Nothing surprising about actor Robert Downey Jr.’s rearrest for alleged drug charges; or his being fired from Ally McBeal in response. The only surprising thing is that he got so far before going down in flames. This is not a celebrity phenomenon; literally millions in the US are in psychiatric and substance abuse facilities each day on similar, if not far more dramatic, paths of programmed self-destruction.

The actor’s legal troubles began in 1996 when he was stopped for speeding and authorities found cocaine, heroin and a pistol in his
vehicle.

A month later he was found unconscious in a neighbor’s home and hospitalized at a substance-abuse treatment center. Three days later,
he was arrested for leaving the recovery center.

In August 1999, Downey was sentenced to three years in prison for violating his probation by missing scheduled drug tests. He was
released a year later on $5,000 bail.

Last November, he was arrested at a Palm Springs hotel after police received a 911 call reporting someone in a hotel room with guns and
drugs.

He was charged with felony possession of cocaine and Valium and a misdemeanor count of being under the influence of a controlled
substance. No weapons were found. Nando Times

Where’s the prurient interest in their stories?