Picture this: You’re a self-destructive pop star in the midst of a custody battle for your two sons. What do you do? Drink, smoke, get booked for a hit-and-run and party, of course.

Such is the behavior of the narcissistic celebrity Britney Spears.

Why do people care so much about the personal lives of celebrities? An easy answer would be that ordinary people are envious of the glamorous and fast-paced lives celebrities lead, but Americans have taken it to another level.

The aforementioned activities would seem like an obvious mistake for any person attempting to retain custody of his or her children. In a recent move that shocked no one, the aging Spears lost custody of her children to her ex-husband Kevin Federline.

Despite her self-aggrandized arrogance, it is painfully clear that Spears is not immune to the precepts of the law.

Ever since she shaved her head, Spears’ every move has been photographed and chronicled. The constant attention is enough to make any person take a flying leap off of a cliff, and Spears has clearly not deviated from those expectations.

Her personal derailment plunged the tabloid media into a state of utter chaos. Once a mesmerizing and critically acclaimed performer, Spears is now the source of constant flogging by media critics.

Tabloids feed America’s insatiable desire to vicariously live a life more interesting than their own. They are America’s ultimate escapism. America is clearly addicted to the personal mishaps of celebrities. Perhaps a 12-step program should be created.

“There’s a celebrity stalker in all of us. We need celebrities as much as we need food, water and shelter. We need them to feel connected,” said James Houran, an academic clinical psychologist who has researched celebrity worship, in an article in USA Today.

In recent years, America’s fascination with the personal choices of public icons has morphed from admiration into pseudo-stalking.

Britney Spears could not even use a public restroom without having a story plastered all over the tabloids. Whereas attention used to be given to actors and musicians for their talents and contributions to the entertainment industry, the focus is now on personal tribulations.

It’s the price celebrities must pay for their fame; they choose to live the lives they do. The risks of becoming a celebrity must be accepted just as a soldier accepts the risks of war when he enlists in the army. Practicing one’s artistic talent often requires a huge sacrifice.

Did Britney Spears deserve to lose custody of her children? Most definitely. She’s clearly unbalanced. But the media is partially to blame.

Constant media attention can cause famous actors, musicians and models to act out in order to relieve the unrelenting pressures of their lives. This is seen all too often, as evidenced by the drug problems of young starlets such as Lindsay Lohan and Nicole Ritchie.

“Last month, a judge ordered Spears to submit to random drug tests after finding she engaged in ‘habitual, frequent and continuous use of controlled substances and alcohol,’” CNN reported.

Reports suggest that she in fact failed to comply with these orders.

Clearly, this entire situation cannot be beneficial to Spears’ children, neither of whom voluntarily chose to live life in the media spotlight. A public figure must be separated from his or her children in the public eye; it is the celebrity and only the celebrity who deserves, if at all, to be the focus of media attention. However, one could also debate the newsworthiness of reporting at all on the personal lives of public figures.

Children of celebrities do nothing and are almost always instantly famous. What exactly did Paris Hilton do to become a public figure, besides being a member of a famous family? Constant media pressure can corrupt the lives of the people on whom they focus.

Children of celebrities must be given a fair chance to live their own lives in this world, and it is painfully obvious that it is nearly impossible to do this given our current culture.

It is time for America to break its addictive behavior and simply focus on the contributions of celebrities rather than their personal lives and endeavors. Perhaps then Spears can regain her sanity and children as well as achieve a true career resurrection.

[Reach columnist Chris Heide at opinion@thedaily.washington.edu.]