Pete Davidson: ‘Saturday Night Live’ Star and His Rocky Recovery

DISCLAIMER: Comedian and ‘Saturday Night Live’ star Pete Davidson has always been open about his struggles with mental illness and substance abuse. He has also been vocal about his love for marijuana and his support of medical cannabis. Here, we will try to provide some perspective on Davidson’s story, in an attempt to help other people who might be dealing with similar issues right now. Northpoint Seattle supports an abstinence-only approach to recovery from addiction. To say that Pete Davidson has had an interesting life is a major understatement. At only 24, he has already found professional success as a stand-up comedian and actor. In 2014, he joined the cast of Saturday Night Live, becoming in the process one of the youngest cast members in the show’s five-decade history. He enjoys a high-profile romantic life as well, having been in the news lately after his brief engagement to musical megastar Ariana Grande. And all this has happened while Davidson has had to deal with far more than most people twice his age—a painful medical condition, mental illness, substance abuse, and a traumatic personal connection to the most horrific day in American history. Here, we will take a closer look at how Pete Davidson’s personal struggles can be directly connected to his continued substance abuse. Perhaps by providing some context, we can offer hope and inspiration to other people who are currently fighting battles of their own.

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An Unimaginable Family Tragedy

“All jokes aside. There’s not a day that goes by where I don’t think of u. Ur my hero. Can’t wait to see u again someday.” ~ Pete Davidson on Twitter, remembering his father Everyone old enough to remember that day knows exactly where they were and what they were doing during the September 11 attacks. It’s also a moment in time that Pete Davidson can never forget. His father was a New York City firefighter who lost his life while responding. Scott Matthew Davidson was last seen running up the stairs of the World Trade Center just before it collapsed. Pete was only seven years old.

Responding to Trauma

“I tried to drown myself in the pool when I was in the fourth or fifth grade. I was trying to get my head stuck in the ladder in the deep end, so I would not be able to get up.” ~ Pete Davidson, discussing how his father’s death made him suicidal Davidson was profoundly affected by the death of his father.  By his own admission, he started to “act out” in class and even attempted suicide while he was still in elementary school.  Throughout his childhood and teenage years, Davidson was in and out of numerous mental health facilities, starting when he was just 9 years old. Davidson was an outcast in school and was constantly targeted by bullies. For example, he attended three different high schools and was bullied in each one. In an attempt to fit in, he would act out and try to be funny. His humor was not always well-received. The bullying is very significant because a 2012 study by Ohio State University researchers found that middle or high school students who are involved in bullying—as victim OR perpetrator—are much more likely to use intoxicants. For instance, among those middle school students who are not involved with bullying, just 1.6% use marijuana. But among victims of bullying, the usage rate jumps sharply, to 2.4%. And among those adolescents who are both victim AND bully, it spikes again, to 6.1%. This is almost four times the rate for non-involved students. In high school, marijuana use rates among students involved in bullying are far higher—13% of non-involved students, 17% of victims of bullying, 29% of victim/bullies, and 32% of perpetrators.

Adverse Childhood Events

“I learned what death was. And you’re not really supposed to learn about that until high school, when one of your friends falls asleep in the garage, or whatever…To learn how anything can just be taken away from you early gave me this sense of ‘F**k it. Whatever, dude.’” ~ Pete Davidson The National Child Traumatic Stress Network has previously estimated that approximately 1 out of every 4 American children will personally experience at least one Adverse Childhood Event before reaching adulthood. Inadequate or incomplete processing of that trauma is what leads many teens into regular use of alcohol and/or drugs. An ACE can be any experience that is physically and emotionally painful and that is also beyond that person’s control. Of special relevance, ACEs have a significant impact on whether they are personally experienced OR witnessed.

• Child abuse or neglect
• Domestic violence
• Natural disasters—floods, fires, earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, etc.
• Terrorism
• War
• Serious illness
• Injury
• Death of a loved one
• Major accidents
• Divorce
• Parental substance abuse
• Bullying
• Sexual abuse or assault

The number of ACEs matters a great deal because recent research indicates that for every ACE, the risk of initiating alcohol or drug use climbs by as much 400%. So, a child with 4 or more ACEs has a substance abuse risk that is over 1000% greater than a child with zero. Pete Davidson personally experienced at least four kinds of ACEs. And because of the frequent bullying, he undoubtedly had many more individual traumatic experiences.

Substance Abuse as an Unhealthy Coping Method

Unresolved trauma results in difficult-to-process emotions.  And because they don’t possess the proper healthy coping mechanisms,  a troubled teenager may then turn to drugs and alcohol to numb themselves to emotional pain or to escape uncomfortable emotions and memories. But coping with substances only makes the situation even worse, by further increasing the risk of future trauma.

The Connection between Trauma and Addiction

The link between trauma and addiction is suggested in several studies:

• Teenage victims of any kind of abuse or assault are at tripled risk for Substance Use Disorder.
• More than 70% of teenagers in rehab have a history of trauma.
• Nearly 60% of teens with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder develop SUD.
• Teenagers who abuse drugs or alcohol are at doubled risk of developing PTSD following trauma than their abstaining peers.
• In up to 66% of cases, the substance abuse preceded the traumatic experience.

A Painful Medical Condition

“I used to bribe him and say, ‘If you get up and try to make the day you can go to the city later and do stand-up.’ We had a deal! That’s how he made it through high school.” ~ Amy Davidson, Pete’s mother When he was in his late teens, Davidson was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, an inflammatory bowel disease that affects the lining of the digestive tract.  It is characterized by severe abdominal pain. Davidson has stated on numerous occasions that smoking marijuana is the “only thing” that helps him deal with the pain of his condition. But here’s the thing—as positive as Davidson’s personal anecdote is, that still does not mean that using marijuana is a good idea for the majority of patients with Crohn’s disease. Because despite all of the outlandish Internet-based claims purporting that cannabis use leads to “a complete remission” of Crohn’s, the real, science-determined truth is that it only reduces some of the symptoms in some people. Of special relevance, after just two weeks without marijuana, any supposed “improvements” disappear. This totally undermines the idea of real remission or even long-term benefit. In fact, the OPPOSITE may be true.  Cannabis use actually increases the likelihood of needing surgery. This means that marijuana use by Crohn’s patients is harmful, rather than helpful.

The Real Reason?

“I also just love smoking weed. I’ve been smoking weed every day for eight years.” ~ Pete Davidson There is another possible—and more likely— explanation as to why Pete Davidson is such an ardent supporter of smoking marijuana to alleviate symptoms of Crohn’s—he likes getting high. His candid statement completely supports that. But so does science. A study of medical marijuana patients in the state of California discovered that 73% of prescription pot patients are male, and the heaviest use occurs within the 25-44-year-old age demographic.  Not coincidently, this is the same demographic that is most likely to abuse other substances. Significantly, nearly 83% use marijuana to treat “pain”—a subjective symptom that cannot be objectively measured by doctors. This usage rate is extremely disproportionate because there is no other public health problem that almost exclusively targets young males. That strongly suggests that there is another reason for this imbalance—many medical marijuana users are “gaming” the system to get the drug. The simplest explanation is that many people just LIKE getting high and legal medical marijuana is an easily-accomplished ruse.

How Chronic Pain Contributes to Substance Abuse

“I got Crohn’s disease when I was 17 or 18, and I found that the medicines that the doctors were prescribing me and seeing all these doctors and trying new things … weed would be the only thing that would help me eat.” ~ Pete Davidson There is also an established connection between chronic pain and substance abuse. While Pete Davidson’s admitted drug of choice is marijuana, all intoxicants affect the brain in similar, if not identical, ways. And in a 2016 study published in the American Journal of Psychiatry, researchers at Columbia University DID find a definite link between pain and opioid addiction. After analyzing data from over 34,000 patients, it was determined that people experiencing moderate-to-severe pain are 41% more likely to become addicted to prescription opioids than people who are pain-free. Additionally, people in chronic pain are more likely to have:

• A family history of alcoholism
• A personal history of recent substance use
• Anxiety
• Mood disorders

Younger adults and males are more likely to abuse painkillers, while older adults and females experience pain at higher rates. Of relevance to his story, Pete Davidson struggles with three of those.

Anxiety and Marijuana: It’s Complicated

“I wouldn’t be able to do ‘SNL’ if I didn’t smoke weed.” ~ Pete Davidson Pete Davidson admits that he simply HAS TO smoke marijuana before he performs. It has been that way from the beginning. When he was 16 years old, Davidson tried stand-up comedy for the first time at a Staten Island bowling alley. He admits that he was only able to muster up enough nerve because he smoked weed before going onstage. That habit continues today. For example, in June 2018, he prepared for a comedy show by getting “very high”. It’s an often-repeated claim—that marijuana calms and relaxes the user, so it MUST be good for anxiety. But is it REALLY? Because while it may exert a short-term positive effect, the long-term impact of marijuana is more problematic. For example, heavy marijuana use has been shown to impair both memory and cognitive ability. For example:

• The National Academy of Sciences determined that long-term use of marijuana permanently lowers the person’s IQ.
• Additionally, a 10-year study found that using marijuana doubles the risk of psychotic symptoms.
• Finally, teenagers who smoke pot daily are three times as likely to subsequently develop an anxiety disorder than those who don’t use the drug.
• In fact, even among those individuals will barely touch marijuana as teenagers but who later developed a regular habit, the risk for an anxiety disorder is elevated by two and a half times.

Here’s the scariest part—the increased risk remains up to 10 years after use is discontinued.

Teenage Marijuana Use IS a Big Deal

All of this is relevant to Pete Davidson’s story because he started using marijuana as a young teenager.  And because the adolescent brain continues to develop into the early-to-mid-twenties, teens and young adults are particularly vulnerable to the drug’s MANY negative effects:

• Lowered IQ – On average, underage marijuana users permanently lose 8 IQ points.
• Memory Problems – Daily marijuana users score 18% lower on memory tests.
• Aggression and Violence – Marijuana use is associated with a risk of committing a violent crime that is  SEVEN times greater than that of the general population.
• Depression – A 16-year study concluded that initially, non-depressed teenagers who start smoking pot are 4 times more likely to develop a depressive disorder.
• Addiction – Teens who smoke weed before turning 18 have a risk of Cannabis Use Disorder that is between 4 to 7 times higher than normal.

While continued brain maturation is the biggest factor determining the impact of underage marijuana use, there is also the fact that today’s marijuana strains are MUCH stronger than they were a  generation ago. When the parents of today were themselves, teenagers who may have experimented, the THC concentration in marijuana averaged about 4%. Modern weed strains, on the other hand, reach an average potency of more than 20% THC.  Increasingly-popular marijuana “wax” is up to 99.7% THC.

Marijuana Addiction is Real

“I also just love smoking weed. I’ve been smoking weed every day for eight years.” ~ Pete Davidson Supporters of legalized marijuana spread the story that marijuana isn’t like other drugs because it is not addictive. However, that claim isn’t supported by evidence. The National Institute on Drug Abuse has concluded that marijuana IS addictive. Per their research, roughly 9% of users eventually meet the criteria for a medical diagnosis of SUD.

• 17% of people who start smoking weed before the age of 16 or who use marijuana heavily eventually become addicted.  This equates to around 1 in 6.
• That is significant because HALF of all people who use marijuana do so every day.
• More than 4% of ALL Americans are marijuana-dependent.
• This rate is much higher than the rates for either cocaine (1.8%) or heroin (.7%).
• Among new rehab patients, over 60% of patients age 15 or younger report that marijuana is their primary drug of choice.
• Because there are so many users, there are more than double the number of people who are dependent on or addicted to cannabis than there are for any other recreational drug.
• The average marijuana rehab patient has tried to quit six times without success.

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Admitting to Mental Illness

“I’ve been having a lot of problems. This whole year has been a f—ing nightmare. This has been the worst year of my life, getting diagnosed with this and trying to figure out how to learn with this and live with this.” ~ Pete Davidson Davidson is a perfect example of how hard it is to receive a timely accurate diagnosis when struggling with an unknown mental illness. And for someone who has spent so much of their time in treatment, learning he had evidently been living with an undiagnosed—and therefore, untreated—mental illness had to be particularly frustrating. Davidson started having a mental breakdown that he completely attributed to his drug use, so he checked into a rehab program.  While there, he was initially diagnosed with co-occurring bipolar disorder and received medication. But after he left the rehab program, he soon resumed his marijuana use while still taking the medication. In his own words, Davidson “snapped” and had another breakdown. Eventually, he was told that he had a borderline personality disorder.

Borderline Personality Disorder and Marijuana: A Dangerous Combination

A borderline personality disorder is identified as a long-term pattern of abnormal or unstable behavior.  It is chiefly characterized by unstable:

• Sense of self
• Emotions
• Relationships with others

BPD specifically relates to Pete Davidson’s story because sufferers frequently have experienced a major adverse life event and have a fear of abandonment. BPD patients also often are troubled with SUD—about 73%— and depression. Because BPD may resemble or co-occur with other mental illnesses, it frequently goes undiagnosed for long periods of time. Check…check…check…check…and CHECK. Also relevant to Pete Davidson, symptoms typically manifest during adolescence or young adulthood. People with people with personality disorders tend to:

• Initiate marijuana use at an earlier age
• Display more symptoms of marijuana dependence
• Have those symptoms increase in severity over time

In other words, a person with BPD is more likely to use marijuana sooner and subsequently develop a worsening dependence. Despite Davidson’s claim that marijuana helps his BPD, there are currently no approved medications specifically prescribed as a treatment.  Individual symptoms are treated as needed, with antidepressants and mood stabilizers. Notably, medical marijuana is not prescribed to treat BPD, specifically because it tends to elicit the opposite of the desired effect, causing increased erratic behavior rather than stabilizing or reducing it.

Marijuana and Anger

“I’ve been a pothead forever. Around October [or] September last year, I started having these mental breakdowns where I would, like, freak out and then not remember what happened after. Blind rage.” ~ Pete Davidson BPD is also associated with explosive anger, often to the point of rage. This may also be extremely relevant to Pete Davidson’s story because a  2015 study found a “significant link” between the use of marijuana and manic behavior. This matters because some of the symptoms of mania are:

• Anger
• Aggression
• Depression

The study also determined that this effect was even more profound in teenagers and young adults. This dovetails neatly with other research that had previously found a link between cannabis use and violence.  For example, a 2014 study of Norwegian youth found a definite correlation between increased marijuana use and violent behavior. Ingeborg Rossow,  a researcher at the Norwegian Institute for Alcohol and Drug Research, said, “People may think of hashish and marijuana as tranquilizers, but according to some studies, cannabis users may be more likely to act violently.”

Dual Diagnosis: Treating Co-Occurring Disorders

Whenever SUD manifests simultaneously with another mental disorder, this is referred to as a “dual diagnosis”. And it happens more often than you might think.

• Depression—67%
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)—66%
• Schizophrenia—65%
• Narcissistic Personality Disorder—64%
• Bipolar Disorder—56%
• Disordered Eating—50%
• Anxiety—45%
• Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)—25%
• Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder—25%

When struggling with comorbid SUD and mental illness, not just any treatment program will do. For example, most family therapists lack the resources and specialized expertise to effectively deal with addictive issues, and most recovery programs do not offer services for behavioral or emotional disorders. In fact, less than 5% of dual diagnosis patients receive proper treatment for BOTH of their disorders. This is why it is absolutely critical to look for the right treatment program—one that provides specialized therapeutic services that address each disorder, both individually and in regard to how they present together. There are a few things to keep in mind.  Dual diagnoses treatment should be:

• COMPREHENSIVE – addressing all of the patient’s needs as an individual.
• INTEGRATIVE – with all of the providers when working together cooperatively with a shared treatment philosophy.

Integrated treatment requires constant communication between all parties – the patient, service providers, Officers of the Court, and even the patient’s personal support system.

• MEDICALLY-SUPERVISED –  FDA-approved prescription medications are part of the “gold standard” approach to treating. But they are also frequently the ONLY way to treat many mental illnesses.
• CONCURRENT—Treating both disorders simultaneously is a key component of successful recovery from either. Addressing one illness before the other only slows progress and greatly increases the risk of relapse.

Marijuana and Creativity: The Real Story

A lot of people who are heavy marijuana users say that the drug expands their mind and helps them be more creative.  This is why so many entertainers, artists, and musicians think that they “need” to smoke pot because it is part of their creative process. But what does science have to say about that claim? A 2015 study by researchers in the Netherlands suggests that while marijuana may make users feel more creative, it does not actually help them be more creative.  In fact, the opposite may be true. The study measured divergent thinking—the ability to think flexibly, brainstorm, and come up with unique solutions to problems—while under the influence of cannabis. In this case, the participants were given an everyday object and tasked with coming up with as many creative uses for it as they could. The results were revealing:

• At low doses, there was no difference in creativity between those who received cannabis and those were given a placebo.
• At higher doses, the ability to come up with creative solutions was significantly reduced.

That undermines any claim that marijuana helps creativity.

Checking into Drug Rehab

“There was no way I could stop. I was like, somebody has to put me in a house where there is literally nothing. I had too much access.” ~ Pete Davis When Davidson started experiencing emotional issues and other personal problems, he admits that he thought his drug use might be the cause.  That admission gives us some important insights about his relationship with marijuana. FIRST, Davidson himself was worried about his drug use.  That is one of the major warning signs of addiction. SECOND, because he felt this way, there evidently must have been at least some problems and consequences that were directly related to his drug use.  According to the fifth edition of The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), that is one of the symptoms necessary for a medical diagnosis of SUD. THIRD, even though he believed his drug use was causing his problems, Davidson still could not stop using marijuana. That is another medical symptom found in the DSM-5. Kudos at this point to Davidson, however. He recognized in himself a potential problem, realized he needed outside help, and then sought treatment. Even better, when he completed the program, he didn’t try to hide his illness out of misplaced guilt or shame. Instead, he spoke openly about addiction and rehab. He even tried to inspire others, saying, “Remember to never give up hope, because sometimes that’s all we got.”

Finding the Right Drug Rehab

“Well, I went to rehab, and here’s some advice: never pick the rehab you want to go to while you’re high! ‘Cause that’s what I did. I Googled “rehab” and picked the first place that popped up.” ~ Pete Davidson When Davidson completed rehab and went back to work on SNL, he delivered a humorous update about how he chose the program. Of course, he was playing to his fans and being lighthearted about a serious subject. But his joke does bring up a pertinent question—How DOES someone choose a drug rehab program? (HINT: Simply picking the first Google result isn’t a good strategy.) Here are some things to look for when choosing a drug rehab:

• Accreditation—CARF or the Joint Commission? Either one is acceptable, but having neither is not.
• Staff certification—Are all members of the clinical staff licensed/certified to treat addictive disorders in the respective state? For example, in Washington, a Chemical Dependency Professional must meet extensive educational and experiential requirements.
• Reputation—BBB, client testimonials, and online reviews at third-party sites can give you invaluable information.
• Insurance—Is yours accepted? Not every rehab program takes every insurance plan.
• Availability—How soon can treatment begin? The best time to start recovery is always RIGHT NOW.
• Approach to treatment—Evidence-based, proprietary, or alternative? Evidence-based programs are the accepted option because they use an approach that is backed by science.
• Level of care—Outpatient, Intensive Outpatient, Partial Hospitalization, Residential/Inpatient, Sober Living? A quality IOP is just as effective as residential rehab and is far less expensive. Best of all, you can live at home,  stay with your family, and continue to work or go to school.
• Convenience—If it is a residential program, is the travel expense affordable? Are family visits feasible? If it’s an outpatient program, is it an easy enough drive that you won’t skip sessions?
• Variety of treatments—Because SUD is an illness with many contributing factors, it manifests differently in each person. The best drug rehabs have many available services, so that treatment can be tailored to the individual.
• Help for co-occurring mental illness—Because addictive and mental disorders so often co-occur, the most effective rehabs provide specialized services that treat both conditions simultaneously.
• Medication-Assisted Therapy—The inclusion of FDA-approved anti-craving medications is considered to be the “gold standard” of addiction care.
• Couples/Family Services—SUD takes a tremendous toll, not just on the individual, but also their entire family. Healing will require specialized professional help.
• Aftercare—Even after “graduating” rehab, a still-newly-sober person is going to need structured support.

Managing Expectations during Recovery

“I was sober for three months at one point and was like, ‘This f—ing sucks…I was just, like, never sadder and everything was just way worse.” ~ Pete Davidson From his own words, we can see that Pete Davidson was not happy in early recovery. Like a lot of newly-sober people, he was surprised that everything was not “perfect” once he stopped using drugs. Frustrated, they often go back to drinking and using. This is exactly what Davidson did—his sobriety only lasted three months before he started using marijuana again. But REAL recovery involves much more than just remaining abstinent for a few months. Just as it took time for the addiction to develop, it will take time for:

• The brain’s chemistry to return to normal.
• The right medications and dosages to be found.
• Long-term withdrawal symptoms to dissipate.
• Bad habits to be unlearned.
• Positive habits to be learned.
• Healthy coping skills to be acquired.
• The consequences of past behaviors to be resolved.
• Communication to improve.
• Relationships to be repaired.
• Trust to be re-established.
• Mental illness to be properly addressed.
• Trauma processing to occur.

The same old problems that existed before the addiction took hold are still going to be there. The difference is that during recovery, those problems won’t be made any worse by continued substance abuse. Instead of expecting perfection, people in recovery are taught to look for improvements in their daily lives. The timing of Davidson’s return to using marijuana is also extremely significant because three months is an important benchmark in recovery. Recovery experts agree that treatment is most effective when it lasts a MINIMUM of 90 days. In fact, treatment length is one of the best predictors of successful recovery. A Los Angeles Times article reported that patients who remain in treatment for less than 90 days relapse at a rate that is more than double that of those who remain in treatment longer.

Pete Davidson and Ariana Grande: A Whirlwind Romance

“I didn’t want to do something corny. We were in bed hanging, after watching a movie. I was like, ‘Will you marry me?’ It was really dope. I’m still convinced she’s blind or hit her head really hard. Something is going to happen…” ~ Pete Davidson Pete Davidson and Ariana Grande first met back in 2016, when she made an appearance on Saturday Night Live. At the time, Grande was dating rapper Mac Miller, while Davidson was with Cazzie David. But in May of this year, Grande split with Miller, and a week later, Davidson announced that he and David had broken up. After rumors swirled, Grande and Davidson confirmed their romance on May 30th. Each of them even got tattoos as a tribute to the other. On June 2nd, Davidson gave Grande a specially-cast engagement ring costing $93,000. On the day they met, he had supposedly told her, “I’ll marry you tomorrow.” The next couple of months were spent planning a 2019 wedding. Notably, one of the hallmarks of improperly-regulated borderline personality disorder is extreme impulsiveness in interpersonal relationships. Davidson has also said that he was smoking weed in bed when he proposed.

The Specter of Matt Miller

But on September 7th, Mac Miller died of a suspected drug overdose. He was only 26 years old. Miller’s death hit Ariana Grande extremely hard. She posted touching tributes and candid pictures of the two of them together on Instagram. On Twitter, she tweeted that “it had been a tough month” and she canceled an appearance on SNL for “emotional reasons”. Miller’s primary addiction was to “lean”—a prescription-strength cough syrup that combines codeine and promethazine. He has said, “I love lean; it’s great. I was not happy and I was on lean very heavy…I was lost.” Also known as “purple drank” or “sizzurp”, this drug has been strongly associated with the rap/hip-hop community since the 1990s. Several prominent rappers have died from lean-involved fatal overdoses, including DJ Screw, Big Moe, Pimp C, and Fredo Santana. Rapper Lil Wayne who has reportedly suffered seizures after overdosing on lean describes withdrawal as “like death in your stomach when you stop. Everybody wants me to stop all this and all that. It ain’t that easy.” Mac Miller’s drug use was perhaps the biggest factor that led to his split with Ariana Grande. So when he died of an overdose, she reevaluated her relationship with Pete Davidson, who was also back on the same drug that originally sent him to rehab. Miller’s death was apparently the “tipping point”.

A Public Split

On October 15th, Grande and Davidson called off their engagement and ended their five-month relationship. Obviously, there were multiple factors in the breakup. Grande was going through a severely difficult time, not just because of Miller’s death, but also because of the suicide bombing at one of her concerts that killed 23 people and injured another 500. A rushed engagement, especially to someone with their own addictive and mental health issues, was just one emotional commitment too many. And on Davidson’s side, his BPD diagnosis and his failed sobriety must also be taken into account. People with BPD often have difficulty maintaining relationships. Also of relevance, the New York University School of Medicine conducted a study determining that people who use marijuana at age 16 or younger are more likely to experience relationship problems in their 20’s. ” column_min_width=”[object Object]” column_spacing=”[object Object]” rule_style=”[object Object]” rule_size=”[object Object]” rule_color=”[object Object]” hide_on_mobile=”[object Object]” class=”[object Object]” id=”[object Object]”][object Object]

The Road ahead for Pete Davidson

“…hopefully, the worst thing that has ever happened to me happened.” ~ Pete Davidson Because his life’s story is still being written, it’s too early to accurately predict what the future holds in store for Pete Davidson. On the one hand, he is an immensely-talented performer on perhaps the most visible comedy platform in the world. This fame and fortune mean he has access to premier rehab and mental health programs that can help him restore both lasting sobriety and balance to his life IF he chooses to avail himself of them. With the proper treatment, his future is limitless. After all, he’s only 24 years old. But on the other hand, there is still reason for concern:

• He’s in denial when he says his drug use is not a problem.
• He is self-treating his Crohn’s disease with marijuana, even though it makes it more likely that he will eventually need surgery.
• He is self-medicating his BPD with marijuana, even though it is not an approved medication and it may in fact worsen any erratic, in fact,r.
• He is still breaking the law. In New York State, where Davidson lives, recreational marijuana is illegal. In August, he was pulled over, and weed edibles were found. The friend who was with him was arrested and charged with possession.
• He is still acting impulsively, as evidenced by the quick proposal to Ariana Grande.
• Although the breakup was supposedly amicable, he has shown signs of “splitting”, a symptom of improperly-regulated BPD. This is when a relationship that was formerly highly idealized quickly becomes devalued after a perceived disappointment. Reportedly, he has changed his number, is no longer speaking to Grande, and has changed his tribute tattoo of her.

Hopefully, he can fully right himself and properly address his substance abuse and mental health issues. Saturday Night Live has an unfortunate history involving cast members and substance abuse-related deaths, including John Belushi, Chris Farley, and Phil Hartman. To add Davidson’s name to that list would be an unthinkable tragedy. After all, he’s only 24 years old. Marijuana addiction is real and can seriously affect good mental health. If your pot habit has gotten out of control, click here to talk to someone TODAY.