Canadian officials confirmed Tuesday that the death of “Glee” star Cory Monteith was due to a tragic combination of alcohol and heroin. With this confirmation, Cory joins the many who we’ve lost in current years to overdose and mixing substances.
Step 1: We admitted we were powerless over alcohol—that our lives had become unmanageable.
Monteith: Powerless Over Addiction
Cory Monteith knew he was powerless over his addiction. His first realization of this came as a teenager. An intervention by his mother at 19 probably saved his life. When Cory went public about his recovery in 2011, he was confident he had beaten his addiction.
Recovery is a daily battle. Cory also knew this and was brave enough to admit he was still powerless over his disease in April of this year by checking into a rehab center.
After Rehab: Things Are Looking Up
Things seemed to be going well for Cory. He had admitted his problem had returned, and sought help at a recovery center. When he checked out in April, friends said that he looked healthier than he had in a while. And things with girlfriend and co-star Lea Michele were better than ever. Cory enjoyed her full support during his time in treatment and the months that followed. On his return from Toronto, the two planned on moving in with each other, taking that next step in their relationship.
It’s at these high moments in our life that we can too easily forget that we actually are powerless over this disease. It’s like any other time that you’re sick; you take your antibiotics, but once the symptoms disappear, it’s difficult to remember that you still need that medication to stay healthy.
Road to Recovery?
It appears that those closest to Cory believed that he was on the road to recovery. Maureen Webb, who dined with Cory two days before his death, said that she “hadn’t seen him look that good in a long time.”
Sadly, it seems that Cory was just putting on an act. A few days earlier, on July 6, Cory was seen kicking back a few beers with some of his friends in Vancouver. That night, he checked into the hotel room where he was found dead Saturday. What started with a few beers on July 6 ended with a late night of partying at one of his old Vancouver haunts, The Roxy. He was last seen alive entering his hotel room. Police collected evidence consistent with a drug overdose.
Addiction Affects Everyone
People may try to blame the scene and the pressures of being a star as the causes of Cory’s fatal relapse. But really, Cory isn’t different than any of us. We all face pressures that tempt us to the breaking point.
Addiction claims lives. And it doesn’t discriminate against the rich or poor, the famous or the everyman. It is that voice in the back of our heads telling us we can go out and try again. That voice is unrelenting; once more won’t hurt. You can control it.
While we have no power to control our addiction, we can learn to recognize and ignore the voice that tries to chip away at our sobriety. We can seek out our support, our families, our friends who care about the life and death battle we must face in our disease.
Or, we can listen to that voice. We can ignore those we care about and embrace the same friends who brought us down in the first place.
Was it a few beers with the wrong friends that brought Cory back down that destructive path? Whenever the voice returned, he forgot that he was powerless. He listened to that voice as it said, “Go ahead, have one more.”
One drink is too many, and a thousand is never enough.