RHAB 4075 Case Study on Ray Charles

ADDICTED: THE RAY CHARLES STORY 1

 

 

RAY CHARLES ESSAY 2

 

Addicted: The Ray Charles Story

Kiara Ward

RHAB 4075.002

Dr. Kerin Groves

22 November 2019

 

One of music’s unsurpassed legends, the late Ray Charles, struggled with heroin and marijuana addiction since the age of 16, which became a dependence that influenced his life more than losing his eyesight ever could. Formally known as Ray Charles Robinson, he immediately faced genuine difficulties throughout his entire life, starting with being born and raised as a little black boy in the segregated south of the 1930s, specifically Albany, Georgia. His first traumatic experience was witnessing the sudden drowning death of his younger brother, George Robinson and the next being the loss of his visual perception at the age of 7 as a result of glaucoma, and finally, the loss of his mother. He started applying his efficiency toward developing his other 4 senses through tasks that eventually gave him the ability to function as any other healthy human being. Some questioned his blindness as he grew because of how independent he was. His drive to be this way started with his mother, she once said to Robinson, “Promise me you’ll never let nobody turn you into no cripple, you won’t become no charity case, and you’ll stand on your own two feet” (Hackford & Benjamin, Baldwin, 2004). At ten years old, Robinson was sent off to the St. Augustine School for the Deaf and Blind, located in Florida, where he learned to read braille and further his education like his mother wanted him too. Sadly, his mother passed away when Robinson was 14 years old and was then raised by extended family. Comment by Ward, Kiara: Latent addictionThis para could summarize the movies. RHAB 4075 Case Study on Ray Charles

Charles began his musical journey beginning with learning how to play the piano at a nearby store where he lived and where he built his melodic abilities, leading to his musical genius just months before his eyesight began to deplete at the age of 5. He joined nearby groups as a young adult where he had his first encounter with drugs. It all started when he began performing in clubs and juke joints with a manager who would frequently use marijuana. This same club manager gave him marijuana one night to help calm his nerves the night of his very first performance, which became his first experience with a form of drug addiction. Marijuana then traversed to heroin once Robinson he joined another musical group for Lucky Millinder who had existing heroin addicts in his band. Robinson described him wanting to try the drug for the first time by “wanting a little taste” (Hackford et. al. 2004). He conjured up this feeling of wanting to try a new drug as a result of the loss of his mother and brother which continuously haunted him in addition to him having a difficult time fitting in with the other musicians. Robison felt as if his brother’s death was his fault because he did nothing to help his brother survive during the act of his drowning, but Robinson was unaware of what was actually going on at the time since he was fairly young at the time. This was often a scene that repeatedly replayed in Robinson’s head because it was one of the last few things he could actually see with his own eyes. His blindness is what played a key factor in why his new co-workers refrained from getting to know him and forming a personal relationship with him outside of work. They would often say to one another that they “didn’t want to babysit no blind man” (Hackford et. al., 2004). His loneliness and guilt played a major role as to why he became so dependent on heroin as quickly as he did because he would only remember the good things in his life while he was under the influence. This is formally known as a coping mechanism which is very common when forming an addiction (Kuhn, Swartzwelder, Wilson, p. 338, 2014).

In the Buzzed book written by 3 PhD authors who studied addiction, defines addiction as “the repetitive, compulsive use of a substance despite negative consequences to the user” (Kuhn, et. al., p. 327, 2014). Robinson met his first wife Della Beatrice Howards in 1954 and got married just a year later. Robinson was extremely in love with “Bea”, as he would call her, but he hid his heroin addiction from her until she found it while “getting his shaving kit” (Hackford et. al., 2004) which actually held all of his utensils for administering the drug. At the time, Bea was pregnant with their first child Ray Charles Robinson Junior. Despite Bea wanting him to quit his habit for their child, Ray Robinson continued to use the drug despite what the love-of-his-life wanted.

Ray Robison became what is commonly known today as a “functioning addict” which is someone who can function as a “normal” human being, despite having a substance dependency. His career took off shortly after signing to Atlantic Records which heightened his career fairly quickly, but he continued his heroin abuse which later became very noticeable. After leaving Atlantic Records for a better contract, he had his first public encounter with the police shortly after getting high off of heroin in an Indiana hotel. He was charged for the possession of his beloved heroin but luckily the case was dismissed due to the officers not having a proper search warrant to legally search and arrest Robinson, but this incident did not hinder his heroin or marijuana use at all. This may have been a result from Robinson continuing to progress as a musician. He practically seen no problem with his abuse because of this reason, but his wife Bea did. Robinson missed a majority of his children’s childhood due to his addiction and his musical career which often upset Bea who couldn’t understand someone who could love a drug more than his entire family (Hankfork et. al., 2004).

Robinson was arrested once again upon arrival into the United States after being on tour for quite a while. This time, he was finally determined kick his heroin addiction cold turkey after Bea threatened to leave him by checking himself into the St. Francis Rehabilitation Clinic in Lynwood, Ca for four days. During this time, he experienced typical opiate withdrawal symptoms such as chills, hard of breathing, extreme chills, sweating, and vomiting, coupled with hallucinations from his childhood At this time, Ray Robinson had suffered from addiction for almost two decades before deciding to quit his addiction which is a common cycle seen in opiate addicts (Kuhn, et. al., p. 227, 2014). His persistence throughout his stay at St. Francis granted him the opportunity to postpone his initial verdict of a five-year sentence in jail for four years on probation and a fine.

In the midst of his final days in his rehabilitation program, Robinson found peace with his childhood miseries after having a spiritual conversation with his mother and brother. They reassured him that Georges death was not his fault and that he did cripple himself by becoming so dependent on heroin to live through his traumatic childhood experiences. Since then, Ray Robinson vowed to never use the drug again and that’s exactly what he did.

Ultimately, Ray Robinson’s death resulted from liver failure and hepatitis C due to his long-sustained drug abuse. The liver is the organ responsible of breaking down substances that are ingested for nutrients and source of vitamins, so damaging the liver could be very harmless to one’s health and well-being. Drugs and alcohol play a factor in the failure of the liver properly functioning due to its chemical properties being deemed as toxic to the body since there are no nutritional elements included in neither substance. RHAB 4075 Case Study on Ray Charles

Ray Charles Robinson’s truth about his addiction closely resembles the principles of the psycho-dynamic model defined by the Australian Government Department of Health. This theory states that a person who had experienced traumatic things as a child, were more likely to use drugs as an unconscious coping mechanism as an adult. This can be supported by the constant reminders of George’s death he had experienced multiple times while doing simple tasks, like catching himself after falling down, especially when he was sober. He would also consistently see his mother during times when he felt down about the things currently going on in his life, but he would always think about the good things he endured during his childhood while being under the influence of heroin. He would reflect on the days he learned how to play the piano, how much fun George and he had, and other things that he could remember seeing for himself.

Another theory that could be linked to Ray Robinson’s addiction is the biology of desire theory presented by Dr. Marc Lewis. Its principles are based on the consideration that our neural pleasure circuits hold the sole responsibility of how and or why someone forms an addiction (2015). He explains that everyone who has a brain has the possibility to form an addiction whether its harmless or extremely harmful. Pleasure circuits can be described as a neurological brain circuits that triggers your brain to crave a particular substance that has previously given a person the feeling pleasure while physically doing something, such as eating a muffin or administering a substance to yourself. For this reason, Dr. Lewis’ new way of defining addiction emphasizes that the past models and theories were all based off of inefficient research due to the lack of understanding addiction and how the brain functioned, since it is the most complex organ in the body.

Overall, Ray Charles Robinson had an understandable reason behind his heroin and marijuana addictions due to the level of trauma caused by his childhood and how it affected him mentally, but he still used the drug despite negative consequences to his health and his loved ones. Although Robinson did not pass due to an overdose, his death resulted in the deterioration of vital organs as a result of his dependency. He once mentioned that he would have never abused drugs for as long as he did, had he known that it would take such a huge toll on his body (Williams, 2013). RHAB 4075 Case Study on Ray Charles

 

Works Cited

Australian Department of Health. (2004). Models that help us understand AOD use in society. Retrieved from: https://www1.health.gov.au/internet/publications/publishing.nsf/Content/drugtreat-pubs-front5-wk-toc~drugtreat-pubs-front5-wk-secb~drugtreat-pubs-front5-wk-secb-3~drugtreat-pubs-front5-wk-secb-3-4

Hackford, Taylore., Benjamin, S., Baldwin, H., Baldwin, K. (2004). Ray [Motion picture]. Retrieved from: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B0TfFG8nPOZ1bU92bVpwaldVMUU/preview

Kuhn, C., Swartzwelder, S., Wilson, W. (2014). Buzzed. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.

Paikin, S. (Producer, Director). (2015). Marc Lewis: The Biology of Desire [Motion picture]. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRTL88ZMPBA

 

1

RAY CHARLES ESSAY 1

RAY CHARLES ESSAY 2

RAY CHARLES ESSAY

By

[name of student]

 

Course

[name of instructor]

[name of institution]

Date

“You may have heard of my struggle with addiction for much of my life. If you haven’t, then I will tell you now. Since the late 1940s, when I was 16 years old, I became addicted to heroin. I also smoked recreational marijuana. It wasn’t just drugged either. I also struggled with alcohol abuse. This habit of doing drugs and drinking on a regular basis really took a toll on me, but, at the same time, gave me an edge. I really struggled with the effects it had on me but I still continued to produce hit after hit. After being arrested for possessing heroin in 1964, I was admitted into a California sanitarium where I went to rehab for a period of time. Upon leaving rehab, I was given a five-year suspended sentence. I decided I was going to quit for good. I had had enough. When I was 73 years old, I was diagnosed with liver disease and hepatitis C. This would ultimately be the cause of my death in 2004. During the time of my drug and alcohol abuse, I produced many chart-toppers and top ten hits. Because of my addictions I produced a few songs as a response to people’s criticism such as, “Let’s Go Get Stoned” and “I Don’t Need No Doctor.” These songs showed the people how I felt. I felt that I would live my life the way I wanted to live it. ” (Drug and Alcohol Addiction, 2019)

The latent addiction

One of music’s unsurpassed legends, the late Ray Charles, struggled heroin enslavement for a long time – a dependence that many accept influenced his life more than losing his visual perception ever could. Beam Charles, from his introduction to the world, confronted genuine difficulties – incorporating a youth set in neediness in the racially-charged south of the 1930s, to seeing the appalling suffocating passing of his young sibling, to losing his visual perception as a kid. He started putting his enthusiasm for specialized and mechanical things to work in music as a little youngster also, beginning with the piano at a nearby bistro and afterward more completely building up his melodic ability while going to the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind. At ten years old, Ray Charles lost his dad, and afterward, his mom passed away just five years after the fact. He was raised by companions of his folks in Florida and played with different nearby groups as a youthful grown-up. Referring to misery over the demise of his sibling and his folks, Charles started a heroin habit that would traverse a very long time during his high schooled years. Like other individuals with substance misuse narratives, Charles’ dependence on the extraordinarily strong medication heroin is said to have started with cannabis, known as a typical “portal” sedate. As a youngster performing on the piano in clubs, supervisors are said to have given him weed to help calm execution tensions. Marijuana then traversed to heroin enslavement as Charles became what is commonly considered today a “working junkie” – somebody who keeps up business while likewise suffering substance misuse dependency. In his mid-thirties, Charles denoted his third capture for having heroin, in spite of the fact that he had been utilizing the medication for over two decades. Going to a recovery office in Los Angeles kept the artist from investing energy in prison for the capture.

In 1966, Charles finished a year on parole for medicate infringement, proceeding to create diagram beating hits. His vocation additionally included filling in as a representative for a significant refreshment organization, worldwide social equality activities, solicitations to presidential introductions and acting exhibitions. As is regular with illicit drug habits among big names and non-big names, Ray Charles went to recovery focuses more than once however kept on doing combating his heroin use. Heroin is among the most dominant illicit drug habits, requiring medicinally managed help to start the detoxification procedure and medications at an expert private treatment focus. In the mid-1960s, Charles is said to have at last finished his enslavement with heroin, however, the unbelievable star is affirmed to have been connected with constant utilization of liquor. Depictions of his life, including the motion picture “Beam,” point to discouragement and battles like destitution and family disaster as antecedents to his long-term chronic drug use, which many states may have caused the star considerably more hardship than the loss of his sight. While it is very hard to end illicit drug use, now and again requiring a few endeavors to stop, recuperation can – and does – occur, as exhibited by Ray Charles’ story. A mix of expert recovery-based treatment and companion support are basic to progress, just like a craving to begin an existence without the subjugation of compulsion. RHAB 4075 Case Study on Ray Charles

Craving years and public attention

Charles initially attempted recreational medications when he played in McSon Trio and was anxious to attempt them as he suspected they helped performers make music and tap into their imagination. He later got dependent on heroin for a long time. He was first captured during the 1950s, when he and his bandmates were gotten behind the stage with free marijuana and medicate stuff, including a consumed spoon, syringe, and needle. The capture didn’t discourage Charles’ medication use, which just heightened as he turned out to be progressively effective and gotten more cash-flow. Charles was captured again on an opiate charge on November 14, 1961, while holding up in an Indiana lodging before an exhibition. The investigators held onto heroin, cannabis, and different things. Charles, at that point 31, said he had been a medication fiend since the age of 16. The case was rejected in view of the way in which the proof was acquired, yet Charles’ circumstance didn’t improve until a couple of years after the fact. In 1964, Charles was captured for ownership of cannabis and heroin. Following a deliberate remain at St. Francis Hospital in Lynwood, California, he got five years’ probation for his wrongdoing.

Charles had his very own rendition of his contribution with drugs, however throughout the years, he has would not talk about it. At the point when Playboy asked him, in 1970, how he began, he asked of the inquiry. Inquired as to whether he probably won’t be an impact to stop potential medication clients, he answered: “Horse crap. Everyone’s mindful that cigarettes most likely reason malignant growth, yet what number of individuals do you think would surrender them since Ray Charles quit smoking?” And, he proceeded, “I’m tired of discussing that part of my life. Jesus Christ couldn’t get me to express another word regarding the matter to anyone.” Downbeat, truth be told, more likely than not had the fallen angel on retainer; an article on Charles in the jazz production appeared as a sorry reminder to future questioners of Ray Charles, notice them not to get some information about opiates. Rather, they were exhorted, complement the positive! Expound on him realizing how to deliver his very own records! In his very own studios! For his very own name! How he plays chess and fixes radios and TVs! How he could even fly his very own plane on the off chance that he needed to! How he helps battle Sickle Cell Anemia! How he’s gotten all these Grammies and grants! Give the great occasions a chance to roll!

Personal life

His initial visiting days brought him into a low-class dance club, where he began ingesting medications. At age 31, he was captured in an Indiana lodging for ownership of heroin and marijuana just before a presentation. He told the police that he had been a medication fanatic since the age of 16. At age 34 he was captured for sedate belonging in Philadelphia and in Boston. The next year, Los Angeles police found him endeavoring to purchase drugs from a road seller. He was allowed a five-year suspended sentence for tranquilizing ownership and sent to St. Francis Hospital medicate recovery focus in Lynwood, California. He said that he never took heroin after that. Charles was hitched twice and fathered 12 kids with nine unique ladies. At age 20, he had his first youngster with his better half, Louise Mitchell. He wedded Eileen Williams when he was 21, yet the marriage went on for not exactly a year. He wedded Della Robinson when he was 25; they had three kids and separated following twelve years. He was living with a young lady companion, Norma Pinella, at the hour of his passing. RHAB 4075 Case Study on Ray Charles

Cardinal reasons for death

Your liver procedures the fuel that powers the cells of your body and cleans breakdown items from your circulatory system. In the event that your liver can never again play out these capacities, you pass on. Your liver is harmed by:

· Alcohol: Liquor is a toxic substance. Pour liquor on a cut and perceive the amount it harms. It hauls water out of your cells to execute them. Your liver is the main organ that has the catalysts to separate liquor, so practically the entirety of the liquor you drink must go to your liver to be expelled from your body. A lot of liquor replaces liver cells with scar tissue to cause cirrhosis that can execute you. Ongoing research shows that no measure of liquor is protected. It expands an individual’s hazard for respiratory failures, diabetes, malignant growths, and unexpected passing.

· Drugs: The liver separates a wide range of medications, both doctors prescribed prescriptions and recreational medications. Specialists screen liver capacity in patients taking numerous kinds of physician recommended drugs, however most addicts don’t know about liver issues brought about by their medication use until the harm is irreversible.

· Infections that include the liver: A wide range of infections go to the liver, remain there and frequently cause lasting harm, including the infections that reason hepatitis A, B, C, D, E, etc. They can be gotten from debased medication needles or through sexual contact. Having a wide range of sexual accomplices builds your odds of gaining infections that can harm your liver. RHAB 4075 Case Study on Ray Charles

 

References drmirkin.com. (2019, 11 6). Ray Charles, The Genius. Retrieved from drmirkin.com: https://www.drmirkin.com/histories-and-mysteries/ray-charles-the-genius.html Drug and Alcohol Addiction. (2019). Ray Charles: “Father of Soul”. Retrieved from sites.google.com: https://sites.google.com/site/hitoryofraycharles/drug-addiction FONG-TORRES, B. (2019). Ray Charles: The Rolling Stone Interview. Retrieved from rollingstone.com: https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/ray-charles-the-rolling-stone-interview-77314/