The same internal tendencies that lead to the creation of a pseudo-self also drive many celebrities (and other narcissists) to addiction and abuse. Narcissists seek fame because they want recognition from others to shore up their sense of self. Even after achieving celebrity, however, the narcissist remains disconnected, unempathetic, self-preoccupied, and lacking in genuine self-worth.
Celebrity can’t alleviate their feelings of emptiness and pain. And so, narcissists often turn to addictive behaviors as a way to numb the self-loathing they experience when they’re not in the spotlight or performing for an admiring audience. This is the primary reason narcissism is so commonly linked with addiction.
Countless performers have attested to this dynamic. On the intimate interview program Inside the Actors Studio, a fresh-fromrehab Melanie Griffith explained to host James Lipton her vulnerability to addiction. “I feel things very strongly. And I think in my youth I used alcohol and cocaine in order to cover up the pain that I felt.” She went on to describe her pain as an “emptiness inside that you don’t know how to fill, really. I can fill a character great, but I don’t know how to fill myself, you know? And therein lies the rub.” Johnny Depp has admitted to drinking heavily early in his career to deal with his anxiety about public appearances: “I guess I was trying not to feel anything.” In a March 2001 interview, he characterized drug use as having “less to do with recreation and more to do with the fact that we need to escape from our brains. We need to escape from everyday life.”
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