Ahmed Azmy, an Egyptian actor who is also an ex-addict, was recently interviewed by Yasmin Ezz on MBC Masr. He got to speak about his experience through drug addiction and healing, and shared a lot from his personal life.
TW: Suicide and Substance Abuse
He started talking about how his addiction basically ruined his life that he attempted ending it. It contributed to ending his marriage and distorting his image as a role model to his son. It also led to the deterioration of his mother’s health and she eventually passed away.
Despite all the hardships he went through, Azmy got his life back together and took on two acting roles. But he still thinks producers are being cautious with him, as he’s receiving way fewer roles than before.
In the interview, Ahmed expressed how he felt ashamed of some of his mentors like Salah Abdallah. To everyone’s surprise, Salah Abdallah called in and started cheering for Ahmed Azmy’s new look. The call left both Azmy and the TV host very emotional.
It was a very sentimental gesture of Salah Abdallah to do. It clearly encouraged Ahmed Azmy and left him with much needed support. Azmy also talked about his healing process, which was inspiring.
The reactions to this interview have been positive and everyone has been wishing Azmy well and expressing how good and refreshing it is to witness this healing journey.
All of these comments and reactions left us wondering: Are we only giving him a second chance because he’s an actor and has a platform?
It’s not novel to us that society gives ex-addicts a hard time. Workplaces show very little trust in healers and so do people everywhere. It’s more unlikely that people will get married to ex-addicts, and so on.
And while everyone is certainly allowed to take their decisions and have their own personal preferences, it’s been a long time of preaching acceptance for healers of substance abuse.
Ahmed Mekky’s ‘Atr AL Hayah‘ tried to give us quite the lesson in 2012 and it had an influence over people back then. But we’re still working our way to full acceptance of healers.
Maybe Salah Abdallah’s phone call was the wake-up call we needed to give ourselves a reality check. Are we only supporting Ahmed Azmy online? Would you ever give ex-addicts a second chance in real-life?
Share with us what you have to say about this!
