Remembering DJ AM

Super Celebrity DJ Adam Goldstein, known to his fans as “DJ AM” (AM stands for his middle name Adam Michael) would have been 39 years old today. Sadly however, in 2009, he lost his life to relapse through a lethal combination of prescription drugs and cocaine. Adam was someone who had struggled with abuse in the home at the hands of his father; subsequent weight issues in his younger years, followed by drug abuse in his early 20’s. But for more than a decade, he figured out a way not to let any of these obstacles to get in his way, by becoming one of the most successful DJs of all time.

When Adam found recovery, he lived it by the book for 11 years and became an example to all those who thought recovery was a hopeless undertaking. Adam was open about being sober and sponsored other addicts to help them find recovery as he had. Tragically, Adam got seriously injured in a 2008 plane crash. His injuries warranted necessity for medical treatment and one could only guess that this could be how Adam lost his way back through the gates of addiction.

Adam was found dead in his New York City apartment August 28, 2009 around the hours of dawn. Toxicology results later concluded Adam had multiple drugs in his system such as Cocaine, Oxycodone, Hydrocodone, Lorazepam, Clonazepam, Alprazolam, Diphenhydramine and Levamisole. Whoever Adam’s docs were, that treated him after the plane crash, those docs were clearly not trained in recognizing a drug-seeking patient.

If we had laws to protect those in recovery, perhaps Adams death could have been prevented. Here’s the law I would like to propose.