It truly is a shame when someone so talented loses their battle with an addiction and disappears from this earth forever. Amy Winehouse had a voice that was sultry, breathy, and luring. At 27 years old she had a future that could have been bright and full of promise. Unfortunately, her addiction got the best of her only to take her away too young.
I do not know if Amy Winehouse suffered from a mental illness or not but my suspicions lean heavily that way. The demons that ruled her 27 years suggest that she truly had something troubling her which led her to drugs and alcohol to find solace. This is just a reminder that many very talented individuals suffer from tremendous turmoil that eventually can destroy them. They do not always seek help, as many believe they do not need help. Many of those today who could possibly be in her situation still believe they do not need help. Although this is sad, it is their choice. We need to not enable them but not abandon them which is a fine line and a hard call.
I did not listen to Amy Winehouse but after she died heard her music on television over and over. I came to realize the loss that the music world has endured. I know that anyone who reads this blog and has children talks to them about drugs. My real hope is that if you are reading this blog you call NAMI or some other mental health organization to request they come to your school to speak about mental illness. Children need to recognize what it is before they discover drugs and alcohol. We need to stop stigma of the disease because that drives us further into denial. In my opinion, the younger we introduce children to this issue, the sooner we destroy the myth. We start speaking about drugs when they are in elementary school, we begin speaking about bigotry as soon as pre-school, why on earth would we wait to talk about mental illness. I implore you to educate your children before they become a statistic like Amy Winehouse.
