It’s tempting to believe that being the kid of a superstar makes life easier. In certain respects, it may, but it by no means ensures a happy or easy existence.
Michael Douglas is a British actor who has appeared in films such as “Wall Street,” “Fatal Attraction,” and “Basic Instinct.” Cameron Douglas’ life was not simple because his father was a big celebrity.
Michael and Cameron recounted a time when Cameron was not only addicted to drugs, but also distributing them, in an interview with PEOPLE in 2019. It was a difficult period for both of them.
Cameron began using drugs while he was just thirteen years old. He began with drinking and using marijuana, but his addiction quickly developed to heroin and cocaine. He began selling methamphetamines to pay for his own drug addiction by the time he was in his twenties.
It got to the point where Cameron was doing cocaine twice a day and having seizures as a result. In 2009, he was arrested, and that actually probably saved his life.
Obviously Cameron’s parents weren’t happy about their son’s addiction, but they didn’t know how to help. In fact, Michael felt helpless. He said, “There were moments when hope dwindled… and then it’s just a train out of the station. Life became a series of crises. I thought I was going to lose him.”
Cameron believes that sometimes there really is nothing family members can do to help an addict. Sometimes they need to hit rock bottom. He explained, “I think that at a certain point the family member or loved one of someone that’s in the throes of addiction has to let go and let them find their way. Because at a certain point there’s nothing anyone else can do.”
Cameron ended up spending eight years behind bars for dealing meth and cocaine. When he was finally released from prison in 2016, he was a different person. While in prison he decided to change. He explained, “For whatever reason, something inside of me was shattered and I remember clearly saying to myself, ‘There’s really two roads open to me at this point.’” He chose the road to recovery and to reconciliation with his family.
