by Priscilla Benfield

Created on: September 20, 2010

It's hard to ignore news about  Lindsay Lohan's self-destructive antics. Even if you are not an entertainment/celebrity news junkie, just signing onto Yahoo you cannot help but see the latest headline regarding this young starlet. It is a sad story of a child star who hasn't had the right guidance and wound up becoming addicted to illegal drugs and alcohol.

There are child stars who escape the ugly side of Hollywood. They are usually children whose parents are grounded and although their child is in the "business" they keep watch over them. In the case of Lindsay Lohan, there has not been positive parental influence. Her parents went through a messy divorce and both were guilty of selling their marital ugliness to whomever would pay to hear it. This could not have had a good effect on any of their children, especially Lindsay who was already in the public eye.

When a child star turns into a young adult, it is often hard to make the transition. In Lindsay's case, she did get a few roles that showed her abilities as a teen actress but along with more grown-up roles came behavior that was too wild for her age. As any parent of a young adult knows, it is difficult to control a young adult when they start making poor choices. I wonder how hard Lindsay's parents tried to keep her from going to clubs and getting involved with the "wrong" kind of people.

It seems that a lot of trouble started once she got her drivers license. Hit and runs, driving under the influence, pictures of her at Hollywood parties where she obviously had been under the influence - she became a paparazzi darling because everyone knew following her around meant the chances were good to catch her doing something outrageous. Does the public really thrive on seeing the slow destruction of a former child star? Why was there no one looking out for Lindsay? What about her agent or her parents?

Lindsay and her father have been estranged on and off since the media attention surrounding her parents divorce. Her mother seems to have enabled Lindsay's behavior by defending her partying saying there was nothing wrong with it. Whether her mother knew how much or how deep into addiction her daughter was, no one really knows. I think most mothers know the truth about their child even though they may not publicly admit it. Dina Lohan seems to have looked the other way and most recently, when Lindsay was being threatened with jail time due to numerous violations of the law, her mother again reacted in a way that didn't help Lindsay at all. Her mother made a lot of noise about how Lindsay was being treated unfairly and how her celebrity status was being used against her. Please!

If Lindsay Lohan was just Jane Smith from Anytown, U.S.A., she would not have gotten the slap on the wrist that she did. Being Lindsay Lohan, surrounded by enablers is a dangerous thing for an addict like her. The girl needs help not enabling. She doesn't need movie producers willing to give her a chance when she has not even proved that she is serious about getting clean from drugs and alcohol. In this life, getting a second chance isn't easy when you screw up. Even when you do the right thing and admit your addictions, many times it is held against you.

If you are Lindsay Lohan however, the laws don't apply. Your actions don't apply. You can sit in a courtroom with F U written on your fingers defiantly waving them at the judge and you get off easy.

I feel sorry for Lindsay Lohan. The odds are not in her favor to get clean from alcohol and drugs. She lives in a world that is way different from you and I. A cold world called Hollywood.

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