Farewell, Whitney Houston

Snarky · Fri 17/02/2012 20:42:01

I'm personally not a fan of the obit threads for random celebrities, but unless you really think the person who died was a terrible human being that the world is better off without and people should rejoice at the death of, crashing their RIP thread to talk about how great they were not is tacky and dickish.

If you don't care, don't post.

Khris · Fri 17/02/2012 21:55:45

Well, you are right, sometimes I'm simply a dick.

And here's a table of arbitrary stuff, ranked by general importance in descending order.

Hitchens' contributions to mankind
realizing that it's asinine to mourn a rich, spoiled, drug addicted singer while thousand of kids starve to death daily
...
...
...
...
...
...
eating your vegetables
...
my opinion about Whitney Houston and her death
Whitney Houston's contributions to mankind

Grim · Sat 18/02/2012 04:22:52

There's an interesting issue ( if a little off topic;)) :

Quote from: Khris on Fri 17/02/2012 09:22:55

(....) died of not being able to take drugs responsibly (...)

Is it possible to take drugs responsibly? In my experience those that think so, very quickly find it's just an illusion...

Khris · Sat 18/02/2012 08:54:17

There are many people who would say that alcohol is worse than drugs, and it is very possible to drink responsibly.
I'm not taking any drugs but since there are people who manage to only smoke at weekends, I imagine there's also people who only snort up cocaine occasionally.

Igor Hardy · Sat 18/02/2012 12:13:34

Quote from: Khris on Sat 18/02/2012 08:54:17
There are many people who would say that alcohol is worse than drugs, and it is very possible to drink responsibly.

I don't know if it is very possible to drink or take drugs responsibly... for everyone. There are people more and less prone to getting addicted - both physiologically as well as mentally. Same as with getting depressed.

It is also highly probable that alcohol and different types of drugs affect people with different strength. You shouldn't simply assume that it is within your power to moderate their use, just because you managed to with another type.

Grim · Sun 19/02/2012 00:59:10

As much as I dislike alcohol and binge drinking, I have to say I don't know anyone who uses drugs like alcohol, on weekends only. It sure always starts like this, but then quickly it becomes an everyday thing...

Khris · Sun 19/02/2012 09:03:02

I've been drinking on weekends only for over ten years now. Sure, occasionally I'll drink a few beers on a weekday, but there are also weekends where I don't drink anything. I still dislike most types of liquor and drink mostly beer. Sometimes, I don't drink anything for ten days or longer on end.
Given how much I'll down on an average night out, I'm as far away from being an alcoholic as you can get (as someone who drinks). I even have a pretty recent liver function test to prove it.
And I only want to drink in fun company; I'd never open a bottle of wine sitting home alone or being depressed.

So, yes, taking drugs responsibly is possible. And btw, that's all I ever said, I didn't depict the majority of methheads as responsible users or something.

straydogstrut · Sun 19/02/2012 11:16:41

I agree with the sentiment that alcohol is worse than drugs. I've never taken drugs myself so I can't back that up with any experience, and my understanding is that drugs are very addictive, but I think alcohol is more dangerous than people give it credit for simply because it's more accepted (at least here in the UK).

It's considered normal to want to drink every friday after work and downright strange if you go along on a night out and don't drink. Like Khris, I never drink during the week. I've always associated drinking with an occasion - a birthday party, a nice meal etc - so i've never had the urge to go out and by alcohol to drink at home. I couldn't drink during the day unless it was a pub lunch or something, it just feels wrong.

Her dad drinks every day and not socially. He literally will sit at home with a bottle of wine each night. He doesn't drink for the pleasure of it: he'll drink any kind of paintstripper he can find. He has the compulsion to always be reaching for a bottle and behavioural problems that go with it. To my mind he is an alcoholic, and her mum isn't far behind. She doesn't drink every night but she too feels the need to drink at home alone.

I've called them both out on it, hoping to sort it out now rather than later as my Uncle drank himself to death basically, but it's an uphill struggle. I've tried to get the whole family to recognise there's a problem and do what we can to work it out. The problem is no-one talks about alcoholism. Drink is so much more accepted.

Sorry, on topic: My sympathies to Whitney's friends and family during this difficult time. I wouldn't call myself a fan - although I loved that film *sniff* - but as a human being I can empathise with loss. It's painful for someone no-matter who it is who has died and how they knew them, and we should respect that and comfort them when it happens.

Igor Hardy · Sun 19/02/2012 13:16:43

Quote from: Khris on Sun 19/02/2012 09:03:02
I've been drinking on weekends only for over ten years now. Sure, occasionally I'll drink a few beers on a weekday, but there are also weekends where I don't drink anything. I still dislike most types of liquor and drink mostly beer. Sometimes, I don't drink anything for ten days or longer on end.
Given how much I'll down on an average night out, I'm as far away from being an alcoholic as you can get (as someone who drinks). I even have a pretty recent liver function test to prove it.
And I only want to drink in fun company; I'd never open a bottle of wine sitting home alone or being depressed.

So, yes, taking drugs responsibly is possible. And btw, that's all I ever said, I didn't depict the majority of methheads as responsible users or something.

Apparently you didn't understand what I wrote. One case doesn't prove anything. You shouldn't judge everyone by how you manage to live yourself.

There are people who touch alcohol about once a year and as a result quit life for weeks just to drink and drink until someone helps them out of it.

Khris · Sun 19/02/2012 16:20:12

No, YOU didn't understand what *I* wrote.
I didn't say everybody is able to take drugs responsibly, I said it is POSSIBLE. And one example is enough to prove that. Of course there are people who can't. Does that mean nobody can? NO.

Igor Hardy · Sun 19/02/2012 16:40:15

OK - got it now. Sorry for raising my voice.

But you keep using the word "responsibly" as if escaping addiction was dependent mostly on any takers intelligent practices of using the substance. On him/her taking reasonable amounts of it and breaking it up with enough periods in time of being off the thing. That's the notion that I strongly oppose. And I'm sorry I misunderstood you meant that.

Khris · Sun 19/02/2012 17:11:45

I borrowed "responsibly" from the liquor ads and guess I've misused it.
If I understand you correctly, you're opposing the notion that it comes down to self-control. And I agree.

My take on addicts is that they are mostly people who are unhappy about something in their life and have given up on trying to change it.
People who are happy with their life (and I consider myself lucky enough to be able to call myself that) can usually handle drugs/alcohol much better because they use them to get from fun to "extra fun", not from unbearable to bearable.
I'm not saying that addicts are too lazy or stupid to quit btw, on the contrary.