This week the world was again shocked and saddened by the passing of an illustrious actor. Phillip Seymour Hoffman was found dead in his Manhattan apartment on Sunday Feb. 2, 2014 at 11 a.m.
Hoffman was found on the floor his bathroom with a syringe in his arm Sunday morning after his ex-wife raised concern about him not picking up his children.
After searching the apartment, investigators found close to 50 unopened envelopes (other sources said 70) of what is believed to be heroin. Used syringes, prescription drugs and empty bags that are suspected of once holding heroin were also found at the scene.
Hoffman's death comes after a long string of highly publicized, high profile, celebrity deaths. It seems like every few weeks we are hearing another tragic story of a celebrity found in their house, apartment or hotel room with the cause of death unknown only to have us learn later that is was due to drugs.
In the past few years, the world has watched as the death announcements of celebrities such as Corey Monteith, Amy Winehouse,Whitney Houston, Heath Ledger, Michael Jackson and others have scrolled across our television screens with the title: "Cause of Death Unknown, But Suspected Overdose Likely."
I know that I felt totally shell shocked when I heard about the death of Corey Monteith. He was the first celebrity that really touched my generation and I remember the tears forming as I told my roommate the news as she looked at me in disbelief.
Drug overdoses make people angry. I remember when I mentioned Monteith to my sister, she scoffed and said "It was his own fault."
The public has a really hard time feeling sad about a preventable death especially in the case of famous people. I can tell you that I have heard "They totally had it coming" more times than I am comfortable with.
And it makes other celebrities angry. On Feb. 3, Rob Lowe tweeted, "Philip Seymour Hoffman's sad, untimely passing has me angry. I want more great work from him! I want less destruction from drugs/alcohol."
This was right after a tweet that said, "You are not smarter than your drug. Or more knowledgeable, powerful, stronger or anything else. Addiction is an equal opportunity killer."
People are missing the bigger picture with drug overdoses.
Drugs, alcohol and a carefree lifestyle permeate the culture of Hollywood. People have lots of disposable income, free time and they can pretty much get away with whatever they want. But that doesn't mean that they aren't human. And you know what? Drugs plus humans typically equals addiction, especially when you can get your drug of choice easily and in mass quantities.
Addiction is the killer.
Addiction is what drives people to the overdose. And no, it isn't a willpower thing. Doctors and professionals have proven that time and again. Addiction is a disease and you need to be treated for it like any other disease.
We incorrectly assume that people just pump these fatal cocktails into their bodies just because they can. While that may be how it starts, that is never typically how it ends.
Addiction is a terribly slippery slope and it takes incredible strength and courage for a person suffering from addiction to stand up, take ownership and get help.
It is time that we stop punishing and start helping. Stop condemning and start being compassionate. You taking ownership of your addiction or telling a friend that is it time to get help could mean the difference between life and death.
If you or anyone you know is struggling with addiction, please call the National Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Center at 1-800-784-6776 or visit your local hospital for help.
Information for this article was taken from the CNN.com article Piecing together Philip Seymour Hoffman's final hours by: Shimon Prokupecz, Jethro Mullen and Jason Carroll
