Actor, Addict Philip Seymour Hoffman Dead at Forty-Six

The body of respected American actor and Academy Award-winner Philip Seymour Hoffman was found amidst drug paraphernalia in his New York City apartment yesterday, leading police authorities to conclude the death was by heroin overdose. He leaves a partner and their three young children. At the height of his fame, Hoffman was interviewed by Steve Krofft of 60 Minutes, who questioned him about entering rehab at the age of twenty-two. “I was young; I drank too much; you know, so I stopped,” said Hoffman, who also admitted to multiple drug use. “I liked it all.” “You know what I mean, it’s not really complicated,” he added. “I had no interest in drinking in moderation. And I still don’t. Just because all that time’s passed doesn’t mean ‘maybe it was just a phase.’ That’s who I am.” But even that self-awareness did not prevent a relapse. Hoffman evidently started abusing prescription pills more than a year ago, then escalated to snorting heroin. He claimed his relapse only lasted one week before he checked into a clinic and out again after a ten-day rehabilitation stint in May of 2013. It is not known when he resumed using. As with Mr. Hoffman, if someone has a period of abstinence, the receptors in his or her brain and the chemical mechanisms that process drugs become more sensitive to lower levels of drugs, and the reaction to opiates becomes more pronounced. Unfortunately, for addicts who have experienced some time in recovery, this adaptation increases their chances of overdose. Studies find that those who spend longer amounts of time in rehabilitation programs achieve better rates of long-term recovery. At Las Vegas Recovery Center (LVRC), inpatient clients typically spend thirty to ninety days in their residential treatment program—followed by an outpatient program to support the recovery process. Recovery is not “one and done,” says Mel Pohl, MD, FASAM, LVRC’s Medical Director. “It is a lifelong journey that takes place one day, one step at a time.” Las Vegas Recovery Center offers evidence-based inpatient and outpatient programs dedicated to reducing the suffering for addicts like Hoffman and their families. ###