Entertainment
Amy Winehouse -addiction
After hearing about Amy Winehouse’s death this weekend I thought of the sad world in which she lived. She had so many issues from drugs, alcohol, pills, weight issues and even ‘cutting’ herself. I (and our agency ARE) work to educate residents in local rehab houses on the risks associated with the drug lifestyle they are in.. Its sad to see & hear their stories about the struggles which takes me back to Amy. She was surrounded by fans and people, but were they her friends or just triggers to continue or assist her bad habits which ended up taking her life away to soon?
If you’ve never attended a A/A or N/A meeting for addicts I can tell you from experience, its quite eye opening. I’m not a trained drug counselor but you see people who are required to attend due to court charges, some who need to attend because they’re on parole and then you have some who really are trying to change. I’ve heard the term: you can’t change your behavior till your “sick & tired of being sick & tired”. Only when addicts get to that point they accept change. People who’ve never seen or worked with drug addicts don’t realize how drugs do alter the person, their body & their mind. It controls and consumes them.
Amy Winehouse was in too deep it seemed. At this point, its not known what killed the celebrity star but only an autopsy will show. At the end, her tragic story of drug addiction and bad choices over her lifetime took its toll. The vicious cycle of addiction is full circle. Drugs leads to risky behavior which deepens into illness or death if the person can’t break the cycle. We have clients who contracted HIV through drug usage so we know how the risks are increased. In this area, Winchester is known as the ‘Rehab Capital’ in Virginia for its town size. HIV infections among drug users is on the rise not only in this area but the country as a whole. Amy Winehouse’s story just brings home the drug problem that plagues our world. A sad loss of a talented soulful singer. I only hope she’s at peace now & maybe an addict will see her death as a wake up call to make changes in their own life.
Tom Thayer
Tagged AA, addicts, AIDS Response Effort Inc, Amy Winehouse, ARE, celebrity death, court ordered rehab, cutting, Drug Addiction, drug paroles, drug triggers, drugs overdose, HIV, HIV IDU infections, NA meetings, pill, rehab, rehab capital, Winchester VA
