“Growing Pains” was one of my favorite shows growing up in the 80s. You all know that I espouse again and again not to use celebrities as role models, however, during the 80s, I too idolized the stars of this show.
Kirk Cameron was the man! While Cameron has been able to stay out of the spotlight, his costar, Tracey Gold, has not been so fortunate.
The Growing Pains actress was arrested in 2004. Do you remember this?
I am bringing up her situation because it is one of the most horrific in one major sense. Gold rolled her SUV while drunk. OK so ….
Here’s the kicker - her husband and three young children were all in the vehicle at the time. While this is horrific when it comes to “celebrity DUI” it is that this is so common that I want to reach out. There are hundreds, if not thousands of parents driving around right now under the influence of a drug or alcohol, with their family in the car!
Gold was given three years probation, ordered to complete 30 days of work release supervised by the jail, and to perform 240 hours of community service. She, like all celebrities are not role models. Maybe she also needed a 12 hour alcohol awareness class too?
Be a good person, especially when it comes to yourself and your family. Be the person you wanted to be when you were a little kid – successful, happy and not addicted to drugs or alcohol!