“…Stephen King has written 63 books, and is estimated to be worth over $150 million. But in his recently re-released memoir, “On Writing: 10th Anniversary Addition: A Memoir of the Craft,” King tells us that for years, his drug and alcohol addictions were so bad, he can barely remember working on some of his best-known best-sellers…”   “…most psychological theorists credit our inner fears, anxieties and primitive urges as the fuel that drives intellectual growth. The ordinary citizen seeks to avoid them. The artist dives right in…”  These quotes are from an piece called Why Do So Many Writers Struggle With Drug and Alcohol Addiction. Millions of alcoholics and addicts all across America may not have celebrity status, but certainly share a commonality with addiction.  A commonality with famous people we have always admired.  I don’t need to re-create a massive historical archive of celebrity personalities that share this commonality to make this point.   Most of us know this.   Addiction simply is not an isolated issue and America needs to accept that.  Pretending that addiction is isolated to just bad people and treating it  like leprosy; not only denies a stark reality, but avoids taking care of a problem that is undermining our chances at greatness.  Links by Mary S.