It's a story that unfortunately is told far too often. Whitney Hous ton died this past weekend due to causes that are unknown at this time. It was Saturday night, the eve of the GRAMMY Awards. Houston was staying at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California. It was there she was declared dead at 3:55 p.m. in the afternoon after allegedly being found unconscious in the bathtub. She was just 48 years old.
As is the case with just about any famous person that meets an untimely passing, the circumstances of that death are going to come under intense scrutiny. The press immediately drew in on Houston's history of substance abuse, as well as reports that she ap peared under the influence of something in the days leading to her passing. However, the Los Angeles coroner has insisted that despite having completed the autopsy, they will not give any cause of death until toxicology reports come back, which could take up to six to eight weeks. These reports will determine any substances, legal or illegal, as well as alcohol that may have been consumed.
The press coverage surrounding Houston's myste rious death is beginning to remind me of the media circus that revolved around Michael Jackson's death. In one sense, the media is latching onto the image that everybody would like to remember of Whitney Hous ton, and on the other side, they are constantly remind ing the public of all of the reasons there is to consider that drugs were involved.
One of the current scenarios that is being thrown around is that Houston was found with her face down in water after she had drowned from taking too much of Xanax, the medication used to treat anxiety. Other reports are saying that she did not drown and it was strictly an overdose. Either way, the toxicology reports are the only thing that will set the record straight as far as the cause of her death.
The ultimate tragedy that comes from this entire situation is not that she died a day before the GRAM MY Awards, or that she will not be able to sing for the masses anymore. The tragedy is that a daughter lost a mother, and a mother lost a daughter. When a person dies unexpectedly, it causes so much more than just that person dying. That leaves an impact for years to come.
If it is true that her death was drug related, this is not the first time, and will unfortunately not be the last, that someone will die under these circumstances. This is something that has been going on for years, and now that public awareness has been put out there, it is too late for many people.
When Heath Ledger died of a drug overdose, one of the drugs that was found in his system was Xanax. What happens with these types of medications is that individuals begin taking the medication, but their bodies begin to quickly develop a tolerance toward the same dosage; therefore, increased dosage is required to achieve the same effect as the original dosage. Ideally, the medication is to be taken for a few months, and then gradually discontinued off by the patient. However, many doctors prescribe the medica tion to their patients for years on end, and the effect is a tolerance to the drug's effects.
Celebrity doctors are quick to over prescribe medi cations to celebrities, because at the end of the day these doctors would rather take advantage to get what they want than to do their job and to actually help the patients.
One thing that occurs when celebrities die from drug or alcohol related causes is the realization that addiction does not discriminate. Addiction doesn't care how much money you have, what color you are or how close you are to your family. It is something that could happen to anybody in any family. The only thing positive that can come of this is that it hope fully opens up some form of dialogue so people will begin to talk about their own experiences, and not be ashamed of their problems due to any sort of social stigma that is out there. Addiction is one of the most difficult diseases to treat, and unfortunately, the prog nosis is not always a full recovery.
