Letters to the Editor
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Who's to "blame?" Hint: It's always the addict.
You can whine about the pitfalls of celebrity or the fact that your mama didn't love you or you were abused by that jerk of a boyfriend etc. etc. The bottom line is that any addict who recovers does so only by accepting responsibility for his or her decisions.
I remember those first few albums. I was old enough (in college) to recognize that they were over-produced, vocal-candy. But damn, they were good candy. I went to a concert with a friend in the '80s. Whitney showed -- sort of. Her performance was perfunctory and uninspired -- as if the enormous audience were a bunch of unwelcome guests she had to endure because it was her job. That's when I knew she was in trouble. Because before Bobby and all the other problems, she was a young woman at the height of her career and she seemed unable to enjoy the adulation of 20,000 people.
I hope she gets better. I hope she comes to terms with whatever her demons are. But rich, poor or in-between, drugs destroy lives. You just don't see the poor folks in magazines. I'm sad for her and for her family. But like every other addict, she's responsible for her choices. Looking to blame anyone else doesn't help.