What is it with jocks and entertainers that self-destruct?

Didn't Terry-Thomas have Parkinsons?

 

The real tragedy is the epidemic of addiction at every level. To blame the user is to simple an explanation. There have been a number of pieces in the press and on the radio/tv etc on the epidemic of addicts across the board, from middle class kids to down and outerwear to CEOs.

The issue with addiction is very complicated, and particularly opiate addiction. With the advent of The Oxy family of opiates, huge numbers of people, folks with legitimate pain issues got hooked on Oxy. The Feds have reacted by clamping down very hard on the legitimate supply. The problem is, (amongst others) that people who needed pain meds got addicted very quickly, and without proper medical treatment, they were cut off. First came the street access to Oxy, exacerbating the problem, but when the Feds clamped down, the street price of manufactured Oxy skyrocketed, while (thanks Afghanistan!) the price of heroin has dropped through the floor, making the addict move to snorting, then injecting heroin.

The point is, not every junkie is a junkie because they enjoy, or enjoyed getting high. Many came to it literally by accident. I have no opinion on Hoffman's case, but he certainly is not unique.

As long as we as a society treat addiction as a "weakness" rather than a health issue, and indeed a mental health issue, and we devote the resources to getting peole off of opiates we will not solve the problem. The great tragedy is that it is only in the news because a "celebrity" died. I you look around your neighborhood, you will discover in early every area, nearly every, neighborhood, in nearly every socioeconomic class you will find addicts in a significant percentage of the population. If you simply think it a problem of self control, you are naive.

Icarus

 

Just to be clean, and back on the original topic (sort of) I make a very big distinction between the self destructive behaviour of people like Bieber, and average folks who become addicts! Hoffman probably falls somewhere in the middle, as I know he battle addiction for years. My guess is his issue was untreated or mal treated depression leading to self medication. Many addicts suffer from other health issues, and indeed mental health issues, and once again if we fail to address that issue in a meaningful way, we will not begin to solve the problem. One side benefit of the ACA has been an not insignificant increase in mental health care, and indeed for addition issues.

The late, great Lowell George, (who died with his prophecy) "these old rock and roll hours, early graves without flowers..."

Icarus

 

Call me naive. I actually see the opposite. There are a huge number of programs and services that provide, or attempted to provide those needing some help. The problem is, they only work when the person needing help is totally committed to getting out of the situation they are in. Unfortunately, a whole lot of addicted folks will not do anything real to change their destructive behavior. If they are determined not to solve the problem, how can society do anything different?

That is absolutely not a statement that no efforts should be made!!!! It is a statement that the ultimate responsibility falls upon the person making the decisions, not society.

 

Both realities can exist simultaneously! Yes, there are plenty of folks that resist treatment, and many who relapse, but the simple fact is that we don't have enough, effective, long term regimens in place to solve the problem. For example when an insurance company provides treatment but either it doens't run long enough, or it doesn't provide proper follow up care, where does that leave us?

Bottom line, most addictions are not simple, and treatment are not simple, nor are they easy, and they are generally not successful in short time frames. I am a life long smoker, who has battled the addiction for decades, often going clean for months or years, ony to fall off the wagon yet once again. Am I weak? Perhaps, but it is a draw that one can't explain.

Icarus

 

Icarus...

I have seen two grandfathers succumb to nicotine addiction. I was once addicted to smokes as well. Once in a blue moon I may still partake in a nice stogie. I do think my grandfathers were weak to a point... As a family, we tried to help them both, but they were set in their ways. Both would have their "hidden stash", we tried, patches, gum, hypnosis...ect. Ultimately as a family we decided that while their behavior was self destructive, we had exhausted all options for treatment. We figured if they were happy we'd let them be. We knew that they'd have a shorter lifespan but they'd be happier living while smoking, rather than being miserable while trying to quit.

To that end though, the culpability was 100% on my grandfathers. So even with a good support system and treatment...if you they wanted to be helped its there...

When someone gets caught speeding, do we blame the car maker for making a car that can exceed speed limit?
When someone overeats, do we blame Mc Donalds?
When someone gets drunk, do we blame Mr Daniels, or Mr Beam?
When someone wrecks their car while texting, do we blame nokia?

As a society, IMO, we have begun to loose the aspect of personal responsibility. In other words "It cannot be my fault, someone else has to be at fault....." shtty lawyers and judges have only exacerbated this problem and the continued attempt from the government to legislate common sense doesn't help either...

So call me naive as well....Help is out there for those who want to be helped.

 

Regarding the self induced death of Philip Seymour Hoffman, I have no sympathy for him and others in a similar situation, but for this three young children, his family and friends. Many abuse prescription and illegal drugs. Doesn't get any worse than addiction to heroin and crystal meth. Life present many challenges. Drug use and addictions is a one way ticket to a downward spiral and worse.

 

How about family members, friends, neighbours? Do you not think they aren't impacted by a overdose.
Or, in your case the above just don't give a s@*t!

DBCassidy

 

I'm finding it a little hard to get worked up about this.

Mr Hoffman's death was a tragedy, but no more or less than the dude bumming change for meth that you're trying not to notice, or the lady selling her body for a rock of crack.
He earned a bigger slice of pie than most, and it's arguable that society is richer for his having passed through on his way to whatever lies beyond.
He could have, and some say he did avail himself of the best rehab that money can buy....but it didn't work.
Sometimes?
People can't bootstrap their way past a chemical dependency.

I have a little more sympathy for PSH than I do for the Biebers and the Lohans out there for obvious reasons.
Chemical dependance terrifies me.
If there were no deleterious health effects, I'd have nicotine in my system RIGHT NOW....and I haven't touched it in years.
Probably alcohol too.
I had a doc give me IV Valium once fifteen years ago, and there is NO TELLING where I would be right now if that stuff were legal.
I can go on and on.
One of my best friends growing up had a full ride to Purdue.
Tried cocaine once at a frat party and it ruined his life.
My own brother died in his early forties penniless, practically without friends, in a state funded apartment having slayed the dragon but dying from the medical toll accrued during the 25 year fight.

We live in a country where tobacco is demonized (rightfully, IMHO) but everybody is jumping through their nice person trying to get MJ legalized. I know first hand (through my brother) that the government spends vast amounts of blood on interdiction and treasure on rehab. Depending on your political slant or life situation? Way too much on one and not nearly enough on another.
Which is which?
You tell me, but Mr. Hoffman's story adds to my personal belief that like many problems, you cannot fix this by stroking a check or by jacking more money out of other people's paychecks.

RIP Mr. Hoffman.
If a few people out there get scared away from drugs from your example?
You may have contributed to our society yet again.

 

As for the azzhats that use substances that are toxic to have a recreational buzz... I do not have any sympathy for their demise.

My younger brother was a biker, and died before he was 50 from liver failure due to complications of his drug use... he knew what he was putting in his arm wasn't good... but he chose to get loaded with that poison.

There are others in my family with the same problems, and some of them have also met their fate early, or took their own life because they were in a moment of personal dispair for whatever reason, and drugs were present.

You cannot make anyone give up what they chase after. We can only give some counsel, and perhaps a little encouragement when they are making progress with their addictions... but more importantly, we shouldn't lay any blame on the availability of whatever substance these souls are craving. It ultimately wasn't the substance that killed them, it was the flaw in their character that led them to self destruct.

 

To put only partial blame on the "user" or "addicted" means the other part of the blame is obviously on the dealers/providers, but also on the general society as a whole, which I'm part of. I don't consider myself part of the problem or in any part responsible for those who CHOOSE to be irresponsible. Yes, addiction in many cases is very powerful and very personal for anyone who has any sort of addiction, but unless you're a baby born with an addiction due a mother's poor choices, the addicted person is well aware of their problem(s) but chooses to ignore it. Those who conquer addiction choose to make personal responsibility their primary core source of help and strength - anything else that helps get them there is just a fringe benefit.

 

But you have choices too. Gambling runs on one side of my family. I have seem the problems it causes. As such, I assume I me be predisposed to gambling addiction and because of this I won't gamble a penny; I won't even set foot in a book makers for fear of becoming hooked. I know of others who have alcoholics in their family and seem them follow their example.

There is more than enough information about the addictive nature of heroin out there, that to chance it or gamble with your life is madness.

 

^i suspect most Physicians would disagree with the notion that all addicts, and indeed all addiction have "flaws in thier character". As I stated earlier, many current addicts got started after being legitimately prescribed pain meds. Please note that (like with so many things) things are not a simple as many people would like them to be!

 

I don't know.
I think you have to try to evaluate each individual and each individual situation separately and uniquely. We only see the tip of the iceberg...usually the high profile headlines after a meltdown crime or unfortunate or untimely death. People addicted to Heroin and other drugs die prematurely all the time, it's just that most of them don't garner the headlines that a Hollywood figure or a Sports Athlete will inevitably garner.

In some cases, I think it's just too easy to look at the tip of the iceberg and think these people "had it all", and then demonstrate a lesser degree of compassion because they "threw it all away".

I just really don't want to do that. Mostly because I recognize that in most cases, despite a high profile public persona, I don't really know these people. I'm not familiar with the realities of addiction to Heroin or other drugs, nor am I aware of any of the personal demons or challenges these people might be facing. The choice of how I want to react, becomes mine, and I choose to react with compassion.

The only really common thread, is that often these people live in environments that are oddly supportive of self destructive avenues. They have incomes that allow for the obtainment of the tools of self destruction. But in the end? It just becomes a human tragedy, whether that person was an Oscar winning actor/actress or a successful athlete. Or of course a Son, Brother, Daughter, Sister, Mother, Father, Friend or any of the other more private roles that make self destruction all the more tragic for those it really touches outside of a headline, a sensational report.

 

The problem in our society today is that everyone wants to think they are the "exception, not the rule". The reality is most of us are average, given our set of individual circumstances. What one gets out of life lies mostly within each person, not because someone else was responsible for it. Whether you're born with a silver spoon or grew up in a poor family, where you end up is determined by the individual, not someone else. You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink.

 

The sad reality however (and if you don't believe me, simply speak to your local ER doc, of family doc, or police dept) is the are many addicts roaming amongst us "ordinary people" who don't fit the mold of the street junkie! Indeed they may end up "street junkies" and or dead, but man start from respectible starts, and indeed from legitimate pain regimens, like following surgery or accident.

Icarus

 

Agreed - what comes to mind for me when I think "addict" is not a street junkie. Most are, or started off being your average citizen of society who made bad choices.

 

I think we both agree that there are shades of gray in what many would state is a black or white problem. What I'm willing to say is that we (society) has provided just about as many programs for addictions as can be supported. Between many levels of government and charities, there is a LOT out there to help those that are committed to changing themselves. Unfortunately, it can be very easy to think that the presence of a lot of addicts is indicative of society or government failing to provide adequate programs. We have the programs, just too few addicts desiring to truly make use of them. In Hoffman's case, what could have society provided that would have changed his situation????

I just have too much first hand encounters with too many addicts who think these programs are to make their addiction sustainable instead of eliminated. Those that decide (sooner or later) that it is time to end the addiction will often have a lot of support assisting them. Past that point, we just waste money.

 

Treatment, and treatment regimens are but one part of the solution. None of these issues exist in a vacuum. We have very powerful Pharma industry Tht has it's fingers in congress. We have a society that glorifies stardom, we have a society where people are convinced that there is a little pill for anything that ails them, we have a society that mis/under diagnoses early stage mental illness, we live in a society that stigmatizes mental health issues. As a good doctor might say, if you don't treat the whole patient, you are not treating any on him/her.

Solutions need to come from across the board.

Icarus

 

I agree. Blaming any one individual is neither constructive nor appropriate. The problems are deep and pervasive. The overdose casualties are the symptoms, not the illness.