It has been nearly four years since the death of international pop icon Michael Jackson, and still, questions about the singer’s death and the time leading up to it, continue to be raised. Jackson’s doctor, Dr. Conrad Murray, was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and implicated in the administration of Propofol, a powerful surgical anesthetic, which Jackson abused, reportedly in an attempt to deal with his insomnia.
Recently, the Jackson family has been involved in a lawsuit against the singer’s concert promoter, AEG, which alleges that the company negligently hired Dr. Murray, and is subsequently responsible for Michael’s death. As part of this civil trial, family members have been called to testify, and have revealed in their testimony that they attempted multiple interventions before Jackson’s death.
His Mother
The singer’s mother told the court that she and the rest of the family believed that Michael was addicted to painkillers, and tried many times to intervene. Ms. Jackson’s son allegedly denied multiple offers for help, because he believed that he did not have a problem.
This type of denial, or instance on hiding the severity of one’s addiction is very common among drug addicts, which is one reason confronting someone about drug abuse can be particularly difficult. The lead investigator in Jackson’s death, Orlando Martinez, reported that he recalled Katherine Jackson telling him that she and other family members had tried many times, in vain, to confront Michael about his chemical dependency.
Addiction To Pain Killers
Ms. Jackson believed that Michael was addicted to the painkillers that had been prescribed to him for problems with his back. Bottles of painkillers were found in Jackson’s bedroom following his death.
The Jacksons were not the only people close to the star who were worried about his health.
Just five days before the singer collapsed, his manager had called Dr. Murray, concerned, begging for tests to be run to determine what exactly was in the singer’s bloodstream.
Jackson’s Problem
Though Jackson’s problem was clearly evident to those around him, it is not altogether surprising that he himself remained in denial. Although it is possible that he knew he had a problem, and was attempting to cover it up, addicts often convince even themselves that they do not have a problem.
Denial is, very often a means of putting off or completely avoiding dealing with their disease. The very nature of addiction is to center one’s actions and thoughts around procuring more of a controlled substance, so avoiding treatment is in keeping with addictive behavior.
Denial
It is clear, in the case of Michael Jackson, however, that denial is by no means an effective way of coping. The longer an addict remains in denial, the more dangerous their lives become.
Clearly, Michael Jackson’s mom knew her son well enough to know that his health was in jeopardy. While we may never know exactly who to blame in this horrible story, what is certain is that staging an effective intervention and finding a way to break the potentially lethal cycle of denial, are critical steps in dealing with an addicted loved one.
Ken Seeley is an expert interventionist with decades of experience providing young adult interventions. Learn more about Ken Seeley and his company Intervention 911 by connecting on Facebook.
