Hello, all.
This time, we’re turning the spotlight on a peer who has spent more than forty years in the public eye. His decades of fame included at least sixteen years of struggling with drug and alcohol addiction, as well as the eating disorder bulimia. He finally overcame his pride to ask for help, and in 1991 took the first steps to living a drug-free life. With his distinguished musical career, it’s highly likely he has created at least one song that you’ll like: Sir Elton John.
Born in Great Britain on March 25, 1947 with the name Reginald Kenneth Dwight, Elton John proved to be musically gifted at a young age. He began playing the piano at age 4, and received a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music at age 11. His professional career in music began shortly before he was going to graduate, and has since included five Grammy Awards between 1986-2000, the Grammy Legend Award in 2001, and the Kennedy Center Honor in 2004. It’s clear to see that music has always been his greatest strength.
Life as a public figure, the stresses of performance and his access to great wealth led John to his problems with alcohol and drug abuse. He also developed bulimia, an eating disorder in which the peer binges (eats in excess), and then purges (gets rid of the eaten food quickly by over-exercising, inducing vomiting, or ingesting laxatives). At what Elton John describes as “the height of his unhappiness,” he was approaching the unhealthy weight of 300 pounds and appeared to have aged severely before his time. He was prone to emotional extremes, sometimes throwing tantrums like a young child.
After sixteen years of living under the influence of drugs and alcohol, Elton John finally said the three most important words of his life: “I need help.” It wasn’t until a close friend went into a rehabilitation clinic that John realized his condition was out of his control. He went into a hospital in Chicago, and his path to recovery has helped him establish positive things in his life.
Since beginning his journey to recovery, Elton John has learned how to live a healthier life, and encourage others to do so. He can now have a healthy, monogamous relationship. He no longer engages in the risky behaviors that can lead to HIV and other diseases. He has also created the Elton John AIDS Foundation, and has been pivotal in raising funds for other worthy causes, including breast cancer.
And, of course, he is still creating wold-renowned music!
Thanks for reading, and as always, if you have something to post on the Central MA Recovery Learning Community blog, send it along to cmrlcblog@gmail.com.
Author: Deanna “Berry” Cassidy
Central Mass RLC
This time, we’re turning the spotlight on a peer who has spent more than forty years in the public eye. His decades of fame included at least sixteen years of struggling with drug and alcohol addiction, as well as the eating disorder bulimia. He finally overcame his pride to ask for help, and in 1991 took the first steps to living a drug-free life. With his distinguished musical career, it’s highly likely he has created at least one song that you’ll like: Sir Elton John.
Born in Great Britain on March 25, 1947 with the name Reginald Kenneth Dwight, Elton John proved to be musically gifted at a young age. He began playing the piano at age 4, and received a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music at age 11. His professional career in music began shortly before he was going to graduate, and has since included five Grammy Awards between 1986-2000, the Grammy Legend Award in 2001, and the Kennedy Center Honor in 2004. It’s clear to see that music has always been his greatest strength.
Life as a public figure, the stresses of performance and his access to great wealth led John to his problems with alcohol and drug abuse. He also developed bulimia, an eating disorder in which the peer binges (eats in excess), and then purges (gets rid of the eaten food quickly by over-exercising, inducing vomiting, or ingesting laxatives). At what Elton John describes as “the height of his unhappiness,” he was approaching the unhealthy weight of 300 pounds and appeared to have aged severely before his time. He was prone to emotional extremes, sometimes throwing tantrums like a young child.
After sixteen years of living under the influence of drugs and alcohol, Elton John finally said the three most important words of his life: “I need help.” It wasn’t until a close friend went into a rehabilitation clinic that John realized his condition was out of his control. He went into a hospital in Chicago, and his path to recovery has helped him establish positive things in his life.
Since beginning his journey to recovery, Elton John has learned how to live a healthier life, and encourage others to do so. He can now have a healthy, monogamous relationship. He no longer engages in the risky behaviors that can lead to HIV and other diseases. He has also created the Elton John AIDS Foundation, and has been pivotal in raising funds for other worthy causes, including breast cancer.
And, of course, he is still creating wold-renowned music!
Thanks for reading, and as always, if you have something to post on the Central MA Recovery Learning Community blog, send it along to cmrlcblog@gmail.com.
Author: Deanna “Berry” Cassidy
Central Mass RLC
Sources
“Biography for Elton John.” IMDB.com. Web. 11 May 2011
“Elton John - A Biography.” EltonJohn.com. Web. 11 May 2011
Elton John. Interview by Larry King. Larry King Live. CNN. 25 January 2002. Transcripts.CNN.com. Web. 11 May 2011
“Sir Elton John Biography.” Biography.com. Web. 11 May 2011
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