For me, and I’m sure many others, the loss of Whitney Houston, one of the greatest entertainers to walk our earth, is still setting in and will probably be felt for a while.
I am accepting the loss of another great legend and asking myself why, why, why was she ripped from us so quickly? But another question I have is, why on God’s green Earth were doctors prescribing so many drugs to Whitney, someone who has clearly struggled with drug abuse?
As news broke that Whitney left us, more and more details were released regarding the possible cause of the star’s death. Reports say that the legend was on several different prescription drugs like Valium and Xanax, and that she had been drinking alcohol the same day.
Whitney Entertained Us In Life, Don’t Disrespect Her Dead Body
This is not the first time we lost a mega star to prescription drugs. Of course we all remember the sudden death of pop king Michael Jackson three years ago. Michael’s doctor at the time, Conrad Murray, went through a prolonged court case to defend his role in what led to Michael’s death, which involved an overdose of the sedative propofol.
Stars like Michael and Whitney have had obvious issues with drugs, so why do doctors give out prescription for drugs all willy-nilly?! Of course, an obvious conclusion is for the money they are possibly being offered, but these medical professional are toying with the lives of not only artists loved by millions all over the world, but their dear families as well.
According to reports by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, prescription-drug abuse is the fastest-growing drug problem in the U.S. The same report also stated that in 2007, there were about 27,000 unintentional deaths from drug overdoses, or one death every 19 minutes!
During Whitney’s funeral her bodyguard, Ray Watson, shared some words in the church, which was filled to capacity. He said:
“We got to give a little back to all our entertainers. We gotta treat them with dignity, and treat them with love, and stop ridiculing them. It means so much if we just give a little love other than just buying a ticket. We buy a ticket, and they give their lives to you. They’re not with their families; they’re in and out, on stage, off stage, on planes, off planes, on buses, traveling doing everything just so we can have some entertainment.”
At that moment, it confirmed to me how inconsiderate most of us are for the stars who sacrifice parts of their lives for the sake of entertainment. Artist and entertainers deal with the struggles of fame that are thrown at them and often turn to drugs to cope and deal with their demons and stresses, and doctors have been prescribing these drugs without asking any questions!
PHOTOS: Whitney Houston’s Funeral Pictures
Yes, these same artists are grown adults who can make their own decisions; we are all human and make mistakes and struggle with challenges life throws our way. But we can’t always do it alone, and we don’t always make the right choices. I wonder, where has our compassion gone? I’m not saying doctors should not be prescribing drugs, because some of these drugs may actually be needed for serious health concerns. But when someone has obviously struggled with drug abuse in their past, there should be some moderation. There should be some monitoring going on for celebrities and everyone else who has had problems with addiction.
Every life is worth saving. Let’s show a little love — tough love! — instead of just enabling our amazing artists and watching them waste away before our eyes.
Because, in every case, especially in our dear Whitney’s, we will never have another!
–Evanka W. <3
