Russell Brand Reflects on Addiction in Tribute to Amy Winehouse

Russell Brand with Amy Winehouse (velvetv.com)

Russell Brand, a former addict and now an International superstar married to Katy Perry, mustered up a touching tribute to the late Amy Winehouse. He delves into the inevitable fall of an addict, and the family and friends who can simply stand by and wait.

When you love someone who suffers from the disease of addiction you await the phone call. There will be a phone call. The sincere hope is that the call will be from the addict themselves, telling you they’ve had enough, that they’re ready to stop, ready to try something new. Of course though, you fear the other call, the sad nocturnal chime from a friend or relative telling you it’s too late, she’s gone.

Frustratingly it’s not a call you can ever make, it must be received. It is impossible to intervene.

Now Amy Winehouse is dead, like many others whose unnecessary deaths have been retrospectively romanticised, at 27 years old. Whether this tragedy was preventable or not is now irrelevant. It is not preventable today. We have lost a beautiful and talented woman to this disease. Not all addicts have Amy’s incredible talent. Or Kurt’s or Jimi’s or Janis’s, some people just get the affliction. All we can do is adapt the way we view this condition, not as a crime or a romantic affectation but as a disease that will kill.

(Read full tribute at PerezHilton.com)

Unfortunately, the common phrase of “hitting rock bottom” is all too real and synonymous with the addiction disease.

Consult an Addiction Medicine Specialist