[Harp-L] re: addiction

["Jim Alciere" <jim.alciere@xxxxxxxxx>]

Sergei asked: "I suppose the proportion is not greater than among the rest
of the population?"

I looked it up because I was curious. Bar waitress and restaurant staff seem
to have the highest rate of substance abuse. I did find a study that showed
pop stars have a decreased life span.


Per the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health:

Our results show that at between 2 and 25 years of fame,
both North American and European pop stars tend to
experience two to three times the risk of mortality expected
in an average population matched by age, sex and, in North
America, ethnicity

Consistent with other studies of pop stars, a disproportionate
amount of their mortality appears to be related to alcohol and
drug use
The article states that car accidents, lack of insurance, substance abuse,
and mental illness all take their toll. Whether you can extrapolate that to
all musicians...who knows? In any case being a professional musician can be
a tough life.

Rainbow Jimmy
http://www.spaceanimals.com
http://www.myspace.com/theelectricstarlightspaceanimals