I'm all too familiar with the signs of heroin abuse. Not because I ever used drugs, but, because as a young child, I saw the effects it had on my parents. I could never completely understand the struggle. I remember always asking myself "Why couldn't they stop"? "Why DIDN'T they stop"? "Don't they realize that they're bad"? But, as I got older, my understanding of addiction became a little clearer. It isn't something that is easy to control. It isn't something that people want. It certainly isn't something that people need. The desire, the need to have whatever feeling is created by the drugs pulsing through their veins overwhelms every ounce of them. And, as we've recently discovered, some hide that addiction well.....
I'm a die hard Glee fan. "Gleek," I guess, is the Hollywood term for that. From the beginning, I've found myself enthralled with the idea of a really good Glee Club, probably because, in my high school days, I lived for music. Finding out about the death of Cory Monteith, Glee's reigning heartthrob, was like a punch to the gut. Not only did the world lose someone SO relevant in the entertainment world, this young life was lost because the almighty drug won the battle. Unfortunately, this is nothing new in Hollywood. A-listers from all walks of life have gone down this forsaken path into the depths of drugs, so buried in their own intoxication that they can't enjoy the lives they've been given. Quite sad.
Now, I know that there have been several deaths of relevant performers in my time, but, it's different when you have to explain to your kids why one of their favorite TV actors has died. I was sitting on the couch, scouring the world news at midnight on Saturday when I came across the first press release about his death. I gasped and started to cry. Honestly, it just took my breath away. My first instinct? Drugs. I mean, hardly ever anymore do young actors die when there hasn't been drugs involved. But, I knew because of recent interviews as well as a recent stint in a SoCal rehab center that he had publicly struggled with his addiction. I didn't tell Katie the next morning, because I just didn't even want to talk about it. But, when she came home from work, I told her. She was about as shocked as I was. No tears, though. Just utter confusion. "Why?", she asked. I didn't want to tell her my assumption, but, she asked if that was it. The coroner confirmed Tuesday that it was in fact, heroin. Disappointment with an understanding sadness came across both me and Katie, and the mother in me was reeling from the fact that, from here on out, my child will be subjected to seeing famous people take the wrong path a lot more than she realizes.....A lot more than I hope. Still, this was so sad.
Ugh.......
If you haven't ever seen it's chaos firsthand, consider yourself lucky. The pain and suffering caused by drugs is so profound and I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. It's a demon, and, for some, impossible to control, impossible to deny.
Here's to hoping that Glee can move on and continue to be the outstanding show that it is, helping people learn who they are, helping people to accept who they are, and helping to teach people that dreams can come true, even in the most trying of times.
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