By Lucy Caulkett-
Russell Brand admitted on national television that he is still a recovering drug addict.
His admission was open to the interpretation that he occasionally still dabbles in drugs, since Brand did not emphasise that he has not touched hard drugs ever since he gave it up.
On the face of his comments, Brand appeared to be saying that he had not fully recovered from the negative mental effects of drugs. He could also have meant, however, that he is yet to have completely beaten the habit.
The recently married comedian, who has been out of the limelight for a while, told the Jonathan Ross show that he was a ”narcissist” as he went out of his way to try and be funny. The 41 year old Essex born comedian appears to be re-launching his career, after first appearing on an interview with Sky News.
The comedian has written another book about his highly-publicised recovery from substance abuse and admitted having a mad mind. His behaviour during the interview could also be considered as suspect, in which he ranted about all sorts of topics making him appear uneasy. A highlight of the interview was when Brand expressed a new found belief in space, heaven and hell and demons, without quite elaborating on the reasons for his new belief systems and outlook on life.
Speaking on the Jonathan Ross show, Brand said: “The drug problem, I’m still recovering from it, aren’t I?
“It’s still echoing around in my mad mind. Then there’s the old [whistles] problem, the craving, the lust,” he said, referring to his struggle with sex addiction.
He added: “I have used my life as a sort of greedy experiment, gorging myself on all manner of phenomena”
“There were some brilliant bits, of course there were, some of the bits were really, really brilliant.
NARCISSISTIC
“But mostly, what I discovered, nothing has made me feel as good as the kind of connection that I find with people.
“I can be a bit of a self-centred show-off and narcissistic, but when I feel connected to people, when I listen to other
people… when I’m of service to other people, I feel a different type of connection that has more value.”
Brand, who recently got married to wife Laura and became a father to daughter Mabel, said: “I like it better. We’ve all got the same name -referring to his surname) me, my wife and my baby. It’s good. We have a tribal identity. I’m really, really enjoying it.”
Despite his age, Brand is still considered by many to be good looking. He has a soft endearing voice that still reveals the madness he claims is the remnants of his once destabilizing drug habit. Brand has always been an intelligent man. Perhaps he needs to find a more serious side through which humour naturally flows, rather than forcing it and admitting contriving an atmosphere for comedy. It makes a laughing stock of his audience if they laugh at every silly thing a comedian says just because of their identity and reputation. That in itself surely defeats the object of comedy and humour. Brand has a social status that is capable of influencing millions of people, but the public need to see the more serious side of Brand addressing real issues like the drug pandemic wrecking the lives of people,young and old across the globe.
Describing his mind as ”mad” only serves to undermine Jonathan Ross’s choice of inviting him to his show because intelligent members of the public don’t want to listen to a mad mind, in an age where we need more sound minds making a positive impact on our society. Brand needs to take the drugs problem more seriously by tackling the many issues that lead people into drug use, and recommending ways to defeat it. With his riches, Brand is capable of establishing a drugs unit where addicts are rehabilitated and also educated to give addicts an alternative to a better and more prosperous life. He has the funds to provide all the necessary incentives and mastermind a unique setting that sets a standard for other countries to follow.
Russell Brand himself is well educated, and could set up a school of rehabilitation where uneducated drug addicts are motivated to educate themselves and develop skills that open up a career path for them to follow and inspire others. Drug addiction is not a laughing matter and there is a lot more Russell Brand can do to help drug addicts.