Nelsan Ellis arrives at the premiere for the fourth season of HBO’s “True Blood” in Los Angeles in 2011. The heart failure was caused by Ellis’s attempt to stop abusing alcohol on his own, which had been a lifelong but private struggle for the actor. “Nelsan has suffered with drug and alcohol abuse for years.”Though he was in and out of rehab, his sobriety never lasted. So finally, “After many stints in rehab, Nelsan attempted to withdraw from alcohol on his own.”Attempting to detox from alcohol without medical attention, particularly after sustained use for a long period of time, is extremely dangerous. “When heavy drinkers suddenly stop or significantly reduce their alcohol consumption, the neurotransmitters previously suppressed by alcohol are no longer suppressed.

Source: Washington Post July 11, 2017 08:15 UTC