The Death of Amy Winehouse (And Why We Should All Be Sad That She's Gone)
88
"Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them? To die: to sleep;
No more; and by a sleep to say we end
The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks
That flesh is heir to, 'tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wish'd. To die, to sleep;
To sleep: perchance to dream."- William Shakespeare (Hamlet, III.i.56-64)
I won't lie - when I logged into my Twitter account yesterday morning, and Mashable informed me that Amy Winehouse had passed away, my initial response was one of complete apathy.
"Surprise, surprise," I said to myself.
And that was the extent of it.
I then sipped on my coffee, as if I'd just read the weather forecast, and went on to see what Jason Sweeney had to say, since he's usually good for a laugh first thing in the morning...
He didn't disappoint.
I laughed, pretty hard, without giving it too much thought, and moved on to other tweets.
It wasn't until later in the day, after logging into Facebook, that my response began to change. As I looked at my friend's statuses, I was taken aback by how many were outraged that Winehouse's death was getting so much attention. One poster claimed to be "honestly sick of hearing about amy winehouse [sic]! surprize [sic]! That's what happens to heroin addicts! Maybe let's focus on other world tragedies!!" (She was, of course, referring to the previous day's events in Oslo, where - according to the Wall Street Journal - at least 87 people were killed).
Her post had two 'likes', and eight responses, all of which applauded her sentiments, joked around, and made statements like, "Yeah the sh__ that happened in Norway seems to be easily overlooked by a methhead sluts death. F___in' terrible how people are."
Ahem... terrible how people are?
![Back To Black [Explicit]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41ssqMJ-GpL._SL75_.jpg) | Amazon Price: $7.99 |
These types of comments haven't been uncommon, either. They're everywhere. On Twitter, Matchbox Twenty's Rob Thomas got in a brief spat with a (former) fan, after she posted a number of distasteful tweets in response to Winehouse's death. "Who cares?," she said. "She's a waste of human flesh," later following up to discuss how she, on the other hand, had earned her flesh, by "staying up all night for Relay for Life, curing cancer. You know, being a productive human being." (Norwegian Noble Commmittee, prepare your Peace Prize...)
Sadly - but not surprisingly - some members of the press have also jumped in on the 'fun' (albeit ones from a notoriously distasteful, quasi-newspaper/tabloid). In the New York Post's Sunday issue, they too demonstrated a lack of sympathy, and felt it appropriate to use the lyrics in her song, Rehab, to create an amusing headline for their front page.
 | Amazon Price: $10.75 List Price: $19.98 |
 | Amazon Price: $8.59 List Price: $14.95 |
At some point, I just began to feel ashamed, not only of my own initial reaction, but of a society that has become so desensitized to reality that we think it's acceptable to call a person a 'methhead slut,' and a 'waste of flesh' immediately following their death, simply because... why? Because she was a celebrity, who had the fame and fortune that we all dream of, but still wasn't strong enough to overcome her addiction. Her disease.
Towards the end of his Twitter quarrel, Rob Thomas commented on how there were "[s]o many people saying that because it's not a surprise that Amy Winehouse passed, it's not sad. I hope you have more compassion for friends."
So is that what the problem is? When a person prematurely loses their life because of an addiction, are we only expected to find it sad if they're our friend? Would it then be more suitable to mourn, and choose to discuss what we loved about them, rather than what we hated?
Or is the real issue that Winehouse's death threatens to overshadow yesterday's events in Norway? Is it that we spend so much time mourning the loss of one drug addict we know, while quickly dismissing the loss of eighty-seven innocent lives we don't? (Though if that's the case, where was the outcry when 80 lives were lost in the Taliban's retaliatory bombing of Pakistan back in May?)
The truth is, we are hardwired to react differently to the deaths of people we know than those we don't. Should we be ashamed of this? Of course not. There are currently 7 billion people in the world, and each day, 150,000 of them die. And that will continue to occur each subsequent day, for the rest of our lives. In the next year alone, that equates to roughly 55 million people dying, which would be the equivalent of the populations of Australia (21.9 million) and Canada (33.7 million) combined.
So what would happen if, every time a person died, we responded in the exact same way? It's often said that when someone we care about dies, a part of ourselves dies with them - then what exactly would remain of ourselves if we mourned over the 150,000 lives lost each day? Certainly not very much. Of course, we avoid this fate by creating a hierarchical system of relationships that dictates how we will be emotionally affected. Does it mean that some deaths are more tragic than others? No - it simply means that we have a varying degree of emotional attachment to different people.
When a family member or close friend dies, for example, we're heartbroken. When an acquaintance dies, we're upset. When it's a co-worker we don't really know, we might be a bit shaken up. And when it's someone we don't know at all, while certainly sympathetic, we're largely unaffected. We might discuss it over dinner, or pray for them, but we go on with our daily lives. We have to. (I am being very general here - certainly the reality is far more complex.)
![Frank [Explicit]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51qIqSi2G3L._SL75_.jpg) | Amy Winehouse Amazon Price: $9.99 |
So how does it work with celebrities? It depends, of course, on who they are, and how profound a role they played in our lives - but the fact is that they are recognizable to us. The effect they had may vary, but we saw and heard them as a living person. And when they die, particularly at a young age, we're confronted by their mortality - and, to a degree, consequently our own. That celebrities who seemingly have it all can be here today, and gone the next, is a frightening thought.
So while Amy Winehouse might have been an alcoholic and a drug addict, and might have become a caricature of her former self over the past couple years, she also possessed, as Russell Brand so eloquently put it, a "voice that was filled with such power and pain that it was at once entirely human yet laced with the divine." She undoubtedly had a gift, arguably having the most raw talent of any musician of her generation, and we were all blessed to have been able to witness it, if only briefly.
And that is the part of Amy Winehouse that I choose to remember - an artist who was larger than life on the stage, and who profoundly struggled to cope with her true stature once she came off of it.
What you choose to remember, however, is entirely up to you.
Related Links
- ABC News Clip: Amy Winehouse Dead
- Dail Mail: Genius, But Hers Was Not A Life to Admire
- MTV: Amy Winehouse's Family Reacts to Her Death
- Rolling Stone: Musicians Respond to Amy Winehouse's Death
- Hub Question: Why do so many people care that Amy Winehouse died?
- Hub Question: Is drug/alcohol addiction a disease or a choice?
vote upvote downshareprintflag
- Useful (3)
- Funny
- Awesome (4)
- Beautiful (3)
- Interesting (8)
CommentsLoading...
Our insane fascination with celebrities is ridiculous. What's difficult for me is that drug addiction is a choice. No one made her or any other addict choose to destroy themselves. But, I'm not an addict, so I don't know what that must be like.
We have become desensitized to things like this. Yes, many people just see another dead junkie, it just happens that this dead junkie had a few popular songs and won a grammy. So instantly, she is more important than the junkie living next door who has no voice and makes no news.
I think it's difficult for many people to feel sorry for her or other people who willingly choose to destroy themselves. Not because of a lack of sympathy, but rather a lack of empathy because not many can understand what was happening in her mind.
I was not a fan of hers, but it does sadden me that someone who has so much talent and chooses to throw it all away. It also angers me to some degree.
I think you made a very good hub here...
up and interesting...
i am getting ready to listen to her sing for the first time on the youtube. i do admire your transition of dispassionate feelings to complete compassion. what is very interesting is, all the people who speak out against her, are uncomfortable within themselves about who they are. she can only reflect back to us our unloved parts, should we need those items resolved. i sincerely appreciate your wisdom of introspection and the truth of who she is and was. since i have no television and did not even know what she looked like, i am seeing her for the first time through your hub. most who "suffer" from addiction, (we all have some brain chemistry function we get tied to) involving alcohol/drugs feel unloved by their father. work through that feeling, the drug/drinking abuse goes away. i hope good coffee comes to your country soon too. Dr. Mike
As you know Josh, I was a fan of Amy Winehouse. It saddened me to learn of her death, but I wasn't entirely surprised as she suffered from her depression and addictions for a long time. It is tragic but I feel that although drug and alcohol abuse is self-inflicted, it is still a disease. I will choose to remember her as a troubled woman who wrote thought provoking songs and was a talented singer. Thanks for such an interesting hub. Voted up.
I think its somewhat of a double standard, thinking back to when Elvis died, everybody (even today) idolizes him as the greatest icon (according to other people) he was a drug addict, Hendrix, and several other celebrities, rock bands past and present are drug addicts but they had more respect for who they were based on the music they gave the world. I really don't understand why its so different with Amy, but I do know that if a person has ever dealt with a relative that is lost and on drugs then they can relate to what her family must have been going through. She was someones daughter, niece, and sister, a person should be able to sympathize with her regardless of her wrong decisions. Everyone has made wrong decisions, but should we crucify her because of it? I agree with what you said, she did have a disease, drug addiction is a disease whether people believe it or not. People often turn to drugs as a result of depression and being unfulfilled in the world for whatever reason, but for the world to call her so many derogatory names is so unnecessary and uncalled for. Its sad to live in a society where death or the loss of a human life means absolutely nothing! Where people care more about animals than people...its a sad time we are living in. No I wasn't a fan, but I respected the art in her music.
I have been listening to her album its really good. Thanks for sharing her story.
This is a fantastic hub. How right you are. Remember that old saying - until you've walked a mile in someone's shoes, you can't possibly understand..or judge..their blisters. -Also its tragic for her family and loved ones to see things like 'she's a waste of flesh' written about her. O by the way - I disagree with some of the comments like the one saying that drug addiction isn't a disease. O boy, that is exactly what it IS. Do addicts really want to be addicts, I don't think so.
.josh.,
Excellent hub!
You've touched on some very significant points about how we as humanity, process the painful, shocking yet consistently familiar tragedies during our lifetime.
It amazes me how how vile and ugly people's rhetoric can be upon the death of another fellow human being.
Sure it can be argued that although extremely talent Ms. Winehouse was very self-destructive,eccentric and self-absorbed that still doesn't justfy such hateful wrangling at the time of her death.
It's the double edged sword of commentary being so immidate easily distributed the 21st century. I would think if it were written on paper, put down for a time and looked upon again before published it would change much of the negativity in tone!
My two cents!
May she rest in peace and God have mercy on her soul.
Very poignant hub - you've touched on topics some people shy away from. I did not know Amy nor did I know much of her music, her loss is sad for many people, but as you say, she is one of many thousands. Part of life is death and there is little we can do about that. You get a vote-up and an awesome for being able to write this.
@Optimizers: I think this is simply an issue we're going to have to agree to disagree on. The notion that calling addiction a disease somehow insults or disrespects those with other diseases is, frankly, ludicrous. Would your argument extend to those who contract sexually transmitted diseases through having unprotected sex? What about those who are diagnosed with cancer after years of smoking?
In any case, to prevent this comments section from becoming a forum for this debate, I've actually posted the question in the Questions section if you'd like to further discuss it there (http://hubpages.com/question/130257/is-addiction-a ). I'll post my response in there later today.
@cooldad: I appreciate the comment. I absolutely agree with you regarding our obsession with celebrities - it's ridiculous. The fact that the most successful bloggers are individuals like Perez Hilton certainly doesn't reflect well on our society.
As for addiction being a choice, it's a controversial issue. I think there's a big difference between choosing to do drugs and choosing to become an addict, just as there's a difference between choosing to have unprotected sex and choosing to have AIDS, or choosing to smoke and choosing to have cancer. Did anyone force them to do any of these things? No. But they didn't choose each of these things to obtain the consequences, they chose to do them for the high, and the pleasure, and the naive belief that bad things only happen to other less-fortunate people.
Anyways, that's my take. I can appreciate that this is a rather controversial issue, and I certainly respect that you have your own. I truly appreciate you reading the hub, and providing a thoughtful response.
@CMeritt: Much appreciated, and I think there are many who share your feelings. It's a hard thing to understand from our perspective.
@DrMike: Thank you for reading, and providing such a thoughtful response. It's funny you mention the greatest critics being people who are in fact unhappy with themselves, as my initial conclusion of this hub was along those lines, the idea being that what we choose to remember of Amy Winehouse is no longer a reflection on her, but on ourselves.
As for the comment regarding the relationship with her father, you certainly could be onto something. He had an open affair for roughly the first decade of her life, which was credited as being a primary contributor to her dim outlook towards relationships and men.
Thanks again for such an insightful comment! (And I'm working on the coffee...)
@jacqui I agree with you 100%, and from your article on Amy, I think we're certainly on the same page. Thanks for reading!!
@TashaJ You bring up an excellent point, as the public response certainly isn't consistent; I think one of the issues with Winehouse was that so much press had been focused on her drug problems, and so many had predicted she was on this path, that the public just lost sympathy. Personally, that's when I became sympathetic - someone who does that to themselves would have to be in an incredibly dark place.
Thank you for reading, and making such a wonderful contribution to the discussion!
@celebritie: She was undoubtedly a unique talent. Thanks for coming by!
@Lesley: Very well put, and I agree you with completely. I don't think we can even begin to imagine what Amy must have been going through. If you want to read a wonderful tribute to Amy, I suggest reading Russell Brand's, 'For Amy' (http://www.russellbrand.tv/2011/07/for-amy/ ). Who knew he was capable of such eloquence?
Thank you for reading!
@StayPos: A very enlightened comment, I appreciate it. You really hit the nail on the head, my friend. One of the most dangerous things about the internet is the immediacy in which we can respond to an event, and the permanency of the statements we choose to make. I think we could all undoubtedly benefit from a little reflection.
@Phil: Much appreciated, sir. I'll be honest - while I was aware of Amy's music (and the fact that she was uber-talented), I knew very little about her aside from the fact that she had a 'drug problem.' My response to her passing isn't so much as a fan, but just as a human being. I was genuinely disappointed in all the negativity, as any death - particularly at 27 - is tragic.
Thanks so much for coming by!
This is a very sad news for me as well. So much talent just wasted. However, I agree to some comments above about addiction being a choice. There is a way to avoid these vises through discipline and self-control.
Good hub!
Regards,
Alma
I appreciate it, Alma. It really is sad to think about what might have been, had she been able to overcome her addiction.
As for it being a choice, well you are clearly not on your own with that belief, and I respect that. I'm actually in the process of writing a hub on that very topic, and would love to hear your thoughts once it's finished :)
Thanks for reading!
Very well written hub. I enjoyed it, though that seems to be the wrong word to use in the circumstances.
She was a very talented singer and it would be a tragedy that she has gone regardless of the circumstances of her death.
The accusation that hse only had herself to blame may be strictly accurate but I do not believe anyone ever makes a choice to become an addict whether it is to drugs, alcohol, coffee, shoes, cigarettes or bad partners.
We all make mistakes but some of us are able to make changes before they become a permanent presence in our lives. Sadly she was unable to do so.
I never imagined this would happen this to her
@Tim: Well said, and I agree with you 100%. I actually went on to discuss this in a later hub (and I see you have one on a similar topic, off to read it now!).
Thanks so much for the thoughtful comments!
@scott: It really is tragic, isn't it? Thanks for stopping by!
Amy winehouse produced some nice tunes . Sad she passed away .
Indeed, though there may be a few songs left - apparently they completed some of the tracks from her new album, which will be released at some point.
Thanks for the comment!
Addictions have taken the lives of so many young people, and it was the Beatles, way back in the sixties, who used their vast influence to make drug use a mainstream activity. After all, if the Beatles are using, it must be OK!
For some reason, history seems to have forgotten that.
I must be plugged in to different sources than you. I have heard a lot of sympathy for her. And, I am very sorry that she died. What a waste of an amazing talent. Her voice was incredible, and so was her style, even if I didn't like the lyrics.
@WillStarr: Absolutely - that's an excellent point. Funny how it works, isn't it?
Thanks for sharing!
@mcschneider: I suppose you must be, though I should note that I never said that many weren't sympathetic. I simply focused on those who weren't, and from my perspective, there are a surprising number of people in this category.
And I appear not to be alone on this:
http://tinyurl.com/EmpathyChips
http://tinyurl.com/EmpathyAddiction
http://tinyurl.com/TwoTragedies
In any case, I did not mean to imply that everyone was unsympathetic, but only that more lacked sympathy than I had expected (including people I knew, which perhaps was the most upsetting). Thank you so much for reading, and I absolutely agree with you (on the latter half) - as I said earlier, really quite sad to think of what might have been accomplished if she'd kicked the habit and been able to live a full life.
A very sad situation indeed. Many talented people get themselves in this type of mess.
I hated her music. It's tragic she died because it's tragic when anyone dies, but to say that her death is a more important event than the Norway disaster is under evaluating the situation. Amy Winehouse's family will be taken care of with her vast amounts of wealth she's accumulated from winning so many awards, however, the whole country of Norway shook with those bombs, both literally and figuratively, and those people need more support and attention than a woman that explicitly says in her music that she has a problem but doesn't want to fix it (thus the "No No No" part). That's why I have no sympathy for her.
Does it matter what was the reason of her death?!
She died already! And that is the sadest thing to me :'(
@angemac: It really is far too common. Thanks for the comment!
@The Taco Tagger: I did not say that Amy Winehouse's death was more important than the deaths of the people in Norway - not even close. What I said is that it's natural for people to have a different response to the death of those they're familiar with, than the death of those they are not.
As for not having sympathy for Winehouse because of some of her lyrics in 'Rehab,' she also says "I don't ever wanna drink again/I just, ooh, I just need a friend" in that same song. She was in a dark place, and simply didn't believe rehab was the answer (after having gone to rehab previously with minimal success); I don't think that makes her any less worthy of our sympathy.
In any case, we're certainly all free to have our own opinions, and I appreciate you sharing yours.
@Stella: Thanks for your comments!
She was a disaster waiting to happen.
I suppose she was, cowtown, as all addicts are. Thanks for reading!
Very well put. Nice job.
Thanks Kate!!
She was a great artist and I'm always sad when young people die addicted or not. And it's so easy to pass judgement on people whom we don't know anything about. She has been judged by so many who don't have a clue.
Great hub and vote up.
Absolutely agreed, LadyFae. Thanks so much!!
I missed this when you first posted it josh, but I do agree with you. No, I was not surprised when I saw it on Facebook. My reaction was similar to yours "so what? big surprise" While we still do not (and may never) know what really happened in this young woman's last moments, but who are we to judge? All evidence points to her trying to clean up her life. I didn't know her, but any life lost so young is tragic. It should make us all think about how short life is.
No worries, Danielle -- during my week off, I know I threw out a bunch of hubs, so I'm sure it was hard to keep up.
Thanks once again for the thoughtful comments!
A pretty sad update I thought I'd share on here: it appears Winehouse might have actually died from alcohol withdrawal, while trying to kick her habit (supporting what Danielle said above).
I wonder if this makes people any more sympathetic...?
Every life has a purpose and every death leaves a missing piece in someone elses life. Let's not forget she has a family who loved her and no matter what her life choices may have been every one deserves to be missed on some level. No death is funny in my eyes.
Very well said LeeLee -- couldn't agree more.
Thanks so much for stopping by!
Excellent hub! I admire your humanity.
I really appreciate it, asianlight. Thank you so much!
Excellent hub.
My mum is a rehab worker, and although I'm no expert on the subject of drugs and addiction myself, what I've gleaned from my mum's experiences is that it's never as simple as addiction being a choice, or addiction being a disease. And I can see that once addicted, it's one of the most difficult things in the world for some people to choose to break the habits that are killing them. Some people are stronger than others, and we none of us know how strong we would be if we'd been placed in Ms Winehouse's position - we have the luxury of anonymity, and can do our suffering and make our mistakes in relative obscurity (at least without having them splashed all over the front pages).
I'm sad that Amy died, and think it's a tragic loss of a life - as most loss of life is tragic (I say most, because I'm not sure that I'd have mourned Hitler in 1945!). I find it very uncomfortable that people are able to joke about a death such as this so callously.
Great hub, and very interesting points raised.
Linda.
I think you did a fantastic job of covering your bases so to speak as to the emotional (and non-emotional) angles of this situation. It is especially interesting to hear people's reactions to the event since, whether or not you were a fan of hers, this is one of those times when the majority of the public really is viewing this from an objective standpoint. In situations like this I find myself always having the same sort of reaction which is to realize that she had family and friends who loved her very much regardless of the decisions she made during her lifetime. I understand that people may not have a personal connection to her and therefore may not mourn her loss the way her family and friends are, but I do think that her survivors as well as her memory deserve respectful silence if nothing else, just as I would wish for the survivors of those lost in the recent tragedy. I would hope that people would not joke so heartlessly about my death when that time comes.
@Lady Wordsmith: Very well said, Linda, and thank you so much for your insight. I remember seeing this video where Winehouse and her entourage had been stuck in a traffic jam, and the singer - clearly inebriated and/or high - had exited the vehicle and was roaming around the shoulder, speaking nonsense, with some paparazzi following her with a camera, seemingly without any interest in actually helping her out. And when it was posted on Youtube, the comments were overwhelmingly negative, often amused at how she'd become such a parody of her former self, calling her disgusting and predicting when she would inevitably overdose.
No doubt this has an effect, and had she been able to struggle with her demons behind closed doors, who knows what might have happened. What's truly upsetting is the fact that she seems to have been trying to kick her habit, and actually died from withdrawal, which would have been entirely preventable if she had sought out professional help.
Thanks so much for reading and leaving such thoughtful comments, Linda. So very much appreciated.
@Vinay Heart: Thank you for your kind words, and you really hit the nail on the head. Regardless of where you stand on the subject of addiction, and how you felt about Winehouse, she had a family and people who loved her, and for their sake, the respectable thing would be to keep the negativity to yourself. I suppose it's sometimes hard to remember that celebrities are people just like the rest of us, however, and we lack sympathy for those who 'had it all, and threw it all away,' as if it really were that simple.
Thank you so much for reading, and leaving such an eloquent response. I really do appreciate it.
Josh- thanks for a great hub! I too was saddened by the media's reaction to Amy's death, though I admit that my initial reaction was similar to yours. Though I am a huge fan, I wasn't exactly shocked. I agree that addiction is a disease. She was also clinically depressed, which only fed into her addictions.
I'm sure you've heard the news of her toxicology results today, which is heartening if you believe (as I do) that she genuinely was trying to turn her life around. Perhaps it was her sudden abstinence from alcohol that taxed her abused body in the end.
I hope you don't mind if I link to your hub from the one I just published on Amy's death and toxicology results. Your hub is very thoughtful and well-written. Please check mine out if you have a chance. :)
Thanks for the kind words, mothermonster, and I certainly don't mind the link at all. Thank you!
I did hear the news of her toxicology results, and it really is sad to hear; I haven't really noticed much of a public response thus far, but would be interested to hear whether this update changes the opinions of some who'd previously been so harsh.
On my way over to your hub right now - thanks again for the thoughtful comments! I really appreciate it.
I agree. It would be nice if some would reconsider their lack of compassion at first. I understand that she hadn't exactly had a squeaky clean public image, but no one deserves the scorn some people doled out when she first passed away. Especially hard for her family to deal with that on top of her death, I'm sure.
Absolutely. I think it's sometimes easy to forget that celebrities, while either exceptionally talented or exceptionally good-looking (or both), are flawed just like the rest of us.
And I can't even begin to imagine what her family must be going through. Very sad.
To the rotund "cooldad" if you're going to slam somebody, get your information right, big boy. "it just happens that this dead junkie had a few popular songs and won a grammy. So instantly, she is more important than the junkie living next door who has no voice and makes no news." Actually, she won 5 grammy's in one night. Then another one about a year later, let alone her other awards and international fame. Lots of luck getting anything close to that kind of recognition yourself. Now. Is addiction a disease? I don't know, doesn't seem like one, but my issue is that she adamantly chose to fund drug dealers and losers. BUT, I appreciate her talent and she was my favorite artist of today. Amy Winehouse and Adele are fantastic.
And how can you all be so sure that she didn't want to die? seems like she A. was never going to get Blake (her ex-husband back, whom she really was obsessed with) B. kick her drug habit, C. probably was embarrassed by her recent catastrophe in Belgrade where she was boo'd off stage D. canceled tours E. failed rehabs. It was probably just too much. I would want to die if I went through that. Many people kill themselves just over the break up of a relationship. So add all of the rest onto it and just try to get out healthy and lively. It must be nearly impossible
Josh,
your hub is brilliant and so needed. I was not a fan of Amy's music though respected it, however understood the battle with the addiction of heroine and the loneliness and lack of hope. People just judge her behaviour which is a disease same as I have
I am clean now after daily IV use of heroine and cocaine, then crack. People judge sadly because they are not educated. Her death effected me so much and this Hub should be put on every media wire there is
bless you for doing Amy deserved justice then bringing it to us.
Kimberly
The Optimizers 10 months ago
Drug addiction is NOT a disease.. And saying that it is a disease is extremely insulting to those people who have a real diseases! Its tragic that she died, granted. But there are millions of people out there with real diseases dying or suffering, and those people did not have a choice.