permanently back to black
Whilst many may be shocked by the recent demise of Amy Winehouse, no-one in their right mind can admit to being particularly surprised by it. Undoubted tragedy that it is, there also can be no doubting that the poor (metaphorically speaking) girl was the principal cause of her own downfall and this protagonist certainly played centre-stage. Addiction is undeniably a mighty powerful demon but it is an absolute choice and a personal one. I choose to put a pint to my lips, Amy chose to put a needle to her vein. You pays your money and you makes your drug of choice.
The oft-repeated myth that addiction is a disease or mental illness is a gross insult to those genuinely afflicted by such. Those with ‘lifestyle’ issues of reckless binging or drug-taking are THE active agents in their own demise. Few are openly coerced into such a lifestyle and whilst personal circumstances may indeed be part of the complete story, the actual person and the choices made by that individual are the key determining factors. The fact that many addicts make a concious decision to kick their habit and do so via self-help and therapy only seeks to highlight this. If only the genuinely ill or diseased were able to self-help and talk their way to recover.
The vicious circle into which many celebs become embroiled is that they appear to forget that which made them, namely the particular talent, and they become a caricature of what they once were…only with the addicted habits replacing what was once worthy. The trouble with addicts is that come to see their vice as part of who they really are and my, can they play that like a good ‘un. The worse their behaviour, the more the coverage and the greater the infamy. In this process the media is an inveterate enabler and as such has to accept at least some of the responsibility for not only her life but also her death. We would all do well to remember that today’s corrupt and trivia-obsessed media is just as interested in breaking as in making.
