With the recent death of Michael Jackson and the uncovering of the depth of his drug problem, it's clear Michael was an addict. I've seen in the news that he went to drug rehab some time ago for his addiction to prescription pain medication, but what seems very clear to me is that for whatever the reasons treatment didn't work for him. In the weeks to come we will undoubtedly be inundated with reports about his private life and the extent of his addiction.
A report today said that he had enough drugs in his system to kill an average person. Well, of course it would. These statements can end up being so misleading because what an addict can tolerate is usually incredible amounts of alcohol or drugs. This is part of being an addict. Tolerance is one of those early signs that your body is building up to your consumption and adapting to your use. One of the signs of being in later stage addiction or alcoholism and having your body start to give out on you is when you begin to consume less amounts to produce the same high or drunk. In alcoholics this can be a sign of liver damage. But this is not just something that happens to alcoholics. These are the words of one former crystal methamphetamine addict, "at the very end I couldn't do much meth at all. Just a little bit had me spun for days. I could feel my body shutting down on me...it was as if the life was literally seeping from me; I was at my end."
I hope that Michael Jackson did not die in vain. His death is another tragic example, like the hundreds if not thousands that go by every day without anyone noticing, of the perils of addiction. With all the resources at his hands, he picked up pills. Instead of thinking he made a poor choice, imagine for just a moment just how incredibly powerful it must be to have an active addiction running through your veins.
