I was driving up the Massachusetts Turnpike one evening last February when I knocked over a bottle of water. I grabbed for it, swerved inadvertently--and a few seconds later found myself blinking into the flashlight beam of a state trooper. "How much have you had to drink tonight, sir?" he demanded. Before I could help myself, I blurted out an answer that was surely a new one to him. "I haven't had a drink," I said indignantly, "since 1981." [continues 3254 words]
The Actor's Latest Arrest Supports The Idea That Drugs Rewire The Brain If anyone ever had good reason to say no to drugs, it was surely Robert Downey Jr. The actor, 35, had already seen a promising career held back by substance abuse. He had been separated from his wife and son and lost his freedom--twice. But since his release from prison last August, Downey seemed to be turning his life around. He was in the middle of a ratings-boosting guest run as Calista Flockhart's romantic interest on Ally McBeal. He was set to star in a film with Julia Roberts and Billy Crystal and to take a turn onstage in Mel Gibson's production of Hamlet. He had proclaimed in one interview after another that he was ready to put drugs behind him. [continues 680 words]
