The Life & Death Of The Party.
Usually I try to keep my humble little blogs away from the realm of celebrity gossip. There are already hundreds of bloggers out there devoted to that crap, and it’s just not what I do. Don’t get me wrong. Of course I read puh-lenty of that inanely ubiquitous drivel, however I prefer to regard myself as wholly incapable of the vapidity required to write it. That said, an item in today’s news hits a tad close to home, so I feel obliged to share.
In yet another unsurprising turn of events, Lindsay Lohan has gone and gotten herself arrested again. According to cnn.com, this time she has been charged with "driving under the influence, possession of cocaine, bringing a controlled substance into a jail facility, and driving on a suspended license."
Okay, um, first things first. "Bringing a controlled substance into a jail facility"??? Apparently times have changed in Los Angeles, because I’m relatively certain that when I was arrested there nearly 4.5 years ago, all drugs had been removed from my person by the time I crossed the threshold of the jail facility. Isn’t it the responsibility of the arresting officers to ensure that all drugs are confiscated prior to escorting a scofflaw onto the premises? And is the negligence of the police seriously something they can add to someone’s list of charges? Hardly seems fair to charge a person with the cops’ own oversight.
But I digress. I like Lindsay. I’ve seen a handful of her movies, and it has become quite clear to me that she does indeed have the potential to someday become a truly great actress. If she lives long enough.
Many recent articles about the newly legal 21 year-old have mentioned a new high-tech alcohol-monitoring ankle bracelet which she allegedly volunteered to wear upon her release from rehab a couple weeks ago. Each article is accompanied by photographs of Lindsay partying her ass off at some hot club in Las Vegas, fashionably dressed in floozy chic, whooping it up until dawn with said ankle bracelet in plain view. Captions hail that this "new Lindsay" - who bears an uncanny resemblance to the old Lindsay - now merely sips on Red Bull all night long, and that her whooping has become more tame than before.
We recovery folks have a saying. Well, we actually have a lot of sayings, but one of them is that if you keep hanging out at the barber shop, eventually you’re going to get a haircut. After seeing so many pictures of recently rehabbed Lindsay hanging out at her metaphorical barber shop, I sensed it was only a matter of time before she’d get herself a metaphorical haircut. (At least she didn’t shave her head… yet.) I can’t honestly say that I expected this to happen so soon, but I also can’t honestly say that I’m surprised. If we addicts keep doing what we’ve been doing, we’ll keep getting what we’ve been getting. It applies to the good times as well as the bad. It’s not exactly rocket science.
It is, however, a disease. And like so many diseases, this one is a killer. I was reminded of that this weekend when I learned that an acquaintance of mine named Timmy had just passed away. I didn’t know him very well, but I do remember when I first met four years ago at the very first Crystal Meth Anonymous meeting I attended in Washington, DC. In the time since he had relapsed frequently, but he kept coming back to meetings and trying again. Although it seems he died from complications from an earlier suicide attempt, I’ve heard that when he died he had 59 days sober. While that number may seem small to a few of my faithful readers, even just one day sober can be a seemingly impossible challenge to a struggling addict. Two months is nothing short of a miracle. Sometimes I forget that keeping such a cunning, baffling, and powerful disease in remission isn’t as easy for some addicts as it has been thus far for me. Then something like this happens, and I remember to be grateful.
So tonight, instead of gossiping about Lindsay Lohan, I think I’ll take a page from the Aretha Franklin songbook and say a little prayer for her. And I’ll rewatch this excellent clip of classy late night funnyman-slash-recovering alcoholic Craig Ferguson, a clip which first aired on his show earlier this year as Britney Spears was going through her head-shaving meltdown. I hope you’ll take 12 minutes and 30 seconds to watch this incredibly eloquent clip as well. It’s definitely worth the time.
Do it for Timmy.
July 25th, 2007 at 6:49 am
Thanks for your words and a for the link to the Ferguson clip. I don’t generally watch Craig Ferguson but that evening I was flippin thru channels just happened to stop and listen to him that night. I am grateful I have peace today thru a direct connection to the creator, through you and the fellowship of all my friends. And I say a prayer for all addicts still suffering, like Lindsay. I pray she finds peace.