in praise of....Philip Seymour Hoffman

[Flying_Monkey]

Jeez, Linford, there are ways of expressing sadness at children losing a father AND demonstrating some empathy for the talented and tormented person who has so tragically lost their life. These's no need to blunder around being judgmental and lacking in compassion.

 

[PaulB]

That's what happens when you fark about with heroin. What usually happens is that once the door is opened to it, it can come calling any time it likes. The user understands the damage it does so quits. The body's coping mechanism relaxes as it's not being bombarded by the drug, brown sugar comes a-knocking, the user can't resist the knock, goes back at the dose s/he was formerly using without bothering titrating up to that amount and kapow - overdoses. I personally knew eleven people that happened to in exactly that way and know about so many famous ones it happened to like that, Gram Parsons being the obvious example.

 

[Ganymede]

That's what happens when you f*** about with heroin. What usually happens is that once the door is opened to it, it can come calling any time it likes. The user understands the damage it does so quits. The body's coping mechanism relaxes as it's not being bombarded by the drug, brown sugar comes a-knocking, the user can't resist the knock, goes back at the dose s/he was formerly using without bothering titrating up to that amount and kapow - overdoses. I personally knew eleven people that happened to in exactly that way and know about so many famous ones it happened to like that, Gram Parsons being the obvious example.

Cripes, PaulB, eleven.

I think it was a similar circumstance that did for Amy Winehouse - only that time alcohol. Addiction is a terrible thing. The personal tributes to PSH today from people who knew him are extremely touching, he was obviously a wonderful man with a big problem.

 

[PaulB]

Cripes, PaulB, eleven.

The most tragic one was the younger brother of a lad I'd been to school with and I worked with their mother at this time. The lad I'd been to school with was a fit, healthy non-druggie who suddenly dropped dead while playing football in a fairly high-profile amateur game. His younger brother, a former heroin user was so devastated by the loss, to console himself he shot up at the amount he had been taking two years previously when he'd last used and it was goodnight Vienna. So my colleague lost not one, but two sons over the course of a dreadful week.

 

[Ganymede]

The most tragic one was the younger brother of a lad I'd been to school with and I worked with their mother at this time. The lad I'd been to school with was a fit, healthy non-druggie who suddenly dropped dead while playing football in a fairly high-profile amateur game. His younger brother, a former heroin user was so devastated by the loss, to console himself he shot up at the amount he had been taking two years previously when he'd last used and it was goodnight Vienna. So my colleague lost not one, but two sons over the course of a dreadful week.

That's so appallingly sad - well, words are inadequate.