Pete Davidson is a popular comedian who has had his own comedy specials on Netflix. He’s also a cast member of Saturday Night Live (SNL), a show whose cast is known for struggling with drug addiction as a whole throughout the years. Back in the early days of Saturday Night Live, pretty much everyone who worked on the show had a problem with cocaine. Doing drugs was pretty much used as a bonding activity back then, and while the problem has decreased over the years, it’s still ever-present on SNL and in the entertainment industry as a whole.
Not a stranger to struggle, with Pete Davidson drugs and addiction are commonplace. He’s struggled with both drug addiction and mental health throughout the past few years of his life and hasn’t been ashamed to make that information public. By talking about his struggles in the public eye, he has likely helped many people struggling with similar situations get the help they need. Let’s take a deep dive into the life of Pete Davidson and how his story took shape. Not only that, but let’s look at how his story can help others and what you should do if you’re struggling with addiction and mental health issues on your own.
The Manifestation of a Mental Health Problem
For many, mental health issues can be hard to identify. Unless you’ve met with a medical professional such as a psychologist to be diagnosed, you may not be certain that you’re struggling with anything at all. For some, mental health issues manifest when things in life start to go wrong. For example, in 2018, Pete Davidson and Ariana Grande called off their engagement and split up. This may have caused Davidson’s depression, anxiety, and other mental health problems to flare up, making him realize that he needed to seek help.
For others, it could be a traumatic event, breakup, job loss, or other hard time that makes their mental health disorder manifest. During times of struggle, depression, anxiety, PTSD, bipolar disorder, and more, may seem even more difficult to bear without proper treatment.
Mental Health and Addiction
Mental health and addiction have been linked together on multiple occasions, as having a mental health disorder is one of the risk factors for developing an addiction. When someone has a mental health disorder (whether diagnosed or undiagnosed), they may have trouble coping in a healthy way. This may be because they haven’t learned the skills or are used to coping unhealthily. Some turn to drugs or alcohol as a way to cope with their struggles instead of seeking proper treatment. This can quickly and easily turn into an addiction that only causes more problems in the long run
Many treatment facilities treat mental health before treating addiction, as it’s often the root cause. Getting to the bottom of the cause of addiction can help make recovering from addiction much easier, as patients will learn healthy coping mechanisms, trigger avoidance, and so much more.
Pete Davidson Drugs & A Trip to Rehab
Pete Davidson has been incredibly open about his multiple trips to rehab over the past few years. It’s not something that he likes to keep private, likely because he knows that discussing his issues on a large scale could potentially help people struggling with something similar. He once stated:
“I have to get my meds re-adjusted all the time. I have in between bipolar and borderline and PTSD and sh*t from my childhood, so I have to go and get re-adjusted every once in a while. I don’t think going to rehab is that big of a deal. I think it’s like a really strong, powerful thing.”
His openness about rehab helps to diminish the stigma that surrounds it. Many addicts choose not to go to rehab because they believe people will judge them or call them crazy for struggling with addiction and mental health issues. By continuing to talk about rehab like it’s a normal thing that some people have to endure helps make it easier for other people to attend without having this anxiety. Pete Davidson and other celebrities help to make this possible, but every day, non-celebrities should continue to talk about rehab in this way as well.
Rehab Isn’t Just for Addiction
It’s a common misunderstanding that rehab is only for addiction, but it’s used to treat other issues as well. For example, if you’re struggling with your mental health and can’t get it under control on your own, there are dedicated mental health facilities available to help. Not only that, but most rehabilitation facilities specifically for addiction also treat mental health disorders. If you are admitted with both mental health and addiction issues, like Pete Davidson, their number one goal will be to help you recover from addiction while treating the underlying issues. This often includes medication, therapy, and more.
However, while rehab is helpful for both addiction and mental health, it’s important that you continue to receive treatment for both on an ongoing basis after checking out of rehab. Ongoing treatment can help to keep your mental health in check while reducing the risk of relapse. Those who continue treatment on their own are bound to have more successful, reducing the risk of returning to rehab in the future. On top of that, a regular therapist and psychologist can help to maintain your medications and listen when you’re struggling or feel like you might relapse.
How Pete Davidson’s Story Can Help Other Recovering Addicts
By listening to stories like Pete Davidson’s, people who struggle with mental health and addiction may feel more inspired to get the help they need. If you or someone you love is ready to attend rehab, give us a call today. We offer both partial hospitalization programs and outpatient treatment programs and can help you decide which program is right for you. We’re ready and eager to answer any questions you may have and get you on the road to recovery. It’s not easy, but you can do it.
