R.I.P Phillip Seymour Hoffman

DukeOfPrunes said:
Thanks for answering my question if you had ever suffered from an addiction. How about my other question, is it an illness?

Sounds like you are very strong and were able to conquer your addiction. As a member of the committee, were you able to help everyone find the will and if not, did you also judge the others in the same fashion, i.e. they were just junkies that couldn't be helped?
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It is an illness. All the current medical literature supports this.

With all the successes and failures we had with our committee, the one thing that separated them was the drive to overcome. Without that, and after seeing many people abandon themselves, I became insensitive to them. At a certain point you have to disconnect, so maybe that is why I feel the way I do and see those who lose their battle with addiction the way I do. They ARE just junkies who can't be helped. That is the sad reality. Sugar coating it doesn't do anything for anyone.
 
I tend to read a lot of rock bios. Let's see, over the last few years I've read about Keef, Ozzy, Slash, Duff, Clapton, Ace Frehley, Steven Tyler, Anthony Kiedis. Every one had multiple near-death experiences with substances.

Despite how horrible they all describe addiction to be, in the end these guys are all still alive. Somehow. They're all highly accomplished, successful, rich, respected legends in the music biz. Hmm.

I do wonder how many musicians believe this is a necessary part of the rock and roll journey.
 
Kidsfeet said:
It is an illness. All the current medical literature supports this.

With all the successes and failures we had with our committee, the one thing that separated them was the drive to overcome. Without that, and after seeing many people abandon themselves, I became insensitive to them. At a certain point you have to disconnect, so maybe that is why I feel the way I do and see those who lose their battle with addiction the way I do. They ARE just junkies who can't be helped. That is the sad reality. Sugar coating it doesn't do anything for anyone.
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Ok, I understand. Being somehow submerged in witnessing these addictions in all their facets has managed to make you lose your compassion. I understand your disconnect as a coping mechanism, but that is also a sad implication. I fight addiction every day and just hope that my loss will not result in me handing over my life. I am not a junkie, but certainly an addict. To me a junkie is someone way past self realization that there could be a healthier way of living life, whereas an addict is aware of his illness, but incapable of finding their path to salvation.

I hope I never lose my compassion for the human condition!
 
I will say this and this is my final word on this matter:

The fact that PSH was a celebrity is the only reason why we're hearing about it in the media, otherwise, he'd have just been another statistic mourned by a few. What some people are forgetting is that just people one has the money, resources and incentive to battle an addiction and overcome it, it doesn't make it easier. In fact it's the opposite. Being under the microscope and feeling the weight of the world on your shoulders with no private outlet, due to some media twat who will twist your words out of context to sensationalise the news, is not easy to live with. People are remembering him as a celebrity who should have known better, but forget that his celebrity status is almost irrelevant. He was a human being and had a mental health problem/addiction that was ultimately his undoing. When you are in the pit of misery and you know that the quick way out of it is to "act out", you lack insight and the ability to look at your life and it's problems in an objective manner and the ways to overcome said problems. You don't think rationally, you don't see past that moment of need and how to get past the next ten minutes.

My addiction is to sex and porn. Why do I have this? I was repeatedly abused as a child by a family member who thought it was OK to sexualise a child and show them pornography. I didn't realise that women don't like to be f****d like porn stars until i was in my mid 20's. Addiction rewires the brain and you don't function like a "normal" person. I turn 30 in May and I still feel like a little boy inside.

You can all cast your opinions and vilify anyone all you like, but until you've lived it, I would kind invite you to stop being a self righteous asshole and shut the fuck up.

Rant over, apologies if i've offended anyone.
 
Fabio,

I'm sorry for what you had to go through. No child should have to endure what you have. Kudos to you for getting help and working your way out of the misery that was cast upon you.

Best of luck to you and thank you for sharing your story.
 
An interesting article: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-heart-addiction/201112/is-addiction-really-disease

I tend to view it as a mental issue (or illness) rather than a disease, per se.

I agree that some people are junkies who cannot be helped but they still matter to someone. I don't care about everyone in the world equally but there are those around me I can help. The trick is to know which ones genuinely want to help themselves, and help if you can without getting dragged down. Like a form of mental triage.

Regarding how creative people have used substances in the past to further their art, the list is endless, and not limited to musicians or actors. I know that certain substances unlock a part of my brain which my consciousness can sift through later. To get trapped by those unlockings is tempting.

IMHO, there are people for whom the present world system just doesn't work well. This is the age where you're not allowed to shut yourself off. You must remain plugged into some form of electronic system, whether it be a forum, Facebook, or even just be forced to have a bank account. The natural way of living is dying, and we are natural creatures, so this has a knock on effect in mental health and the issues that arise. The more we get plugged in (through necessity or desire) the more we find we cannot extricate ourselves. We have so much irrelevant news, so many media feeds that just don't matter pushing our psyche this way and that that our relatively primitive brain has difficulty coping with the sensory overload. Some substances act as a buffer, some as an enhancer which lets us become more effective, but both kinds allow us to cope by distorting our perception of reality. (I'm not getting into a reality discussion..... ;) ) Those systems need not be electronic. Try living without a vehicle, or reliance on electricity, or whatever. It's different things for different people.

Personally I have ongoing mental health issues, and I'm not going into them. You tell someone, and they wonder why you can't cope, or worse, you get pity. I realise that what it really is is natures way of trying to weed out a part of the population using any means necessary as a form of population control, and if there's one thing to be said about nature, it's that it is ruthless. I know my triggers though, and that is the best possible weapon to have. People who suffer from addiction have their own triggers, but most addicts aren't aware of them before they become addicted to something.

There isn't anybody in any position to judge unless you've been in a similar situation, and if you have then the first human reaction is genuinely to help rather than to chastise.

Edit: Like Fabio, I'm bowing out also.
 
Kidsfeet said:
They ARE just junkies who can't be helped.
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I also think PSH was one of the very great actors of this time.

Regardless of whether he liked/used drugs, or whether he liked to drive fast on tracks, or whether he liked to climb mountains, or sailed the ocean, jumped out of an airplane or did other risky things.

I hope I'll never become someone who labels, judges and crucifies other people because of their condition, passing cold-hearted superior moral judgement on them, solely based upon that condition.
 
yek said:
I hope I'll never become someone who labels, judges and crucifies other people because of their condition, passing cold-hearted superior moral judgement on them, solely based upon that condition.
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Everyone judges. No one is immune to this. Are you saying you don't judge anyone, ever?? Please.

I'm sorry, but some times cold-hearted is what is need. Superior moral judgement? I'm not a junkie and neither are you. You HAVE superior moral judgement. Whether you chose to agree with me or not.

I have my opinion and so do you. Let's agree to disagree without slinging insults. I didn't insult anyone on this thread personally, did I?
 
Yeah, heroin is reportedly a tough drug to shake off. I've read an article by a former heroin addict where he says that it gives you such a powerful sense of euphoria that your life while not high will seem really shitty by comparison, even if you are, in this case, one of the greatest contemporary actors. And that's even before you start getting the symptoms of withdrawal. That's how it pulls you back in. Try it once, and you come back to it, again and again, until you're dead. And that is why I won't ever try it, even if there is an opportunity. In this case I prefer not to know what my life could be like with a little H in it.

One of my favorite actors, bar none. Really sad to see him go.
 
"Dude I think I just sharted." - I was really bummed when I saw the sad story yesterday on the news, PSH was one of my favorite actors. I was an instant fan when I saw him way back in Patch Adams and thought he was amazing. I will miss him in the movies like I still really miss John Candy and Chris Farley!! :grey:
 
Kidsfeet said:
There is nothing respectful about a junkie taking his own life. Celebrity or not. The reason I say this is because he caused pain and heartache to the loved ones he left behind. Like his three young children. They will grow up without a father because he couldn't and wouldn't control his addiction and address it.
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You do not have a clue.
 
It is human nature to have addictions. Every one of us has one (or many). Some to a greater degree than others. Maybe its hard drugs, or sex, or the pharmaceutical industry garbage that we're sold into. For some it might simply be a forum addiction. Life is not easy. We all have our ways of coping. This is the human condition. He will be remembered for his work, as he should. R.I.P
 
I'm going to stop myself. Many of you don't share my thoughts and opinions on this matter. That's cool. I get it. Resorting to personal attacks because of my beliefs is not cool. Someone mentioned "don't judge!" and then judged me for my beliefs.

Mark doesn't think I have a clue. Fair enough, but that doesn't add anything to a discussion of a belief system. You may think I'm wrong, crazy, whatever. The bottom line is that you aren't going to change my mind and I'm not going to change yours.

Peace.
 
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