ALEX VAUGHN
This past Saturday, I was told the sad news that Amy Winehouse had been found dead in her London home.
I had the pleasure of meeting Amy a few times and she was very charming and very fun. I was so saddened to hear news of her passing and every report I read, including mine, mentioned her troubled life with addiction.
Sadly, that almost eclipsed a unique and heart wrenching vocal style and writing prowess that was striking in contrast to the pop factory styles that are being produced.
Other reports cited that, at 27, she was the same age as Kurt Cobain, Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison and Janis Joplin when they left us.
One has to wonder what pushes the talented to self-destructive lives. They have fame, money and get to go to work to do what they love.
Heath Ledger and Brittany Murphy, two other young people whom we lost too early. Michael Jackson, Elvis and Marilyn, too, all gone before their time.
Now, though Amy’s passing is at the time I’m writing this still unexplained, just the mention of her past provides light on a troubled soul.
Yet worryingly we don’t have to look to the rich and famous to see addiction and its disastrous consequences.
No, meth, heroin, rock, pot, coke, “e” and all manner of other ‘legal’ substances, such as a oxycodone, oxycontin and vicodin, are part of a large sector of the communities lives in our back yard. Miami, Tampa, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando … it doesn’t matter, there is a serious issue of addiction to drugs.
We see them in bars and clubs and even just walking down the Drive. They are sketchy – they look ill and like they haven’t slept for 2 days, which is highly likely. Times have changed, drugs of choice have shifted but the disastrous effects haven’t.
I wrote an opinion my second week at the paper and found that the LGBT community was more prone to addiction due to both their lack of self esteem and because they tended to be alone, and often aligned themselves with similar people.
I have unquestionably met people here who are under the influence of something other than a tini or two. I, too, have stood back watched, judged or, as is the London way, ignored.
Yet I have to reprimand myself … really? Knowing that someone two years younger than I has passed and the ‘assumption’ of how made me think, and I hope you too, if you know someone who is abusing any substance, it won’t make you popular, but get involved. You can help them and, at the risk of sounding preachy, you should.
As a community, we need to stick together. Party people may not think it will happen to them, but there are so many variables when doing drugs that many don’t know: quality, dose, what it’s cut with, adverse reactions, etc., and yet people blindly go aheadnot realizing the potentially fatal consequences.
Just think about it: In so many cases, people who OD have been doing drugs previously – often for many years – all it takes is one bad trip, one mistake and that’s it.
Not to mention, like alcohol – or even antibiotics – your body adjusts and the effects lessen, so one needs more and more; and, as we have all seen and read, that one more could likely spell the end of a talent, a star … A human being who didn’t need to be taken, all for one more hit, that ended being their last.
Drugs maybe fun; they may enhance sexual gratification, etc., but is that worth your life? If not for you, what about your friends, family, people who care, is it really worth it?
We have seen people letting drugs take over their lives, missing work, appointments and, unfortunately, the immediate reaction is the judgement ‘well what do you expect of a meth head?’ This is wrong – particularly when it comes from those who have been strong and wise enough to beat addiction. These people in many ways, more so than those of us who haven’t been affected by addiction need to stand up. Sadly, the reality is that you must work every day to keep away from drugs. Rehab is the best course of action, as the person can receive treatment across the board to help them change their mindset. If you are a recovering addict, don’t judge or be harsh to people you know. Remember, you were there once and, hopefully, someone reached out to you. Now is the time to pay it forward.
Sure they are in charge of their own lives, but as their friends, colleagues and even acquaintances, we need to reach out. Even a recreational user is in danger; you don’t have to be a tragic addict to die.
If you or anyone you know is affected by drugs there are a wealth of resources available to help you:
• Narcotics Anonymous, www.na.org, this comprehensive site enables you to find local NA meetings
• www.soberrecovery.com offers a range of recovery resources
• The Pride Institute of Fort Lauderdale Hospital offers a range addiction services. www.fortlauderdalehospital.org
• Lambda South, Fort Lauderdale Provides a meeting place primarily for gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgenders in recovery from a number of different addictions, www.lambdasouth.org
• The Pride Center offers a range of services for people in recovery, www.glccsf.org