A Death We See All Too Often: Amy Winehouse
We may not understand that we can't control addiction- it controls us.
Simply put, we live in a world of addiction: addiction to drugs, alcohol, sex, money, food, people, dangerous behavior, etc. It seems that we have forsaken a lifestyle of moderation as we spiral further out of balance. We see cases like Amy's everyday. We are drawn to people like Amy Winehouse because addiction is an epidemic: good or bad, it has become a part of our society. Amy's death is like a tragic car accident on the side of the road: we know it's wrong to look but can't stop staring. In many ways, when something happens to someone else, it takes the focus off of us and our responsibilities to ourselves.
Amy suffered from a substance abuse disorder since she was a teenager. Although the exact cause of her death has not yet been specified, I believe Amy died of a toxic combination of alcohol with amphetamine or cocaine. Though she had just gotten out of rehab, Amy's reintegration into the normal world was premature because she was still psychologically dependent on various substances. Amy was still at serious risk for relapse into abuse and subsequent physical dependence: her time in rehab was insufficient for her to beat her dependence. Psychological dependence does not have to be limited only to substances; Amy's behavioral patterns can be considered "addictions" if they become uncontrollable: self-injury by compulsive drinking and taking drugs in the same time can become incredibly harmful.
But what does Amy's death, in turn, say about us as a nation? We have become accustomed to witnessing younger and younger celebrities dying before their time due to addiction. What we fail to realize is that as our attitude towards such tragedies becomes more careless, we subconsciously allow such senseless tragedies to occur more frequently. This is not normal or right. We have to reclaim our sense of balance and inner harmony to finally stop the cycle of substance abuse and self-destruction.
