess money also allows you to buy almost whatever you want, whenever you want it, whether that’s a new car or dozens of prescription pain pills a day. The top 10% can fund their addiction without financial consequences, at least in the beginning.

No financial consequences likely means they won’t experience homelessness or resort to criminal behaviors to get extra cash. This protects them from legal troubles and sullying their reputation.