DJ AM’s Drug Overdose Ruled Accidental
In August, DJ AM (born Adam Goldstein) was found dead in his apartment at the age of 36. There were rumors there for awhile that DJ AM’s drug overdose last month was not accidental. Unlike the homicidal nature of Michael Jackson’s death, it was conjectured that maybe DJ AM’s drug overdose was suicide. The autopsy done on his body, the results of which were recently released, showed that his death was accidental.
DJ AM: Why Was His Drug Overdose Possibly a Suicide?
Those close to DJ AM (or Adam Goldstein) said that he had been depressed recently. Others noted the number of prescription drugs that were found around the apartment and assumed that if Goldstein was using again-when he had been extremely proud of his long-term sobriety-then he must be depressed.
When Goldstein was discovered dead in his New York City apartment, his body was on top of a crack pipe with an empty bag with crack cocaine residue nearby. Prescription pill bottles were found on the kitchen counter, as well. There were six OcyContin pills in his stomach and one that was undigested in his throat.
The Official Autopsy Report
The New York Medical Examiner performed the autopsy and confirmed that DJ AM’s death has been ruled an accident due to substance abuse. Technically called “acute intoxication,” Goldstein had ingested cocaine, OxyContin (or oxycodone), Vicodin (or hydrocodone), Ativan, Klonipin, Xanax, Benadrl and Levamisole, which is commonly used to cut cocaine.
Ellen Borakove is a spokesperson for the New York Medical Examiner’s office. She says, “Our investigation is completed.”
Drug Overdose: No One is Immune
DJ AM was no stranger to the drugs he was using or to their effects. He had used drugs regularly for years and was scheduled to host a show on interventions for MTV in the fall of this year. The opiate painkillers he was in possession of and using when he died were mostly prescribed to him for anxiety disorder, and he had been taking them for some time. So at what point did his use of prescription pills as medication turn into abuse and then drug addiction? And when did he start supplementing his prescription with illegal drugs like crack? If DJ AM didn’t overdose on purpose and had a long history with these drugs and he still died using them, then no one is immune.
Is Drug Overdose a Risk for You?
If you are abusing prescription opiates, crack, coke, crystal meth, heroin, over the counter drugs, club drugs and/ or alcohol, then you are at risk of overdosing. A drug overdose hits new and experimental users just as easily as long-term veterans of addiction and it can be deadly. Don’t take the risk. If you are addicted to drugs and alcohol, don’t wait to get the help you need. Contact Michael’s House for information about how you can free yourself from the risk of drug overdose.
