Askin' for it

I never usually get political because I know I'm inviting a whirlwind of shit. And I probably won't be very popular for this post but I have to say it. A lot of people have some pretty mixed (and opinionated) feelings surrounding Whitney Houston's death. I, however, take issue with people parlaying it into a sanctimonious diatribe about who the "real heroes" are. There's no doubt that our troops are selfless, brave and make incredible sacrifices on a daily basis to protect our freedoms and they should be thanked every day for their commitment to that; and not because there's a feeling of misplaced attention on a celebrity. Fact: Whitney Houston was an idol, a star, a tragic talent who died way too early. She was one of the biggest superstars of our generation. Hands down one of the best and most celebrated voices ever heard. All of her accomplishments were overshadowed by her downward spiral into addiction and self-destruction. Alcoholism and drug addiction is a disease for which there is no cure and she succumbed to this disease. She's also a human being. And regardless of what one may interpret as sad, it WAS tragic and sad to see an amazing performer lose her way and subsequently her life. Where have we seen this before? Does anyone remember Elvis?

As a newly minted sober person I can say that this is a serious illness. It's frightening and life threatening. It doesn't make you a bad person. I've heard this quote once which helps me forgive myself for the pain my addictions caused others. I wasn't a bad person; I was a sick person doing bad things. I work really hard on this everyday and it's the most important and rewarding thing I've ever done in my life. And it is NOT easy. I am one of the lucky ones and I thank my lucky stars everyday that I made it through another sober minute.


If you want to support our troops and draw attention to their nobility then do it everyday. Send a care package. Make a donation. Throw a fundraiser. Do more than just click "share" on a meme and writing "SO TRUE" about it. And please.......keep the issues separate.

Now I'm sure I'm gonna get a ton of responses, both negative and positive but if you attack what I have to say then you're more than likely missing my point.