Friday, January 24, 2014

Chris Brown- Possible Warning Signs of Substance Abuse?

Chris Brown is an American singer, dancer and actor and he is well-known for having dated the R & B singer Rihanna.  Brown’s self-entitled album Chris Brown was released in November 2005 and debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 in its first week and the album sold over two million copies in the United States and it was certified two times platinum.

Brown has since released other albums and enjoyed solo success, as well as hits with other artists such as Jordin Sparks, Bow Wow, Lil Mama and T-Pain.  Because of his smooth dance moves, the singer has been compared to fellow artists Michael Jackson and Usher.

On February 28th 2009, Chris Brown and his then girlfriend Rihanna had an argument which involved physical violence. Rihanna was left with multiple facial injuries and required hospitalization over the incident.  Brown turned himself into the LAPD and was booked for assault and suspicion of making criminal threats.  Because of the incident, Brown was arrested and took a plea deal of community service, 5-years’ probation and ordered to attend domestic violence counseling.

In June 2010, Chris Brown was refused entrance to the UK upon the grounds of him “being guilty of a serious criminal offense,” due to his assault of Rihanna.  In March 2011, after his performance of “Yeah 3x” and an interview with Robin Roberts on Good Morning America, the singer was questioned about a restraining order in relation to the Rihanna situation.  After the interview, Brown became violent in his dressing room and threw an object out of the window in the area over Times Square.

In July 2012, Brown’s community service was reviewed and he was ordered to see a judge.  While performing community service in August 2012, he tested positive for cannabis and was sent back to court.  Following more court appearances, Brown has been in trouble for various violations and continues to experience issues even now.

In September 2012, he received public criticism for a new neck tattoo which appeared to show the face of a battered woman, which prompted speculation the figure was of Rihanna.  At the time, his publicist stated the tattoo was not of a battered woman and was a design taken from a Day of the Dead skull.
In November of 2013, Chris Brown was allegedly in a rehab program but was booted out early and he’s been ordered to attend more anger management treatment.  At the time Brown was in rehab, his mother Joyce Hawkins showed up for a session of family counseling and during this time, she urged her son to stay in the program for extended care.  Brown did not agree with his mother and became violent and threw rocks at her car. Shortly after the incident, he was kicked out of the program.

According to reports from TMZ, sources close to the 24-year old say him mother believes his friends are to blame for his marijuana problem. She was reportedly upset with Brown for always being high from marijuana every time she was around.  Although his mother has not come out and publicly spoken about her son’s issues, there is friction between the pair and the relationship is under constant strain.

As we look to various examples of Chris Brown’s erratic behavior, we must question exactly what he is doing to himself.  He has random outbursts of anger and a volatile temper and seems to fly off the handle when others confront him about his actions and behaviors and these things could serve as a warning sign of an undiagnosed substance abuse disorder.  

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