Former member of the Pussycat Dolls, Kasey Campbell, has never publicly discussed her problems with alcohol and drugs but is now just beginning to open up about her experiences with addiction. She suffered from issues of alcoholism and heroin addiction but in the past has only told the story to loved ones and the people from her support group. Pussycat Doll
Campbell wants to open up about her life of abuse and share her story with the world by speaking publicly in Centennial Square for Recovery Day. She has decided to speak more openly about her problems in order to help change the stigma around recovery and addiction. She believes it is necessary for people to share their stories of triumph rather than hide them or feel ashamed to reveal the truth.
Success as a Pussycat Doll
Campbell chose to take part in Recovery Day, a time of year for everyone to acknowledge the millions of people who have overcome addiction. This is the first experience of discussing these issues publicly for the 36 year old. Campbell grew up in Vancouver and moved to Los Angeles at age 17 for a dance scholarship. She eventually started dancing for the Pussycat Dolls group, a burlesque ensemble, as an extracurricular activity while in school.
The group slowly became an underground phenomenon and eventually evolved into a pop group with radio hits such as Don’t Cha, Buttons and Stickwitu. Although initially it was a labor of love, her involvement with the group became a core part of her identity for the next nine years. Celebrities began to gain interest in the Pussycat Dolls and the group was able to perform with singers such as Christina Aguilera, Gwen Stephani, Britney Spears, Pink and Elton John. They eventually signed their own record deal and Campbell became a part of their success.
The Road to Addiction
Being in the entertainment industry, it was easy for Kasey Campbell’s recreational drug and alcohol use to start escalating. She frequently went to after parties where her substance abuse became problematic. Campbell was able to hide the extent of her abuse and symptoms of alcoholism from most of her closest friends who had no idea she had a problem until after she left treatment.
At some point Campbell was introduced to heroin and became hooked on the drug that completely changed her life. She was consumed by her heroin addiction which made it harder to hide from the people around her as she was constantly sick from withdrawal and woke up needing to use. Her wake-up call came when she had a run-in with the law and was forced to go to treatment. Although at first she didn’t take rehab seriously, as she began to hear other people’s stories and saw how important treatment was to them she began to change her mindset. She witnessed how everyone in her program experienced the same shame and fear of disappointing everyone.
Recovery and a New Career
After recovering from her addiction, Campbell applied herself to achieving a childhood dream of becoming a lawyer. She enrolled in political science at Camosun College and completed her degree at the University of British Columbia. She applied to law school and wrote about her recovery as part of her application. She hopes to eventually represent people who need an advocate because of her experiences.
She was given the opportunity to enter treatment instead of facing prosecution and it changed her life for the better. She wants to work toward reducing the stigma about addiction and get people to seek help for their substance abuse. Campbell believes that when people tell their success stories it will help to change any negative stereotypes about people with addictions.
