Although Eddie Murphy said he was exposed to cocaine during a night out with comedians Robin Williams and John Belushi, he didn’t use.
Actor Eddie Murphy’s recent description of saying “no” to cocaine in the 1980s offers an example of faith, resilience and perhaps genetic advantage that overpowered the temptations drugs can pose in a fast-paced Hollywood life of early fame and drug-taking friends, addiction experts say.
“It is a very big thing because it’s difficult to turn down drugs where there’s a lot of pressures and people you idolize around,” Dr. David Campbell, clinical and program director at the Recover Together Bend immersive addiction treatment facility in Bend, Oregon, told The Epoch Times.
Mr. Campbell was reacting to the comedian’s appearance June 29 on The New York Times podcast “The Interview,” where he said he was exposed to cocaine on a night out with comedian Robin Williams and SNL castmate John Belushi, but resisted partaking.
“They started doing coke,” Mr. Murphy said on the podcast. “To not have the desire, the curiosity of it, I’d say that’s providence. God was looking over me in that moment, I didn’t make a left turn. Everything would have been different.” Mr. Murphy rose to national prominence after appearing in box-office hits, such as “Beverly Hills Cop” in 1984 and “The Golden Child” in 1986. He was also a mainstay on “Saturday Night Live” (SNL) until 1984 and is currently starring in a sequel called “Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F.”
“Over the years, I trip about that moment because I was really young, and it was so easy to try some coke,” Mr. Murphy said. “I wasn’t taking some moral stance. I just wasn’t interested in it.”
Mr. Murphy started on SNL in 1980, when was he was only 19 years old.
While Mr. Belushi died of a drug overdose in 1982, Mr. Williams recounted quitting drugs on his own after his first son was born in 1983. He subsequently died of suicide in 2014 at 63 years old.
“Most people who suffer from addiction proper have a certain genetic component and it’s in the family, or they have a certain upbringing that is conducive to addiction,” Mr. Campbell said. “Eddie lived in foster care and lost a parent before 10 years old but he may not have had the genetic component.”
Mr. Murphy also disclosed that he doesn’t drink and “smoked a joint for the first time at 30 years old.” He did not respond to requests for comment.
“A strong sense of purpose and alignment with one’s values can provide the resilience needed to resist peer pressure and make healthier choices,” Sandra Kushnir, founder & CEO of Meridian Counseling, told The Epoch Times.
Meridian Counseling services more than 7,000 clients each month across California and Utah.
Mr. Murphy also discussed the pitfalls of being celebrated at a young age. Fame, he said, is like living in a minefield, but that he was oblivious to it.
“When you’re trying to fit in, or you’re an actor, model, or singer trying to get to the top, you might have this idea that drugs might be the way to do it,” publicity expert Samer Saah told The Epoch Times. “I think Eddie avoided those minefields by really focusing on his craft.” Mr. Saah is a partner at FGI Public Relations in Los Angeles.
Mr. Murphy was raised in Brooklyn, graduated from Roosevelt Junior-Senior High School, and by 15 years of age was performing in Manhattan comedy clubs. He dropped out of community college after being cast in SNL.
“And now, at this age, I can look back and be like, ‘Wow, I came through a minefield [over] 35 years,’” he said. “How do you make it through a minefield for 35, 40 years? Something has to be looking over you.” Mr. Murphy repeatedly references God as saving him from drug addiction. He also credits Christian-based values and beliefs, according to a 2011 Rolling Stone magazine article.
Licensed Clinical Social Worker Brook Bardin said faith in God likely acted as a moral compass. Ms. Bardin is the director of clinical quality assurance at Victory Starts Now, a treatment program in Los Angeles.
“If there’s a connection to God or a connection to your church or your spirituality, that in and of itself can prevent alcoholism and addiction,” she told The Epoch Times. “Prayer is also really effective in managing any sort of mental health symptoms for people.”
