On Whitney Houston and drug addiction

Unlike Michael Jackson, the singer-songwriter Whitney Houston's problems with drugs had been widely reported, so when she died this month it wasn't hard to imagine that her demons had caught up with her. And for many people the first reaction was: Whom to blame?

Among my friends, a convenient scapegoat was Bobby Brown, Houston's ex-husband. Their abusive marriage, as played out on TV, seemed like something that would drive a sensitive woman to drugs. But when Whitney was a model in New York years ago, I recall hearing that the squeaky-clean image Clive Davis chose for her was just that— image. She married Bobby Brown because he spoke to something within her, not because he tricked her.

More disturbing was the condemnation that was heaped upon Whitney on the Internet. So many famous drug addicts have seized our attention lately that the extent of ignorance about drug addiction is surprising. It's not simply a moral failing, although it surely involves immoral activities.

Cycle of self-loathing

Some people— sometimes genetically pre-disposed— are particularly vulnerable. They make bad decisions, usually due to an inability to handle deep emotional wounds. Their medication of choice provides relief, but it also helps to perpetuate the cycle of self-loathing and shame that made the drug attractive in the first place.

And so the cycle continues, unless something intervenes to drive the addict to seek recovery. Otherwise, the addict loses everything.

At her funeral, the actor Kevin Costner mentioned that Whitney Houston was deeply insecure— never sure she was good enough. This fear isn't unusual, but when the world is scrutinizing you, it's easily reinforced.

Pain and creativity

Houston's voice was widely acclaimed as a phenomenon, and her musicality was phenomenal too. As a music teacher, I have yet to meet a young musician who is unusually musical who doesn't bear emotional scars. You don't have to be unstable to be expressive, but you do have to have experienced deep pain or hurt. The range of emotional experience allows a range of artistic communication.

Of course, not everyone can translate pain into art. And ideally, the pain becomes vestigial, not ongoing.

So Whitney Houston had pains, and drugs were her chosen method of dealing with them. In an interview with Oprah Winfrey given after Michael Jackson's death, she mentioned how disturbing it was to know that both she and her friend were hooked on prescription drugs— that he was a mirror, in a sense.

Blaming the media

She tried to get her house in order, but it's very easy to get illegal substances when you're poor, and even easier when you're rich. In a society built on buying whatever you want whenever you want it, it can be hard to resist.

I'm not being flip when I say that sometimes chocolate really does get me through the day— I gave it up for Lent last year. What would I do if I craved something more lethal?

The TV talk show host Bill O'Reilly has tried to blame the media for merely reporting on celebrity drug use, rather than condemning it, which he feels could have saved Whitney Houston's life. I disagree. There's no way to control how an addict will react to your words. That's the frustrating, tragic part of knowing someone who is caught in the cycle of addiction. Fantasia Barrino's comments during a performance shortly after Whitney's death said it best: We need less judging and more praying.♦


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