Did Whitney Houston plan her own demise? Did she lose all hope? Where Do Broken Hearts Go? This song suggests that the composer had reached a clueless state. A lot of people have been implicated in her steady decline including Hollywood celebrity doctors and pharmacists, Bobby Brown etc. When you think of Michael Jackson, Amy Winehouse, Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, you recognise that these internationally acclaimed entertainers could have turned to drugs, not for an escape route but for a departure date. Think of a media report released on January 22, 2008. Think of a friend's analysis on the tragic condition of Amy Winehouse. This person stated that "Amy is locked in a nosedive towards oblivion-she is killing herself. The video shows a woman completely out of control. Her fans could scarcely recognise the drug-addled wreck in the video as the talented performer they love." Then, Amy's friend made an amazing statement that has value for every human being locked in denial: "We can only pray she will get a wake-up call when she watches the video herself and sees the terrible state she is in." We must not ignore the psychological and emotional rape that drugs inflict upon the user. Apart from the paranoia, feelings of invincibility, denial etc, there is this stunning loss of self-worth. One of the current debates surrounding the sad story of Whitney Houston's death is the impact of misfit Bobby Brown. Certainly, this was not a relationship spawned in heaven and neither seemed capable of helping the other. However, she is dead and he is alive. Millions wanted her to recover and move to the next level of stardom. But while she produced several hits, her voice had taken a catastrophic hit. Some believe that when confronted with the medical report that there was some permanent damage, her depression increased. Where do broken hearts go? Is there a quick fix?
Like it or not, atheist or not, there comes a moment in each life when we have to recognise that there are certain storms that choke us, and no human expertise can assist us. At that point in time, we need a divine anchor that will enable us to cope with the crisis. What a way to exit. She was found dead in a bathtub, after mixing the alcohol with Xanax. Ozzie Delgado has given a comprehensive report of the devastating impact of this super-toxic mixture: "It is a snowball effect. "The drug slows your respiratory rate even more. You stop breathing at a normal rate, you stop oxygenating your body, and then your brain doesn't get enough oxygen, and it starts to snowball." Just the Xanax alone produces temporary amnesia. Therefore, the user is compounding the damage because if you forget that you have used this social poison, then you will take some more. During the Carnival season, drivers are told not to drink and drive. The big recommendation is that one should obtain a designated driver. However, some people get scientifically cute and they experiment with coffee drinking which clears the vision. But wait, that is the positive; the negative effect is that it slows the reflex actions and consequently bang bang bang-cars smashed, broken bones and death. We are living in the era of mega narcotic-mixing experimentation. Think of alcohol mixed with anti-depressant drugs like Prozac and Zoloft. Think of bars where teens and adults use a triple cocktail: alcohol, marijuana and tobacco. Think of youth experi- menting during and after the fete with alcohol, cocaine, marijuana and tobacco. We must go to the arena of the super-energy drinks laced with huge doses of caffeine. Think of rock stars like Jimi Hendrix and Brian Jones. Think of the young football player in the South secondary school who collapsed on the football field and died. Obviously suffering from sleep deprivation and needing an artificial energy supply, he turned to the bullish drink. Some movie stars and singers know that there is a problem.
Perhaps with the invincibility attached to fame and fortune, they refuse to seek professional help and, like Amy Winehouse, decide that no rehab centre has the magic cure. Money and fame cannot guarantee happiness. However, to tell some rich and famous people to swallow their pride is like telling them to swallow an elephant or a cockroach dipped in honey. Last weekend, the figure released for deaths due to alcohol use was shocking. Alcohol accounts for 2.5 million deaths annually, more than Aids, malaria, or tuberculosis. But remember the heavy damage list: cirrhosis, cancer, permanent spinal damage due to vehicular accidents, abuse, family destruction etc. The list goes on and on. Dev Sridar, Oxford University researcher, has issued a clarion call for more powerful regulations. She has made it clear that she is not asking for a return to prohibition but a return to sensible measures and maturity. Sad to say, it sometimes takes the death of a celebrity to trigger developmental policies. Among the measures the Oxford researcher is suggesting include a minimum drinking age, zero-tolerance for drunken driving, and a ban on unlimited drinking specials. What about our gramaxonic all-inclusive parties and the liberal splurge of alcohol? Guess where many are held? Yes, in our secondary schools and some tertiary-level institutions. It is as though we wish to send the cortical region of the brain on preretirement leave. Money! Money! Money! Where do broken hearts go? Well many go to get a fix, and after the "high" from the fix, they recognise that they were subject to a horrible repair job. Imagine, it was reported on September 28, 2010, that Lindsay Lohan told her friends "to come over with the drugs or don't come at all." According to Robin Sax, a former Los Angeles County deputy district attorney, anyone who disobeyed her orders was shut out. He said "she only wanted to be friends with people that will facilitate the habit." One question we must help youth to answer is the following: "Who is a friend?" Some people add the word genuine. Hello there, I beg to disagree with that redundancy. A friend will be genuine; otherwise that person is an ene-my. A friend will lift you up, not pull you down. A friend will help you to maximise your potential, help you to fulfil your dreams. This is the time when we should be celebrating a century since the first international drug treaty was signed. According to the BBC, 100 years ago, narcotics passed from country to country with minimal interference from the authorities. That changed "with the 1912 International Opium Convention, which committed countries to stopping the trade in opium, morphine and cocaine."
We will continue this topic next week.
