Renowned Ghanaian Hiplife artist Okyeame Kwame recently shared his insights on why many artists and creatives may turn to drug abuse.
In a candid interview on Joy Prime, Okyeame Kwame discussed the issue following the release of a documentary by Kwame Dadzie on JoyNews.
Okyeame Kwame suggested that one of the main reasons creatives may resort to drugs is their avoidance of reflecting deeply on their thoughts and actions. By not taking the time to introspect and learn from their experiences, artists may feel the need to numb their thoughts with substances like alcohol and drugs.
Overall, Okyeame Kwame’s perspective sheds light on the challenges faced by creatives in the industry and the importance of self-reflection in maintaining a healthy and sustainable career.
“If you close your eyes and sit down for 10 seconds, immediately, all the problems you have in life will come into your brain. Because your brain is so smart that it’s always trying to solve your problem. So immediately you keep quiet, all your problems come up.
“That is why people are always trying to watch a movie, always trying to read a book, trying to talk to somebody, trying to have sex, trying to drink alcohol, and trying to smoke something to divert their brains from dealing with their problems.
“And that is the time when artistes are not willing to sit down quietly for their thoughts to punish them. But immediately they feel the problems come up, they take it, and then all the problems will go away because they have numbed their pain receptors…” he said.
Okyeame Kwame narrated his personal battle with depression and how he dealt with it by going into a meditative state for a year.
According to him, this allowed him to reflect on his thoughts and eventually come up with his hit “Made in Ghana” album.
“Somebody else could have resorted to becoming a sex addict to fulfill the emptiness or becoming a drug addict to fulfill the emptiness. But I let it beat me up. I sat down quietly for one year. I didn’t make any music, I didn’t go anywhere, I didn’t pick up my phone calls. I took my phone away for one year.
“I stopped everything and I sat down quietly, and went into meditation. So it was immediately after that [period] that I made the ‘Made in Ghana’ album,” he said.
Okyeame Kwame advised other creatives not to shun away such thoughts and embrace the solutions that come as a result.
“You have to sit down quietly for it to do that to you. Immediately you allow the thoughts to punish you for what you have not been able to do, it will immediately give you a solution,” he said.
