Did a Drug Overdose Kill Actor Corey Haim?

Just before 1am on March 10, 2010, actor Corey Haim's mother called 911 from his North Hollywood apartment. She stated that he had become dizzy and then fell to his knees on the bedroom floor. She helped him into bed where he was soon unresponsive. It was later determined he was a victim of an apparent accidental drug overdose. According to the Los Angeles Coroner's office, Haim had been sick for several days with flu-like symptoms. Four prescription drug bottles were found at his residence. Note that no illicit drugs were found. He was declared dead at 2:15am at Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank. His current agent, Mark Heaslip, stated that he doesn't believe it was a drug overdose as Haim "was actually going very clean in his life." He suspects the sobriety drugs Haim was taking may have been a factor. Autopsy results may not be conclusive for several weeks according to Los Angeles Deputy Coroner, Ed Winter.

Born December 23, 1971 in Toronto, Canada, the former teen star appeared in Blown Away (1992), Busted (1997)and The Tribe (2008). He first became interested in film when he accompanied his older sister, Cari, to auditions. Prior to that, his mother had enrolled him in acting lessons to help overcome his shyness. Haim officially entered the movie scene in 1984 in the film Firstborn. The following year, he played in A Time to Live and Silver Bullet. In 1986, Haim starred alongside Charlie Sheen in Lucas as an awkward, yet endearing, teenager. He also played in License to Drive (1988) and Dream a Little Dream (1989). Haim may be best remembered for his 1987 movie role in The Lost Boys and the short-lived reality show The Two Coreys in which he starred with best friend, Corey Feldman, with whom he'd shared the big screen numerous times.

In 1990 his manager, Brooke McCarter, could no longer work with Haim citing his drug problems. In 2008, Feldman, frustrated with Haim's drug use, declared, "I don't feel he's a safe person to have around my wife and child at the moment for a multitude of reasons." After hearing of Haim's death, Feldman stated, "This is a tragic loss of a wonderful, beautiful, tormented soul who will always be my brother, family and best friend."

Haim's drug addiction was common knowledge. In 2004, he admitted, "I started on the downers which were a hell of a lot better than the uppers because I was a nervous wreck. But one led to two, two led to four, four led to eight, until at the end it was about 85 a day-the doctors could not believe I was taking that much. And that was just the Valium-I'm not talking about the other pills I went through."

Drug addiction is just that, an addiction. According to the Mayo Clinic, drug addiction is a dependence on a street drug or medication. In Haim's case, he was addicted to prescription drugs. The word 'addiction' refers to an intense craving. Although the drug user may want to quit, he may find it difficult or impossible. As Haim had mentioned, his usage increased over time. This is often the case as the drug user finds that the 'high' he felt originally can only be mimicked, over time, with larger doses of the drug. This increased and frequent usage can result in physical and mental health problems and may affect relationships, employment, and other areas of the drug user's life.

Often, those who overdose do not do it intentionally. According to IMDB, the 38-year-old Haim was working on nine projects in various phases. He was also scheduled to appear on the Frank & Son Collectible Show on March 14, 11am-3pm, for an autograph signing and photo op event.

Within minutes after the news of his death hit the airways, fans and fellow actors began posting their condolences and memories on MySpace, Twitter and various websites. On CNN.com, osage2112 posted: RIP to Corey's memory and strength to his surviving family.

Truly, "The Haimster" will be missed.

Source: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000433/bio
Source: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/celebritology/2010/03/corey_haim_dead_at_38.html?hpid=entnews