This is truly sad. It is sad to watch someone self-destruct and throw away an incredible talent. Yet, it must also be a warning to others that no matter how good you think you might be and how strong you think you are, ultimately drugs control you. Do not kid yourself that you can control the drugs. Amy Winehouse is a perfect example of this. She is a prodigious talent and has been recognized as such with numerous awards for her singing and song writing. Yet, at 24 years of age she has emphysema. Emphysema is an incurable disease and Winehouse has allegedly developed it as a direct result of her well-known and widely publicised crack cocaine habit. This is kind of like the double whammy in the sense that probably the worst way to dabble in cocaine is to smoke it!
Her doctors have told her that "if she goes back to smoking drugs it won't just ruin her voice, it will kill her," according to her father as quoted in the Sunday Mirror. Apparently, her fainting spell and her inability to breathe properly might just have saved her from more serious damage. Not that emphysema is not serious enough, but if she is able to change her habits then doctors have offered a much more positive picture. The question is can she change her self-destructive habits. If a person ever needed a serious wake-up call then this would be it!
Winehouse is scheduled to play and Glastonbury next week and there is also a singing date for Nelson Mandela's 90th birthday. I actually like her music and listen to her often. So, for selfish reasons I would like to see her beat her addictions so that she can make a few more albums and I can enjoy her soulful tunes for a little while longer.
Here's to a speedy recovery! The picture is from Getty Images.
