Did Addiction Kill Amy Winehouse?

Did Addiction Kill Amy Winehouse?

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While it's likely that addiction contributed to the death of Amy Winehouse, it appears that the real culprit in her death was a desire to quit using on her own, with no help from anyone else. This can be dangerous for people who have a long history of substance abuse or alcoholism especially if there have been repeated previous attempts at withdrawal and recovery. Detox is uncomfortable even under the most favorable circumstances, but for some people it can be deadly and it appears that this is exactly what happened in the case of Amy Winehouse. Understanding how her addiction progressed and why it ultimately probably killed her is critical to developing education and prevention programs so that other people don't suffer the same consequences that Winehouse did.

In the last decade Amy Winehouse carved herself a huge chunk of the public's attention both for her incredible musical talents and for her drug and alcohol induced spectacles. Winehouse could often be seen in public, intoxicated and in some cases causing a scene. She reportedly assaulted several people over the years and has been photographed in a number of compromising situations. And while this trouble started early in her career, it wasn't until her husband, Blake Fielder-Civil, introduced her to hard drugs like heroin, cocaine and ecstasy that the trouble seemed to get out of hand including violence between Winehouse and Fielder-Civil.

With the release of her Back to Black album in 2006, Winehouse won an unbelievable 5 Grammy Awards, skyrocketing her fame to ever higher levels. Her presence in the public eye exploded as well, with Winehouse being featured in countless magazines, newspapers and on the internet for her often botched performances and bizarre behavior. The press followed her everywhere and left her not a moment's peace, despite a landmark lawsuit against the paparazzi that Winehouse one. Nevertheless, the singer was hounded everywhere she went. Some have reasonably speculated that this lack of privacy drive Winehouse to drink and use drugs even more than before.

Despite the obvious problems that were occurring for the star, Winehouse refused to get help for her substance abuse and drinking issues. In fact, when her management company advised her that she should enter a rehab program, Winehouse instead fired the company. In response she penned one of her most popular songs titled "Rehab." In the song Winehouse essentially describes how she can pull out of the "black" and come full circle again on her own, in her own good time. According to sources close to her family, this is exactly what Winehouse set out to do.

Relatives of Winehouse have released statements that they believe she was attempting to detox from alcohol on her own. Some have speculated that it was this that killed her. Dr. Dan Hall-Slavin of the Mayo clinic stated in an interview with MTV News that:

"From a clinical standpoint, you never tell anyone who has been actively drinking to just stop until they get into a monitored setting because alcohol is a central nervous system depressant and while some can stop and not experience problems, others with a previous history of alcohol withdrawal can experience very serious symptoms like seizures and a severe withdrawal called Delirium Tremens, where your temperature goes up, you become dehydrated, and you can die in that state."

If this is the case then it isn't addiction that killed Winehouse directly. Instead, it was a refusal on her part to reach out for help from another human being. This is common in drug addicts and can be the most difficult challenge for them to overcome. One can only hope that Winehouse's death will be an example to those struggling with an addiction or alcoholism.

About the Author:
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