Heath Ledger Died
 

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How very, very sad.

So sad :(

I just saw this on yahoo.

yahoo news

:eek:

Heath done quit us all. :(

I am so heartbroken right now.
:(

What a loss for his family.

and for everyone looking forward to his next film work. Such a shame, I'm sad too.

:(

They say it's a possible OD. Bummer.

Have they finished filming his stuff for the new Batman movie?

Wow.
I mean, he's on my cellphone wallpaper AND I just hung my framed Canadian version of the "Brokeback" poster last night.

I feel like a family member died.
:(

So young, and so talented. :(

imdb says the film is in post-production.

swanie

But the Terry Gilliam film was still in active photography.

What a waste! I'm very sorry for his family and for his young daughter who probably will never remember him.

Hey GC - you might want to change your avatar. The Sun has video of Amy W smoking crack...

Oh, this is horrible.


Eeek, I just wrote "I wish I could quit you, Ennis" to someone in an email less than an hour ago. Sheesh, I don't know why that feels so creepy now.



Um, this is fuctup. I know lots of people die, and too many people die young. But this is royally screwed. Talented young man. Grrrrrr.

Very sad. I suppose I have to wait for the autopsy results to give vent to my equally heartfelt response of "What a f*cking moron."

Ditto. Very shocking news. Perhaps his drug problem was why Michelle Williams broke up with him. Who knows. Very sad.

Someone in our office said, "Oh, I thought you were going to tell me Amy Winehouse died."

I wonder what Heath was doing in Mary Kate Olsen's apartment?

Like Brad Renfro the other week, just another famous person OD's. I'm sure there are hundreds of "normal" folks every day - it's just beyond sad.

Sad sad sad...


Added : TMZ.com is reporting it's not Mary Kate's appartment...

What a drag, and what a senseless loss.

Wow.

Well, if it was accidental overdose we finally get someone of a young actorly persuasion to replace River Phoenix as the go to person for great talent snuffed out early.

It is sad that my first thought was "did he finish Batman"? Of course, now the hype will be to incredibly great when it gets ready to release.
Over

Um, yeah, Batman was my first thought, too.


Perhaps that's cold. I dunno.

Apparently, he finished Batman. And, I'm thinking they can't reshoot it without him. My guess is that it's going ahead as planned.

Someone said it was in post production, at this point that had to be finished as far as the actors.

Its the one he was working on now that I think he'll need to be replaced in they are going to persue it.

I'm sure with today's technologies they could fix anything he didn't film or needed to be reshot for Batman with ease. They did it with Brandon Lee on the Crow. But, I think it's all in the can...

You'd think Hollywood would start to shy away from druggie actors as they carry a serious financial risk (case in point: being mid-production and having to go back and re-shoot half a film with a new actor).

But I suppose their headline-grabbing druggie antics make up for the risk in terms of publicity.

Sad.

Damn... Heath was cute too :(

I'm wondering if they start out okay and then turn into druggies. Apparently, drugs are easier to get once you're "in".

Well, he's certainly in the can.

Easier to get/harder to avoid.

Why are they harder to avoid? Prevalence alone does not make something harder to avoid, unless you are an imebicle with absolutely zero impulse control.

Does becoming famous expose you to that much more stress? Does it encourage that much more a desire for altered states of conciousness?

Given what working at least six 16-hour or more days a week on a set can do to a person, it's very easy to succumb to the drug scene. I've worked with a few ADs who couldn't cope without a good dose of valium. And, I understand why. :( Someone once compared production to war. It can totally be like going to battle - which tolls on the mind, body, and spirit. It's an extremely high-pressure environment that doesn't let up, not even for a second. And actors have it even worse, because during hiatus, their lives are still "owned" by the public 24/7.

Yet, I seem to love production more than I like post. Maybe I'm drawn to the chaos of it all...

Not sure. I've never really been addicted to anything... maybe diet sodas...
But I think when the demand to be "on" is so high, I can see people resorting to drugs to help them.

Too true. It's like a last resort when trying to cope. :(

This is no way compares... but...

When I was doing theatre avidly in Hawai'i, I felt the need to be "on" all the time. Because HI is so small, people would come up to me and talk to me all the time about theatre stuff. And, since I was representing a certain theatre at the time, I felt the need to be happy, chipper and positive all the time. (It gets old.) Once someone sat with Ralphie and I in our booth at a restaurant wanting to know everything about the production I was in blah, blah. It was very uncomfortable.
I can't imagine what it would be like to be a film star. Everyone would recognize you at all time... everywhere you went.... Yikes.

If sleeping pills were what he ODed on, I think we're talking serious depression and suicide here. Although, there are some nice perscription drug habits out there.

In most walks of life, it's not particularly difficult to remove yourself from situations you where you know you will be uncomfortable/unable to avoid temptation. In the entertainment industry, yes it IS about prevalence. Your JOB is to see and be seen, and it just so happens that the best way to see and be seen in that industry is to be in party situations. You have very little choice as a high-end star but to be around it. So while most people, if they end up around temptation, have the option of removing themselves if they feel like they can't resist, that option is rarely there for a star of his level.

I'm thinking, the break up with his wife, not seeing his kid as much, stuff like that. Total depression.
Rumor has it that he was doing heroin at one point. Not good.

It definitely compares! ^And this is because you are nice. The first time I met you about a year ago, I walked up to you like a Disnerd groupie and introduced myself to you. (To give myself some excuse, it was at a very big meet; I didn't accost you in public!) You were extremely nice and I will never forget that. You totally could have blown me off, but didn't.

Anyway, Heath.

Bah! I am so mad about this. I remember feeling this way about River Phoenix and Kurt Cobain. Brad Renfro? Yeah, not really - saw that coming. But not Heath Ledger. I mean, come on. So very sad and disappointing.

I wish the press would just back off of celebs when they're going through depression and whatnot. Let them get the help they need, because they're people just like the rest of us. I think that's what sways some of them from getting treatment and help - because the press always has a field day with it.

Bingo. It took what seems like forever for the press and media to leave several current celebrities alone so they could complete rehab. And they still hounded the facility and took photos of them on outings.

Such a shocking and terrible loss to the world of film. I always thought he seemed kind of odd but I greatly enjoyed his acting and even in films that I didn't enjoy much I appreciated his performances and ability.

I truly hope that this was simply a tragic accident and not suicide or drug overdose. Those are both such selfish paths and I'd hate to find out that he went that way. My heart goes out to his daughter. Losing a father so young... How awful.

R.I.P.

I thought this was a nice write up at EW.com:

Thanks for sharing GC. That really is a nice write-up. I'm somewhat embarrassed to admit, but Knight's Tale has always been my favorite Ledger role. It was just good, clean fun and made me laugh and smile. I agree with the writer about Batman. I'm sure most of us will be looking at the Joker and trying to pick out which bits are the character and which are Heath.

So tragic and such a waste.

I agree with Jazzman. But, I've yet to see anything I've liked him in. Dark Knight I was looking forward to seeing him in. Oh well.

I'm hoping they're still going to release it.

I'm very sad at how young he was... :(

Oh, I'm sure it will be released. I hope they handle it tastefully, but this widely anticipated role just got 17 times more widely anticipated.


The bits I've seen of him as the Joker, btw, are intense and creepy in the extreme. I'm afraid the film and the role are going to take on unintended significance and a layer of meaning that was never there when the film was written or shot.

I hope that doesn't cloud the issue of what I expect will be one of Heath Ledger's best performances.

Terry Gilliam must be wondering what he did to piss off the movie making gods.

Boy, I'll say.

Um, I don't keep up with this stuff ... so what was the Terry Gilliam project that Heath Ledger was (till now) involved with?




Poor Mr. Gilliam. Everything's sucked for him, moviewise, for a long, long, long .... long time.

Such promise, too.




Maybe a double feature of Brokeback Mountain and Brazil will be fitting someday.

So, to get my grief on, I watched BBM tonight.
Still a masterpiece in my humble opinion.
I cried like a funeral goer peeing onions.

But I'm okay now.

Now I'm watching It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.
:D

I don't know a thing about it but it has a horrible title:

The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus

I'm assuming it isn't a sequel to Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium.

I don't know about that, but I do remember Troy McClure in The Fantabulous Contraption of Professor Horatio Hufnagel.

while looking at the copys i can read at the station... like a quarter of the news is on him... even the bulitens.

I can understand some mentions... I do fell sorry for his family for their loss though.

The footage of his body being removed from the apartment building is just wrong. Ugh. The media can be so lame...

I agree GC. I was surprised when my morning news kept showing the body bag, so I changed the channel. I'd rather see a pic of the actor/person, especially in different things they've done. It helps jog my old memory.

Yeah, I was watching this nice slideshow of him and his career highlights by some Sydney newspaper ... and it was marred by the bodybag shot.

Ugh, but I kinda like the irony of something disgusting like that being pervasive in the media when the guy who died had such a prominent issue with mistreatment by the media.



G.C., I can't believe you watched BBM last night. I thought of doing the same, but I couldn't bear to.


Maybe this weekend. I dunno. Too upsetting, Grrrrrr.

I was thinking that if I'm sad already... how much sadder could I get?
I still love this film. Even with all the stereotyping and parodying that happens with it. I mean, some people still love Titanic, right?
:D

Of course, I cried during the third act. Totally. The "asleep on your feet" scene had me bawling... but in a good way. It was a good release.

But after viewing the film, something interesting happened. I got kind of mad at Mr. Ledger for leaving me... us.

Well, IMO, I do not think he did it on purpose. Still, I am very sad, a loss of talent is always sad, and one so young with so much potential.

I hope this puts to bed any notion of anyone doing a sequel to BBM. Bleh. Oliver's Story, anyone?

Y'know, I've still not seen this movie. It's sitting there, on the stack of other movies I've yet to watch.

Was Heath Ledger mistreated by the media? I'm completely unaware of him being covered by the media in any way other than his name attached to this or that film.

Gemini Cricket will be by later today to revoke your gay card.

He was mistreated by the paparazzi, who hounded him on behalf of the media. He was infamously bothered by their intrusions, and would fight back in a somewhat nasty manner. His feud with them was quasi-legendary.


As far as I know, he did not receive any bad press. I don't read any celebrity stories, so I really have no idea.

Yes, Gn2Dlnd's membership file is on my desk. I stamped it "Expulsion Forthcoming" on the front... in pink, of course.


I just had to console 2 very young gay-friendly twentysomethings in my office because they heard that Fred Phelps and followers are going to picket Ledger's funeral. They were so distraught at the idea that someone would do that. I told them that Fred is most likely a closeted gay hater and his followers are all family members. The more he does this, the more people will realize that fundies and extremists on either side of the spectrum are nuts.

I do find it odd that people are surprised by Phelps, considering his cult has been around for so long doing the same exact things (I remember when he protested Matthew Shepard's funeral, and that was back in 1998).

So can't we organize some countering, protection display ... like they did for Shepard with the giant angel wings that shielded the funeral from the nutball scorn of the inbred hatemongers?

Perhaps, since Heath's only connection to teh gay is Brokeback, we should dress as giant Mountains, and thus shield the actual mourners with our geological bulk.

Sign me up to protest Phelp's funeral once that man croaks.

I, for one, will not be protesting it. That would be totaly wrong....


I'l be celebrating it with a great deal of glee.

Oh, well, I'd totally be up for throwing a mass party in front of his church's steps. :snap:

I will be treating his death with the same indifference I have about him now. Beneath me. After all, when you're a queen....

Here's a pic of Heath on the set of The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus

Screw you people for making me watch that movie.

I'm a mess.

You weren't before? ;)

Did ya like it?

Liked AND hated.

That is to say, it's a very good movie that I knew would make me deeply unhappy, that's why I've avoided watching it. Heath Ledger killing himself just adds an extra element of anger to the whole thing.

I wonder if school safety programs are going to change after this incident:

"Okay, class, when there's an emergency, who do we call?"

"Mary-Kate Olsen!"

I wonder if it would be creepier if Heath had played Twist who died, and Jake had the scenes dealing sadly with his death ... or if it's maximally creepy just as it is with Heath doing the sad death dealing as Del Mar.

Daily Candy linked to a tribute from Ellen DeGeneres - I thought it was sweet.

I just checked CNN.com. Heath Ledger is still dead.



*sigh*

Lovely tribute from Dark Knight director Chris Nolan.

That was teh awesome. I'm all Heath-crying again.

Accidental overdose.

That's a lot of meds to take all at once. Yikes.

:(

Waaaaa, somehow this is even sadder than suicide ... to me at least. I mean, it's horrible if the guy was suicidally miserable ... but absolutely horrific if he were just going for a much needed night of decent sleep ... only to have that sleep be indecent and forever.


Waaaaaaaa! :( :( :( and :(

Yeah, Ken said that it's just a lethal combination, rather than an overdose. The poor guy probably didn't know that the drugs couldn't be taken together. :(

It IS terribly sad. Though I hope it will wake up doctors who would prescribe all of those, pharmacists that would fill all of them, and people who might make the mistake of taking all of them at once. (Yes, I know that they might have come from different physicians and pharmacies - but isn't it a doctor's responsibility to ask what else the patient is taking?)

Painfully ironic that Ledger's last short film was a music video of sorts set to "Black Dog" by Nick Drake (one of my very favorite musicians) who died of an accidental perescription overdose, as well... just after recording of that song.

I hope such stupidity shines a light on the scrouge that is "legal" drugs in America. I'm losing (figuratively, not literally -- at, least not yet) family members left and right due to over-reliance on either drug "cocktails" or good old-fashioned pain pills.

This country is killing itself with drugs that can pass the company piss test.

I know what you mean, Sac.

Docs and patients are too quick to reach for the meds nowadays, and people are the most medicated they have ever been in history.

Case-in-point: I made a frantic call to my EAP about 10 years ago. I was going through a very rough time, and just really needed someone to talk to and point me in a positive direction. Before I could finish talking about what troubled me, the "counselor" on the line interrupted me and said "Ok, well let's find you a doctor who can get you some good meds to help you cope." I immediately hung up the phone, disgusted. I eventually vented to a friend, and then pushed myself to get over it. It took a couple years, but I did it.

Now, I understand that sometimes meds are necessary to help with true bonafide chemical imbalances, but even Ken thinks that people are too quick to reach for the pills instead of tackling the underlying issues. Medicating is easy. Actually building that bridge and getting over it takes a lot of time and work. And, some folks (docs and patients), just don't want to take that time and work.

My mom's been in and out of rehab from the addiction to prescription drugs prescibed by doctors, at the doceges precribed. For decades.

I laugh the evil and saddened laugh when people chide me for my illegal drug use of comparatively harmless substances.

I agree that as a society, we're over-reliant on meds. Still, those with a chemical imbalance can definitely do well with a combination of, say, behavioral therapy and one specific prescription that helps the imbalance. But frequent check-in appointments and continuing efforts to work through things are certainly necessary even in that case.

My doctor prescribed Temazapam for me, and wouldn't give the script to me unless I affirmed that I was not on any other calmative/sedative/hypnotic meds or alcohol.

...If Heath had all of those at once, there's either a shonky doctor involved, or he was knowingly mixing them himself.

When Ken gets home, I'll see if he'll fill ya in on some horror stories from the pharmacy. ;)

One of my faves was the woman who called in, saying that her husband had a fever of 105 and wanted to know if it would help to give him some Valium that they had sitting in their cabinet for a couple years... :eek:

Sometimes, people just don't know better. :(

There is the other option. Mutiple doctors perscribing, and no one stopping to think about them all together. Including the patient.

But why would he have been going to multiple doctors in the first place? Look at that list of meds. That's far beyond, "Well, I went to this doctor for one thing, and this other doctor for another thing ailment, never thought to mention the other presrciption." It takes a concerted effort, either by a single unscrupulous doctor, or by a patient doing end-runs around the system, to pick up such an extensive cocktail.

You'll note, by the way, that the report explicitly calls it "abuse of prescription medication". I'm having a hard time believing that he was just ill informed.

Plus, weren't the prescriptions from two different countries (US and UK)? I don't know if there are many safeguards that would have caught that beyond Ledger self reporting.

I'll definitely have Ken pop in tonight and fill us in on the pharmacy requirements. Should be interesting.

It'll be interesting just to have Ken post. ;)

<giggle>

Also, Lashbear... I will have to use the word "shonky" more often :) :) Is it a portmanteau of "shady" and "wonky"?

And I know this probably goes without saying, but we also shouldn't be too quick to judge people just because they are medicated. I fought going on to anti-depressants - fought it big time. But after a while, I came to realize that I could not function without them. I spent a lot of time in therapy and after a while, it just became apparent that the issues were not emotional ones (though some might argue otherwise, but I digress), but simply chemical imbalance issues in my brain.

It actually took a couple of years to find the right balance of meds and strengths, but I have been on the same combination for a couple of years now.

What I came to realize is that anti-depressants are to me like insulin is to a diabetic. It sucks that I have to take them, but there are just a part of my life. I can choose to accept it and move on, or dwell on it and allow the situation to ruin my life. I chose the former.

Most certainly. I do feel they are necessary for some, but prescribed far too quickly without trying to overcome the initial issue(s) first. Ken said something like over 50% of the meds they fill are anti-depressants. It says a lot about the system as a whole, because I have a very hard time believing that many people actually need 'em.

I feel that doctors give up/give in too quickly, so instead of treating the problem, they're only covering up the symptoms as soon as possible. And, that goes for pain meds as well.

Back hurts? Here's a pill. Can't sleep? Here's a pill. Sad? Here's a pill.

I think, as a society, we're all looking for that "quick fix", thus doing more damage to our bodies and minds in the long run.

Some anti-depressant commercials suggest seeing a doctor and asking for their happy pill if the viewer's been depressed for a week. IMHO, that's WAY too short a time, unless it's repeated on a regular basis. If someone is stuck in the cycle of depression, then by all means, they should get whatever help they need.

And I absolutely agree on this as well, though there is a small part of me that feels that since I am on meds, I cannot comment this. It's just a weird quirk of mine.

From the sound of it, you did try, and it's not just battling emotions, but a true chemical issue. And good for you for trying to fight it out first!

What concerns me are people who have a sad event like family death, break-up, etc., and just quickly pop a pill for awhile instead of confronting it in a sober/realistic state. Those meds can take a person who is chemically balanced and throw 'em off-kilter, thus building a dependency. And, it's a prescribed dependency, similar to the level of dependency of other substances. The former is considered ok, yet the latter is considered bad. And, that's scary.

And, I'm with iSm on the whole "natural" substance thing, versus prescribed addictive substances.

It'd be interesting to see a comparison study on the lasting effects of pot versus prescribed meds.

One thing that has always concerned me is what affect taking these meds will have on me long term. Am I trading a longer/healthier life for the ability to survive now?

A choice I would still make BTW, even if I knew that the meds would shorten my life somehow.

I think the issue of anti-depressants is MUCH different than the sheer amount of different drugs Heath had taken.

Temazepam and Oxycodone are both VERY strong drugs. I've taken one - Temazepam - and it absolutely knocks me out (and I've got a good resistance to drug effects). Oxycodone has been on the rise as a VERY addictive drug and you see a lot of people in recovery who have become addicted to it. I wouldn't take it if you paid me. Add some vicodine (hydrocodone) and Vallium (diazepam) to the mix and that alone seems lethal (there are 2 opiates in that mix - think heroin overdose).

It's really sad that it came to this. People rely on sleep meds more and more - but has anyone ever died from lack of sleep?

Yes, the anti-depressant tangent is interesting ... but i think a far more pressing problem is that people with pain and sleep issues (quite common) will often have sleeping pills, muscle relaxants and pain killers around and, in times of frustration brought on by nagging pain and sleep deprivation, will take them all at once ...


... to see if that works. Or, tragically possible, to never see anything again.


:(

Kevy, if anything, I think your experiences allow you to speak with a great deal of personal knowledge. You accept that not everyone is the same and that there is no blanket treatment for what ails anyone. I think that's pretty great.

As many of you know, I take medication to keep me from having seizures (Depakote). One of the side effects is sudden liver failure (fun fun fun). So I have to have my liver function checked every 6 months. It might shorten my life, but the quality of my life ON Depakote is far better than the alternative, which would be seizures bringing on more and more brain damage. It does have one awesome positive side effect, too- when my medication level is right, I have no migraines, and sleep incredibly restful sleep.

Addressing the broader topic of drug dependence by doctors and patients, we are definitely a quick fix culture. However, I think the real problem lies in that fact that there's usually no follow-up once a medication has been prescribed to changed the things that may have brought on the need for pills in the first place.

Depression is usually caused by a chemical reaction (or lack there-of) as well as a result of life situations. Anti-depressants can be used very successfully for the short term to alter chemistry and get the patient out of the deep well and into more manageable waters and deal with the situation causing the problem. Six months or a year on anti-depressants may work as a great bridge for someone stuck in depression and they can probably live successfully without the drugs IF they deal with the cause. But, the pills alone should not be the long term solution.

Even people with permanent chemical imbalances and who need to take anti-depressants on a permanent basis usually have other issues that contribute to the problem. (A lot of depressed people self medicate with OTC drugs, alcohol and illegal drugs).

Sadly, the people that seem to REALLY NEED to address their chemical imbalances are the ones who seem to be the more "stoic" of the population. (Or, maybe it's just delution. ;))

FINE! I'll start taking Xanax. Can anybody score me some?

Try your doctor. They give them out like candy.

Meanwhile, I will continue to smoke pot, eat psylicibin mushrooms and trip on LSD with absolutely no ill effects.

Yet.

I don't have a doctor and aren't about to start having one now.

I think you need something stronger than Xanax.

The problem with our medical system is that it relies heavily on the patient to be in charge of and on top of their own care.

The people who want to abuse the system have an easy time doing it what with different Doctors and Pharmacies widely available. As long as you are willing to pay cash and don't make any mistakes you can easily go to many different doctors and pharmacies and never be caught abusing.

At the same time we expect that an individual knows every drug they are taking and how they interact. That may be fine for most people but for some, especially the old or infirm that is a lot to expect. You would be amazed at how many people refer to their meds by color and time of day ie "the little yellow one I take in the morning."

It is unfortunately not uncommon for us to catch a drug interaction at the pharmacy. We have had patients bring in prescriptions for drugs they are allergic to. People bring in two prescriptions from two different doctors for drugs which are basically identical. We have even had people bring in drugs which would counteract each other from the same doctor.

Doctors are busy and frankly don't know enough about drugs and how they interact, and while most people will go to the same doctor they think nothing about going to multiple pharmacies.

Just today we had a guest who went to the dentist and got prescriptions for Ibuprofen and Tylenol #4 when they are already taking Coumadin and Vicodin-ES. You cannot take any of those together. The T4+Vicodin is way more Tylenol than a person can have and may cause Liver failure. While Coumadin + motrin= nonstop intestinal bleeding. The patient told here Dentist about the Coumadin but not the Vicodin. Had she gone to the pharmacy right by the dentists office she would have taken the pills and she only came to us because their computers where down so they could not fill the prescriptions.

Very few people really understand all the interactions between medications especially about the dangers of Over-The-Counter meds mixed with prescription drugs. They make mistakes and those mistakes can prove fatal. People who want to abuse the system have an easy time doing it and only the stupid or lazy ever really get caught. While Heath Ledger died because of the mixture he was taking such abuse is not that uncommon and only a small percentage of the people who abuse such drugs have such a reaction.

It is easy when you have the meds prescribed to get then and easy to take them, not get the effect you want, and then take more or something else and not realize that even though you haven't yet felt the effect of them they are in your system and interacting with the drugs you just took.

In short the system in open to abuse and mistakes and only a complete overhaul of the whole system would make such abuse stop. As long as such abuse exists we will hear stories like this.

...and I can't talk, cos I'm on Insulin !! :p

...Just to re-iterate, If you are on meds, you'd have to have a room-temp IQ (or be really out of it) not to think to mention your exsisting meds to anyone who is about to prescribe more meds to you (even if they're the same doctor/therapist - although I think there's software now that checks for interactions automatically when writing scripts).

Not judging, just sayin'.

"oxycodone, hydrocodone"

A Doc I know gives some pretty good, basic advice. He says, "Don't combine pills that rhyme." It isn't a hard rule, but a good basic rule of thumb. Both of these are strong opiates so basically taking both is like doubling up.

So sad all around. Sounds like Ledger is the victim of either seriously bad info, trying to self medicate without proper knowledge or both. Almost makes it more tragic: could have been avoided altogether.

Thanks, Ken. :)

(Also, glad to see you post. :D)

I was always grateful that I worked for a dentist that really knew about drug interactions. We even talked with patients about the effects of antibiotics in conjunction with birth control. I see it happen all of the time, and it's not because people are dumb... well, maybe, but... you know... people just don't think all the time, and they expect their doctors to fix the problem. Maybe it's a greater symptom of a society that's hooked on dependence (something I see in so many facets of American life today), it's really hard to say.

I agree with Ken that only a complete overhaul could change something, but as much sense as such a thing might make, there would be many opposed to it, which is depressing, yet understandable considering things like this don't make news outside of cases like Ledger.

On an entirely different note, I've taken Xanax before, and not due to my being prescribed it. If I can be honest, (and of all places in the world I feel I can be honest, it's here) Xanax made the day fly by effortlessly, frighteningly so. I can understand why someone facing emotional trouble could be drawn to that, as well as other drugs.

It was a very difficult time in my life when I should have sought professional help, but instead helped myself to the "bottle" and a few bottles of prescription meds. I blacked out while in Mexico, lost my car, and was generally stuck down there while trying to get everything back together. That, along with a few family incidents stopped that train - I'm lucky things ended the way they did and when they did... with me safe, and not doing stupid sh*t like that any more. I'm always trying to remain cogniscant of my family history, as well as my own - but I'd like to think I stopped things nice and early.

I'm always amazed how many doctors offer me opiates as treatment knowing my history.

Just as aside, this is not always a bad thing. If my friend Ginny (with the giant brain tumor) hadn't been in charge of and on top of her own care, she'd have been dead six times over.

That's not to say that most people are more qualified than doctors, just that it takes a good dose of both patient and doctor involvment to get really good care ... and often the patient will know best about the care they need (and well, tragically, often not)


But at least a high-profile drug-mix accidental overdose of common mistake like Heath's will likely lead to more awareness of the problem and save at least a few lives, at least in the short term.

Ditto that, iSm, in terms of my mom. The coumadin clinic actually consults HER as to what she should be taking - after eleven years with an auto-immune disease and 28 years dating DVT-preventative medication, her charts and graphs give her way more perspective than the docs. And whenever she goes to the hospital, her very tricky medical cocktails (none anti-depressive, but most required due to side effects from the steroids - which, if she weren't taking them, she'd die right away) always get mixed up, and it's up to her in her ill state to realize they're mis-medicating her. This is why - hmm, I haven't talked about this on the board yet - this is why she is no longer seeking actual treatment and refuses hospital stays even though she's frequently bleeding internally and lately passes an average of 2 kidney stones per day.