Amy Winehouse

• The Devil Made Me Do It- Just a little follow up on one of my favorite alcoholic crash dummies, Amy Winehouse, who has once again made the news with a spectacular failure. She has added to a recent quick succession of aborted outings and performances by throwing a tantrum in the recording studio, smashing her guitar, and blaming her drug use on the “devil” (see picture). Hard to believe it was only nine months ago I used her as an example in the Alcoholic’s Playbook in which she seemed convinced enough of her ability to control her addiction that she would be able to throw one last hurrah. Click “Read more” to continue…
• Medication Mistakes Blameless but Still Deadly-

  CHICAGO, Illinois (AP) -- Deaths from medication mistakes at home, such as actor Heath Ledger's accidental overdose, rose dramatically during the past two decades, an analysis of U.S. death certificates finds ~ CNN

  Medication mistakes, drug errors, and even accidental overdose certainly sound less frightening than drug abuse, but as the reference to Heath Ledger suggests, they are no less deadly. Furthermore, much of the time these sanitized terms are outright misrepresentations; Heath Ledger didn’t die from an accidental overdose, he died because he was abusing prescription pain killers, psychiatric medications, and sleeping pills. Accidently taking Oxycontin instead of aspirin could cause an accidental overdose, misreading a prescription would be a mistake, but self medicating with a hodgepodge of drugs is a premeditated willful act. While some may say it’s arguing semantics, I can’t help but wonder why there is no accountability when it comes to prescription drug abuse? Unlike the “blameless” act of “accidently” downing a methadone wafer with a tallboy, you don’t often hear of the cocaine error or heroin mistake. Click "Read more" to Continue...
• Alcoholic Playbook: The Two Minute Drill- No good will come out of the alcohol and drug abusing lifestyle of Amy Winehouse, so the best we can do is maybe learn from her addled antics. So take a seat on the bench and follow the X’s and O’s of the alcoholic playbook.

  The names, places, and circumstances may vary, but you can be rest assured that most alcoholics and addicts follow a very predictable path. The same rationalizations, secrecy, prevarications and red herrings are used by gutter drunks to Boston bluebloods as if they were all using the same playbook; let’s call it the alcoholic playbook.

  When we last heard from Amy she was executing a play I like to call the last hurrah in which she promised to get sober and her life back together after one last blowout at year’s end. We’re well into the New Year and since Amy is now smoking crack (watch this disturbing video) and drinking like a fish it’s kind of obvious that play fizzled. Rehab and getting her act together enough to perform at the Grammys seem a long shot now, in fact, we are probably in the final minutes of this game. So it’s time for the two minute drill, in football this would mean a hurried offense meant to move the ball quickly down the field in order to score. It’s a whole other ballgame when it comes to addictions.

  Click "Read more" to continue...

• Alcoholic Playbook: The Last Hurrah- The names, places, and circumstances may vary, but you can be rest assured that most alcoholics and addicts follow a very predictable path. The same rationalizations, secrecy, prevarications and red herrings are used by gutter drunks to Boston bluebloods as if they were all using the same playbook; let’s call it the alcoholic playbook.

  The latest news on Amy Winehouse shows that she is about to execute a play that is the bread and butter of those that have faced the fact that they have an addiction, but have either not suffered enough pain or haven't honestly decided to lead the life of sober recovery. Amy is calling it a festive binge; I call it “the last hurrah”.

  Amy Winehouse Plans Massive Christmas Blow-Out Before Heading to Rehab

  Amy Winehouse to Have Festive Binge Before Rehab in the New Year

  This play is used essentially as a guilt avoidance maneuver designed to accomplish two ends. It fends off those pestering for treatment by setting a future date of commitment and allows the addict/alcoholic the freedom to “enjoy” their last embrace with their beloved drugs. Unfortunately that’s the problem… they still love their substance of choice and the lifestyle in which their disease flourishes. Rehab may still be in the cards, but going to rehab without desiring recovery is pointless.

  If I had to make a guess at what stage in the addiction game this play is usually executed I would say just before or after halftime. There is still plenty of time left in the game to score a full recovery, but as with all addictions the game could always be called on the account of jail or death.

  Good luck Amy, you’re going to need it because in this game they play for keeps.

• The Application of a Rough Truth- Hat Tip and thanks to TDA reader Norman for the heads up on this one! In Britain, the Drug and Alcohol Service of London (DASL) has launched a campaign against binge drinking targeting women by appealing to one of the less noble human qualities, vanity. Lord Lytton once said, “There is nothing so agonizing to the fine skin of vanity as the application of a rough truth”… and anyone who has woke up after a hard night drinking and looked in the mirror can surely attest to this fact. The rough truth of the matter is that people who abuse alcohol not only have to battle the physical effects of harmful drinking, but also the damage that accompanies this kind of lifestyle. Sleep deprivation, cuts and abrasions, poor hygiene, and stress are just a few of the accompanying features of substance abuse to add to the DASL’s warning that, “Apart from a stinking hangover, it warns women they will also be more prone to wrinkles, bad skin, hair loss and weight gain if they knock back too much booze.” They even created an application that allows you to upload your picture to simulate the effects of prolonged alcohol abuse. So I took advantage of this application to run a little scientific test myself. I ran two of my favorite female celebrities, both with substance abuse problems, through the program. Care to guess who is in recovery and who is not? For answers, click “Read more” to continue…
• 2 ½ Corpses Market Blow Energy Drink- Blow Energy Drink is packaged in powder form meant to be mixed with other beverages and is distastefully marketed as its name suggests.

  But it's the marketing which is revving people up. The kit comes with a mirror and a credit card to cut the stuff, all packaged in a Styrofoam container made to look like a brick of cocaine. ~ WTVM

  It’s been in the news for several weeks, in fact Logan Gola, founder of iloveblow.com, has actually milked every bit of press coverage proving the adage that there’s no such thing as bad publicity. Happily taking shots from the talking heads of almost every major news outlet, Mr. Gola has taken advantage of the free airtime knowing that outrage sells… especially to the idiots who think this type of product is trendy and cool.

  "We're after the ultra-hip party crowd," says Logan Gola, founder of iloveblow.com, which markets the product. "They get that it's tongue-in-cheek. We are children of the '80s who watched Miami Vice and Scarface." ~ Globeandmail.com

  Not wanting to add my share of free advertising, I had avoided reporting on this story until my old friend Amy Winehouse came to the rescue. Click “Read more” to continue…
• Amy Winehouse Busted by CSI Gary Dourdan- Investigators had Amy Winehouse arrested this week for suspicion of drug possession after studying a videotape of her allegedly smoking crack back in January. Leaving little to the imagination, it's not as if they needed the skills of the famous Warrick Brown of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, played by actor Gary Dourdan, to “crack” this case. Of course this is a good thing, since he was also recently busted for possession of heroin, cocaine, and ectasy. In this case, I guess my title is a little misleading since Amy was busted by Gary only in the figurative sense of being found side BY side in my local paper that reported their arrests. He was arrested while asleep in his car on the side of the road after apparently lacking the stamina to make it home from a concert. Mr. Dourdan claims the drugs are not his and were left over from fellow concert attendees.

  “I am blessed that the Sgt. realized that the luggage carrying whatever they found was not mine and that my tests have been coming back negative. I’ve been happy to cooperate in any way to clear myself and go on with my blessed life.” ~ Fashion.ie

  Come on Gary! You are an actor for Pete’s sake, can’t you come up with a more creative alibi than that! Click "Read more" to continue...
• Amy Winehouse: TDA Crash Test Dummy-

  Since the eighties the crash test dummies have taught thousands about seat belt safety with their spectacular head-on collisions followed by the catch phrase, "You Could Learn A Lot From A Dummy." In a similar fashion Amy Winehouse has become one of my favorite crash test dummies for providing a graphic example of addiction and recovery issues with her usual hellbent acts of self-destruction. While I wish her the best of luck in what I hope will be an eventual recovery, I intend to take advantage of her high profile antics to raise awareness of the misconceptions and dangers of substance abuse. Caught, once again on video, smoking dope; it doesn’t look like rehab took very well for Amy and she is probably barreling toward another spectacular crash. Click “Read more” to continue…

• Kelly Osbourne is a Fat Addict!- If you would like me to be more concise I’ll add that not only is she a fat addict, but the only reason she personally is noteworthy is because of her father and his drug addled antics and music. The rather infamous public display of family dysfunction from a reality show is her only self-earned claim to fame (notoriety?) except for some follow-up pieces concerning her struggle with addictions.

  "All the voices in my head that were telling me that I was worthless, that I was fat, that I'll always just be someone's daughter and never make anything for myself...all these things in my head, as soon as I took this pill, just silenced. ~ EntertainmentWise

  Warning: Those of you intent on sending me hate mail should quit reading at this point before discovering the purpose behind this harshly stated, but true, slice of reality facing your favorite chunky junky. Stop here| send hate mail.

  Click “Read more” to continue…

• Amy Winehouse: Cool, Creative, and Coping?- I wish singer Amy Winehouse the best of luck, I really do. I will however use her addicted plight as a chance to highlight the myth that the substance abuse of artists such as Winehouse and others is part of a creative process or that it is ”necessary to dull a finer sensibility.” This picture along with the corresponding story at the Daily Mail is a very stark reminder that drug and alcohol use is neither cool, creative, or necessarily helps one cope with the stresses of life. That is unless you describe “cool” as walking a very chilly London street in your underwear, count drooling as a creative endeavor, and coping as losing all touch with reality.

  "Amy came out and started stumbling around," one onlooker told the paper. "She popped her head over the fence like she was looking for something. "It was freezing, and she had no shoes and just a red bra," the onlooker added. "She was mumbling something incomprehensible. It wasn't the behavior of someone in the right state of mind."~Fox News

  Drug and alcohol use is glorified by our society and this shines through most prominently in popular music, movies, and other entertainment. Drinking and drugging may sound great in song or look cool in a movie, but Amy admirably demonstrates the real face of substance abuse with her most recent and definitely unflattering photo shoot. Good luck Amy… please get help.