Do you believe Whitney Houston's death could have been avoided?

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   cwright88posted 12 years ago

   Do you believe Whitney Houston's death could have been avoided?
   
   It's pretty certain what the cause was.  Do you think she was doomed from the beginning of her drug use?

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   pgornerposted 12 years ago

   She was doomed when she got booed on Soul Train in 1989. Though millions of African-Americans always have and always will love her, getting booed that night on top of numerous underhanded media implications that she was becoming "too white" was the beginning of the end. When you're an entertainer, it doesn't matter what color you are, if you get the sense that "blacks are giving you away"...that would prompt ANYONE of any substance as an artist to go through mental hell.

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   .josh.posted 12 years ago

   While I'd probably use a different term, you could argue she was doomed, but it certainly had nothing to do with 'Soul Train,' or her not being 'black enough.' It had to do with the fact that she spent a good portion of the past two decades in an abusive relationship, and had developed a serious drug problem, which seems to eventually have taken her life.
   
   I have a ton of sympathy for Whitney and her family (particularly her daughter), and understand that addiction - in all forms - is far more complicated than those on the peripheral will ever know, but this was certainly avoidable. I would argue that she was doomed if she didn't overcome her addiction, which - assuming early reports are accurate - she did not. The notion that once she started down this path she was irreversibly doomed, however, is a bit too fatalistic for me, and disproven by all those who do overcome their addictions, and subsequently live long, healthy lives.

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   xethonxqposted 12 years ago

   Probably...but she needed to want to prevent her death too. Sometimes all the well wishers in the world can't prevent someone from continuing down a dangerous path.

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   rdlindseyposted 12 years ago

   Whitney's death could have been avoided if she had been fortunate enough to have a better support system around her. Dr. Drew Pinsky often suggest that entertainers do not take enough time to properly treat addiction. Although Whitney went through numerous rehabs and chose treatment on a number of occasions, it was painfully obvious that she never truly took a year or two that was needed to get her life together. On top of that, her marriage to another drug user for such a long time only enabled her on use. There is always hope if the drug use is taken seriously and the importance of real treatment is understood. If Whitney had the support system in place that would have ensured she take enough time to properly get her life together her death could have been avoided. Instead she chose to surround herself with yes men, friends, and followers who were enamored with the legend who ultimately stood aside through her demise. Now she must rest with the other tortured music legends who never quite got it right.

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   Indigitalposted 12 years ago

   Well, if we could go back 20, 30 years and stop her from leading a life of drug use, then maybe, but she was taken in and never came out.

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   Sherry Hewinsposted 12 years ago

   No one's death can be avoided, only postponed. Death occurs 100% of the time.

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   cwright88posted 12 years ago

   @Sherry. That is exactly what I was looking for.  Good answers though. Thanks.

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   Express10posted 12 years ago

   I definitely think her death could have been avoided. People have heart attacks and various medical problems from years of drug use, even after they quit. Hopefully her death may serve as a cautionary tale to those that need to hear it.

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