My meditative take on the tendency of popular performers to dissolve in drug abuse is that it's not the performance "high" that does the damage, but the boring down-time in between performances. What does a touring musician do between shows, but travel, eat, sleep, and wait for the next show? (Someone should talk to Sir Paul McCartney about his apparently healthy lifestyle. I hear that he STILL puts on a good show.) Other performers might be anxious about whether their new work will be well received, whether they're getting properly paid, whether the manager might be a thief. Travel is bad for long-time personal relationships (though perhaps good for very short-term relationships). Off-stage, it doesn't sound like much fun at all, so maybe drugs are a refuge. On the other hand, your widely-hated public figures? They're playing a busy game of "survival among peers", with no place for vigilance-sapping chemicals.

Lathechuck