Twin Cities Drug Abuse Expert Reacts To Hoffman's Death
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The news of actor Philip Seymour Hoffman's untimely death sent a shock wave through social media Sunday -- and re-opened the dialogue of drug abuse and addiction.
Carol Falkowski is a drug and substance abuse professional in the Twin Cities.
She believes Hoffman's death can serve to show people how addiction can affect people from all walks of life.
"People have stereotypes about who are drug users and who are not drug users," she said. "This underscores the fact that it can be anyone, no matter how accomplished they are in their field drug abuse and addiction hits across a broad spectrum in the population."
Hoffman Death
Falkowski went onto say that if someone you love is addicted, there are some signs to watch out for.
"They will be very defensive," she said. "They will find themselves in withdrawal. And it's exhausting to keep all those lies straight."
Hoffman, 46, reportedly had battled drug addiction, but was clean for 23 years before falling off the wagon in 2012. He checked into a rehab center last year, according to reports.
Hoffman won the Academy Award for Best Actor for the 2005 movie "Capote." He also starred in films such as "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire," "The Big Lebowski," "Moneyball" and "Boogie Nights."
