Amy Winehouse: Addiction Case Study

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Table of Contents

Biopsychosocial Perspective
The Role Class and Gender in Amy’s Story
Treatment Attempts
References

A member of the “27 Club,” Amy Winehouse is as famous for her exceptional musical talent as she is for her drug use. The meteoric nature of Amy’s rise to fame emphasizes what a brilliant genius she was. Hence, her tragic death due to alcohol poisoning in 2011 is even more heart-wrenching. Frank, the singer’s debut album, came out in 2003 when she was just 20 years old (Zakarin, 2020). In the aftermath of its success, Amy’s struggles with liquor and illegal substances spun out of control. Winehouse began to roam the clubs and pubs as she tried to cope with the sudden success and her growing discomfort on stage due to the anxiety she experienced performing in front of large audiences (Zakarin, 2020). After the split from a heroin-addicted Blake Fielder-Civil, Amy released her second album, Back to Black, which earned her five Grammy awards and turned her into a global superstar (Zakarin, 2020). In the years that followed, Winehouse had to deal with a short-lasting marriage to Blake, constant scrutiny from the media, and a perpetual battle with substance abuse.

Biopsychosocial Perspective

Addiction has a lasting effect on people’s physical well-being, mental health, as well as their ability to maintain healthy relationships with others, and Amy Winehouse is no exception. After the mega-success of Back to Black, pictures of the singer wandering the streets of London barely clothed and clearly out of her mind filled the tabloids, while the videos of her smoking crack and snorting cocaine on stage posted on YouTube got hundreds of thousands of views. Amy’s first manager, Nick Godwyn, revealed that she changed overnight after she started dating Blake and abusing hard drugs. He noted that “she just sounded completely different” and “her personality became more distant” (as cited in Zakarin, 2020, para. 5). Thus, the singer cut ties with a lot of her close friends and family members, which is often the case for those struggling with addiction.

It is important to note the impact drug and alcohol abuse had on Amy’s psyche, and vice versa. Lara Salahi (2011) from ABC News mentions that Winehouse “struggled from manic depression – a disorder characterized by extreme – and in some cases violent – mood swings” (para. 6). Amy shared in a number of interviews that drinking was symptomatic of her depression, which, in turn, occasionally led to self-injury (Salahi, 2011). The Director of the Addiction Institute of New York, Dr. Petros Levounis, argued that “people who struggle with other psych disorders like depression and anxiety also have an increased risk of the severe form of addiction” (as cited in Salahi, 2011, para. 30). As a result of her mental health deteriorating, Amy developed an eating disorder, which made her look noticeably thinner. Apart from losing a lot of weight, the musician told an interviewer in 2006 that she constantly got headaches and often felt physically ill (Zakarin, 2020). Therefore, it is apparent that Amy Winehouse’s battle with addiction has had a devastating impact on her mental and physical health, as well as the quality of her relationships.

The Role Class and Gender in Amy’s Story

A daughter of a taxi driver and a pharmacist, Amy’s childhood was just like everybody else’s in terms of finances. The singer did not have a lot growing up, which is why her introduction to fame and money has been so troublesome. Substance abuse is considered an add-on to the celebrity lifestyle, which is demonstrated by the sheer amount of famous actors, musicians, and other public figures who struggle with addiction. Moreover, drugs are constantly glamorized in the creative community, according to Salahi (2011). Thus, an up-and-coming star (who already has mental health problems like Amy) is extremely vulnerable to the environment this lifestyle creates.

Although unfortunate, the reality of gender-based norms and expectations remains a big part of modern society. When it comes to substance abuse, men and women are subject to different representations and perceptions. While men statistically abuse more drugs and do it more often than women, female addicts often fall victim to the public’s negative attitudes towards excessive drug use (Murphy, 2015). It is evident that the social tolerance for men abusing drugs is far greater than that for women. The comparison between the perceptions of Court Cobain and Amy Winehouse illustrates the flaws in modern society: while Cobain is portrayed as a tortured genius, Amy Winehouse continues to get ridiculed and judged even after her passing. The media often frames female stars struggling with addiction as embarrassing “trainwrecks” who are often mocked and deemed classless. Yet, there is a certain level of respect reserved for male celebrities going through the same thing.

Some argue that Amy Winehouse’s addiction to drugs and alcohol was the result of misogyny she had experienced throughout her life. Meghan Murphy (2015) first mentions Amy’s father neglecting his daughter as one of the main sources of trauma, which have contributed to the singer’s mental health issues. Trading fatherhood for womanizing, Amy’s dad did not enter her life until he saw it as a financial opportunity (Murphy, 2015). Amy’s on-again, off-again relationship with Blake Fielder-Civil is another example of men taking advantage of her fame, money, and talent. Not only did Blake introduce Amy to hard drugs, but he refused to help her get clean, sneaking heroin and crack to her while she was in rehab (Murphy, 2015). The singer’s relationships with her dad and husband serve as the representation of the abuse she had to face as a pop-star. Winehouse’s management did not give her enough time to recover once she expressed her wish to get professional help (Salahi, 2011). This shows how female artists in the entertainment industry are often treated as “checkbooks,” which is often worsened by the social pressure put on women to begin with.

As for the racial implications of Amy’s addiction, there are no insights into the effects her Jewish roots have had on her battle with addiction. Apart from her plans to go for drug rehabilitation in Israel, Amy’s attitude towards her Jewish origins has not been clearly defined (Pfeffer, 2013). Even her wish to get help in Israel seems like an attempt to escape the toxic environment she has been struggling with rather than an homage to her ethnic roots.

Treatment Attempts

Amy Winehouse has had several attempts to put an end to her drug addiction. She spent time at a rehabilitation facility in London with her then-husband, Blake Fielder-Civil. There, she responded brilliantly to treatment, according to her father (Amy Winehouse: Addiction treatments, 2011). After that, Amy got checked into the drug replacement program, which was a gradual step to recovery, even though the singer continued to drink. After completing a week-long treatment program at the Priory Clinic in London in June of 2011, Amy Winehouse (as an outpatient) started to get ready for her summer tour in Europe (Amy Winehouse: Addiction treatments, 2011). She died on July 23, which demonstrated that her treatment was semi-effective: while the singer reportedly quit drugs a few months prior, she continued to drink heavily. Amy’s attempts at getting better show how motivated she has been to turn her life around. Arguably, it would have been better for her to take a systematic approach to addiction treatment since she struggled with drug and alcohol abuse, as well as an eating disorder. Although it would probably take much longer, Amy would probably benefit a lot more from a program, which could combine therapy sessions (helping her deal with depression and manic episodes) with addiction treatment (alcoholism, drug abuse, and bulimia).