Being a celebrity often means living under constant scrutiny, with the whole world eager to pry into every aspect of your life. This is particularly true in the case of the “Princess of Pop”, Britney Spears, who found herself embroiled in a new controversy, as a tabloid piece published by the Daily Mail accused her of being a drug addict.

In the defamatory news article, Kevin Federline, Spears’ ex-husband who holds full custody of their kids, came out with shocking news that Britney is addicted to Class-A drugs, particularly crystal meth, and that the whole family is concerned about her safety. “I’ve been praying someone would make it public and that she wakes up,” he allegedly pleaded to the Daily Mail. Britney’s father, Jamie Spears, who also allegedly commented on the article, drew comparison to the tragic circumstances surrounding Amy Winehouse.

However, the scoop was already heavily contested as being fabricated and “repulsive,” as Federline denied saying any of it. “The lies and attempts to exploit minors as clickbait is another repulsive example of where, unfortunately, certain journalism is today,” Federline explained on his Instagram story. Spears’ attorney promptly contacted the publication, highlighting the defamatory nature of the article and demanding appropriate action be taken.

In a news piece published over the weekend, the “Princess of Pop”, Britney Spears was slandered with accusations of being a drug addict

Image credits: britneyspears

She responded with a heartfelt response on her Instagram, calling out the media for always trying to get her

Image credits: britneyspears

Over the years, Spears’ rocky relationship with her sons, Preston and Kevin, has been extensively documented

Image credits: britneyspears

Similar to Britney’s controversial conservatorship by her father, Jamie Spears, which was brought to an end last year after a celebrated court ruling

Image credits: bryanjamesspears

According to the article, Spears’ ex-husband, Kevin Federline, along with one of their boys came out with the shocking news, aiming to disclose it “before it’s too late”

Image credits: britneyspears

Image credits: britneyspears

Image credits: britneyspears

However, Federline already denied saying any of it, slamming the piece for its defamatory nature

Image credits: wikimedia.commons

Last year, Spears surprised her fans with news of tying the knot with Iranian-American model Sam Asghari

Image credits: samasghari

Coincidentally, this weekend also marked the one-year anniversary of Spears’ and Asghari’s life together as a married couple

Image credits: britneyspears

Image credits: britneyspears

Image credits: britneyspears

Image credits: britneyspears

For those of you who’ve seen what addiction can do to people first-hand, reading these accusations surrounding Britney might be horrifying. Particularly, when so many incredibly talented but unfortunately dependent artists were robbed from us, including Jimi Hendrix, Whitney Houston, Amy Winehouse and countless others.

While cases of overdose in the US slightly declined (by 2%) since last year, it still proves to be one of the most distressful problems of today. Reportedly, there are over 100,000 new heroin users each year. As for methamphetamines, especially crystal meth, overdose cases have tripled since 2015. As a New York Times op-ed claiming that “America has lost the war on drugs,” wrote: “Drug use is soaring. More Americans are dying of overdoses than at any point in modern history.”

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“When I was a medical student, if they taught us anything about addiction, it must be ‘taking too many drugs’ – but that’s not true,” Markus Heilig, one of the most highly cited addiction researchers of his generation and Professor of Neuro Psychiatry at Linköping University, Sweden, told Bored Panda via a Zoom call. “If you’re in an environment where there’s nothing else to do, where the norm is to take drugs – everybody will be taking drugs, whether they’re addicted or not.”

Britney’s father, Jamie Spears, drew parallels between his daughter’s circumstances and the tragic fate of Amy Winehouse

Image credits: wikimedia.commons

Markus is no stranger to seeing the consequences of drug addiction first-hand. When he and his parents immigrated to Sweden when he was 10, he soon realized he lived on the wrong side of the tracks. “Drugs and alcohol were very prevalent. I lost a couple of my friends, at least a few people in our circle. One guy from an overdose, another met his end driving his motorcycle under the influence. This is one of the reasons why I do what I do,” Heilig explained.

One of the things that Heilig is particularly focused on is smashing the stigmatization of addiction. “We had a very strong conviction among those of us doing neuroscience, that if we can educate the public and policymakers to understand that addiction is a brain disease, then perhaps we can help counter stigma and it can help develop effective treatments.” In 2021, Dr. Heilig and his peers published a research paper titled ‘Addiction as a brain disease revised: why it still matters, and the need for consilience’ which concludes with a hopeful note: “those who suffer from addiction will benefit most from the application of the full armamentarium of scientific perspectives.”

“I asked my physician colleagues once: ‘Why do you look down on people with addiction? Why don’t you want them in the hospital?’,” said Heilig. “And they said, ‘Well, these are just people who brought the misery upon themselves. So I looked at him and said, ‘What about the guy who plays soccer [in a senior league]? Or the guy who comes into the ER who drove his motorcycle too fast? Why don’t you ever say that these people brought it upon themselves?'”

Dr. Heilig emphasizes that addiction inflicts significant damage on the brain, leaving behind enduring scars. Individuals grappling with addictive disorders often experience a multitude of psychiatric issues as a result. The consumption of substances such as amphetamine, cocaine, and alcohol can precipitate the development of conditions including depression, anxiety, sleep disturbances, and psychosis.

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The National Institute of Health Sciences, for instance, estimates that approximately one-third of individuals diagnosed with major depression concurrently struggle with alcohol-related problems, and conversely, a similar proportion of individuals with alcohol problems also contend with major depression.

“Cannabis is a great example of how people induce psychosis,”  According to Dr. Heilig and recent scientific findings, upwards of 40% of people who use marijuana more often than not develop chronic psychosis. “It’s a terribly debilitating illness. And yet, no one talks about that.”

Fans came out in support of Britney and thought it’s a cruel thing to do after all she’s been through

However, some people think that the accusations can’t be entirely made up

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