Do you really care about the drug using celebrities?

The Ancient Greeks defined “tragedy” as a fall from a high to a low estate. This is what happens when a popular artist falls off the pedestal upon which so many place them. usually because they are unable to handle being so successful. It happens with some major sports figures, and even with some politicians. Most of us see these events as tragedies, and grieve for them, largely because “there, but for the Grace of God, go I.”

Do I care? I do feel some pain knowing these people were drug addicted, couldn’t seem to help themseves. Such talented people, dying so young. Being, most likely, rather tormented psychologically. But, as I said on the Q about Whitney Houston, their deaths do not surprise me. If I am honest I don’t care as much as if it were a young artist stricken with a disease like cancer, or a horrible freak accident, or even an addict who suffered through war or terrible abuse. Were these people horribly abused? Did they witness something in their life that was so difficult to cope with addiction is understandable? I know all too many people who get drug addicted and their life just was not that bad, and they hate and have anger I do not understand. In some ways they create their own hell to maintain their addiction I think.

What @JLeslie said!!!

They had talent.

I don’t really care. Life has taught me not to get too invested in the deaths of random celebrities. I’ll save my grief for someone who matters to me personally.

Do I really care about any celebrities?
Besides Michael Jackson.

“Do you really care about the drug using celebrities?”

Nope.

Personally, I don’t care. However, we are a society that is enamored with celebrities, to the point that some people care more about them then the people they met on a day to day basis. The media likes to pander to the easiest to pander to, so we get way more stories about celebrities than anyone should care about.

I do care. Not just about the celebrities but about the everyday people who live (and die) with a drug addiction. Whilst I was not a huge Amy Winehouse fan (talented girl for sure but her style of music didn’t do much for me) it made me so mad to see the amount of insensitive Facebook status’ from friends of mine saying things like “it was her own fault, she deserved it”, “why do we care about these fucking wasters?” etc etc I have two problems with these kinds of status’. Firstly: would these people be so lacking in compassion and judgemental if it was their own child, parent or best friend? Whilst Amy Winehouse was just a celebrity in the eyes of many, she was someone else’s loved one. I felt so sad for her poor father who obviously thought the world of her. Same with Whitney Houston who has left behind a teenage daughter. Secondly: I believe that drug addiction stems from other underlying mental health problems. Amy Winehouse, Whitney Houston and Michael Jackson all clearly had demons that they just couldn’t cope with and there are plenty of normal people with their own demons that lead to some sort of addiction. These people need help and not the high horse attitude that people who don’t suffer with an addiction tend to adopt in situations like these.

Yes. I care about all of humanity.

My husband & I discussed these artists yesterday during coffee. It’s a shame that none of them could find a balance of healthy codependency. Someone they could entrust to watch over them and be their emotional rock.

Sadly, I think many of this type of artist suffers greatly from anxiety and perfectionism to the point of doing themselves in.

I do care. I feel bad when I hear that anybody dies. I think about the lives that they touched. I think about their families who will mourn their loss. I think about the waste of talent that went unused. I have empathy for what they are all going through. This goes from anybody from a celebrity to a homeless person on the street.

No. I don’t care about non-drug using ones either.

@CaptainHarley Amen.

I do. There are so many junkies who try to hide their affliction, and the famous have no chance to hide. We feel bad for them, but what about the average joe??

Our society is so obsessed with ‘celebrities’ that we make it impossible for them to lead a normal life. Many of them are to be pitied more than envied. I think we should care.

When I was in music school, one of my favorite professors explained trying to separate the artist from the art. The artist is just a man or woman; the art, what they produce creatively. So, as a man or woman, it’s very sad to see anyone die, or be addicted to drugs. I do think it’s deplorable for anyone to condemn these public figures. (As others have mentioned, for every public figure that has passed on prematurely, there are hundreds, if not thousands of people who pass on needlessly, and collectively, we often overlook that.)

As for setting a standard, I’d like to think that they are still the exception to the rule. Off the top of my head, there are many public figures that still set a healthy standard. Also, there are the handful that have overcome these issues and are stronger for it.

I don’t care for celebrities in general….

No, there is no standard. People choose how they will live whether they have money or not.

I always have a degree of empathy for anybody who is suffering, but this is true of anybody and not just celebrities. Obviously we hear about when celebrities are having problems much more than Joe down the street so I’m sure this is a major factor why people seem to care so much, or not, about celebrities and their problems.

My concern is the example it sets for people who care about celebrities and mirror them as heros or idols.

Of course I care about them as human beings, and I care that the industry. the media and society acts as enablers in their self destructive behavior. Whitney Houston had an interview on national television with Dianne Sawyer in which sh openly admitted smoking dope and snorting coke. She also detailed how she abused perscription psychoactive and pain killer drugs. If I admitted something like that on natioal TV, the Boston Police and DEA would kick my door in and arrest me. Not so with celiberties. We largely give them a free pass. On;lu of they do something uttelly egregious do they run into trouble woth the law.

Not only that, the entourage of hangers on that the studios provide them oftne enable the behavior, making connections fir the star with dealers, and keeping the public away while the celeb is so swacked they can’t even make sense in a simple conversation.

I hope the entertainment industry comes to the realization that they are killing off much of their most gifted performers, writers, and directors. They should take a more proactive stance in getting adicted celebs the treatment they desperately need; and surrounding them with a support network that will keep them viable performers as long as their voices hold up instead of buying srugs for them and keeping prying eyes away while they get themselves incapacitated doing powerful drug cocktails mixed with alcohol.

@CaptainHarley is much more empathic than I. Frankly complete apathy would describe the way I feel about celebrity and drug use. Unless they’re driving on my road, flying my plane, or piloting my boat, drug use is irrelevant.