Paris Hilton and Cocaine -- Jail Means Nothing when the Stakes Are Low?

Paris Hilton's cocaine arrest could mean jail time, as reported at Fox News. The 29-year-old socialite was arrested with .8 grams of cocaine in Las Vegas and charged with felony possession.

Does Paris Hilton have a substance abuse problem?

This is not the first time that Paris Hilton has encountered problems with substance abuse. She was arrested for drunk driving. She was caught with marijuana at an airport in Corsica, and now Paris Hilton's cocaine arrest could get her convicted of felony possession and put in jail.

Even if Hilton is a functioning human who doesn't make the headlines every two days like Lindsay Lohan, her drug use has interfered with her life. In 2007 she did spend 23 days in an orange jumpsuit for violating her probation, which began with the drunk driving charge she received in 2006.

When Paris HIlton got out of jail she vowed to make better choices. Was it just for the cameras?

After Paris Hilton was released from jail she spoke to Larry King on Larry King Live. They say celebrities are not treated differently than anybody else when they are in jail, and Paris confirmed that her jail experience was a traumatic one. "Oh, it's been pretty overwhelming. You know, I've been confined for three-and-a-half weeks in a little cell. So it's just overwhelming just to be out and be free again," said Hilton.

However, Hilton also pointed out that the experience changed her, "I think in life, everyone makes mistakes and you have to learn and grow from them. And I've been a little immature in the past and made some wrong choices. But I've learned from them and I think that makes me the person I am today."

But as the rich socialite turns 30 in 2011, will she continue to pose for provocative mug shots? The hotel heiress can afford the best lawyers that money can buy and those lawyers will do everything they can to keep her life as comfortable as possible. Paris Hilton's cocaine arrest may have put her in the news, once again, but there is no incentive to reduce the drug and alcohol use when the stakes are so low.

Sources:

Hollie McKay, Paris Hilton Looking at Hard Time if Convicted of Cocaine Possession, Fox News

Interview With Paris Hilton on CNN Larry King Live, CNN