Kiefer Sutherland: A classic case of full-blown alcoholism (with symptoms of addiction)

November 3, 11:00 AMWest Palm Beach Health and Happiness ExaminerTracy Allerton

Previous Next

1 comment Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the West Palm Beach Health and Happiness Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

  Kiefer Sutherland conquers the bad guys as Jack Bauer
  on 24. But sadly, he can't seem to conquer his alcohol
  addiction.                                                            Fox photo

So, the latest gossip about actor Kiefer Sutherland's wild, wild partying involves his six-hour bender at  a California bar, where he spent $700 on drinks.  If this isn't a case of alcoholism run amok, I don't know what is!

TMZ reports that, after wrapping up a location shoot,  the 24 star dropped in to the San Pedro, Calif., bar at about 7 a.m., and proceeded to pound down scotch and Cokes till 1 p.m., all the while buying drinks for about 30 people in the place.  He then paid the $500 bar tab (plus a generous $200 tip) and left in a car with a designated driver.

Sutherland, the son of renowned actor Donald Sutherland, has had a successful career in his own right, with big-screen hits such as Young Guns, A Few Good Men, and The Sentinel, as well as his long-running Fox TV series 24.  But his private life has been far rockier, including two marriages and serval high-profile breakups.  His battle with alcohol and substance abuse is well documented by now.  It includes two DUI incidences (one in 2004, one in 2007), as well as a 48-day jail stint for the second arrest, plus a notorious head-butting incident against designer Jack McCollough earlier this year.

Clearly, Sutherland is still in the thrall of his addiction -- for involving others in your substance abuse (by, say, paying for their drinks for six hours!) is a classic symptom of the disease of addiction.

Here are the main symptoms of addiction -- or things to look out for in yourself or in a loved one.

• Tolerance: The addict needs more and more of the substance or behavior to get the desired effect.
• Behavioral changes: The addict may become angry, violent, loud, morose, depressed, or any number of irrational behaviors that are unlike what he or she is like normally. (Think Dr. Jeckyl and Mr. Hyde.)
• Progression: The addict finds it difficult to cut down or control the addictive behaviors; the abuse, behaviors and consequences get increasingly worse.
• Denial: The addict does not or cannot see that there is a problem. Subsequently, he or she will minimize harmful behaviors, manipulate situations to his or her advantage, and deflect blame onto others.
• Preoccupation: The addict bases all activities (social, occupational or recreational) around the addiction, jeopardizing jobs and relationships. 
• Withdrawal: Without the substance in his or her body, the addict begins to experience unpleasant symptoms (mental, physical or both). At this point, the person needs the substance so much that he or she cannot quit without getting help.

But remember -- you can never get an addict to stop until he or she is ready.  However, there are plenty of resources out there to help you stay healthy and protect yourself from a loved one's addictive behaviors.  

Bottom line: If you suspect a problem, check for these signs, educate yourself, and then seek help.