As the world undoubtedly knows, the talented and troubled songstress, Amy Winehouse, passed away today at age 27. The jokes poured out when in reality, it is anything but funny. Addiction is a serious issue that affects millions of people. Some people mentioned having no sympathy for those that make the choice to do drugs. Everyone is allowed their own opinions, of course, but this close minded nonsense pisses me off to no end.
We don't know what drives people to make that decision in the first place. We've never been in their shoes and therefore, we should not judge. We are not a higher power and have no right judging others to be less worthy. There would be a hell of a lot less drama/trauma/chaos in the world if we tried to understand each other instead of point fingers.
Yes, doing drugs is a choice, but I highly doubt anyone picks up a needle or pops a pill hoping to become addicted. What they are looking for is an escape, and that is where the real mess lies. A lot of people who do drugs have a mental illness. Schizophrenia, depression, bi-polar, anxiety, etc. will lead people to drugs if they do not receive proper treatment. And I don’t just mean Px drugs and therapy. People need other people. We are social beings and the support of our peers is vastly important to our mental and emotional well-being. Society still has major stigma towards mental illness, and therefore, makes it even more hard for those people to cope. Until we take a moment to understand the emotional and mental challenges that our fellow humans face – instead of acting like we are somehow better and cannot be bothered – then those that turn to drugs will continue to be plagued by inner demons and their “quick fix” will continue to be a permanent one.
-SWS
