OT- RIP Phillip Seymour Hoffman

Submitted by ijohnb on

No link needed, go to the front page of any search engine and it will be right there.  A truly gifted actor, and a huge loss to film fanatics like myself.  This happens too much to talented actors, musicians, etc.  Tragic.

LordGrantham

February 2nd, 2014 at 3:56 PM ^

Well unless either of you have ever been addicted to heroin, which I seriously doubt, I'm not sure you're qualified to speak on the matter, and you're sure as hell not qualified to call someone who just died of a heroin overdose "selfish."

Flocka

February 2nd, 2014 at 3:59 PM ^

No I have never been addicted to heroin, although I did have a good friend die from OD on it. I loved her but what she did was selfish and weak. If drugs have taken control it's time to quit, and if you can't quit you need to seek help. 

LordGrantham

February 2nd, 2014 at 4:12 PM ^

I am sorry about your friend, and because I don't want to bog things down here, I'll just make the final comment that I really don't think people with heroin addiction are capable of saying "welp, it's time to quit" merely because their lives are falling apart.  There is a reason that this drug destroys many people, and unless you have felt the physical power of that addiction before (which admittedly I have not), I don't think it's fair to call someone selfish or weak.  Hoffman did seek and receive help multiple times for heroin abuse.  Unsurprisingly, it just didn't work.

TheSacko221

February 2nd, 2014 at 5:18 PM ^

The selfish act is to take a drug you know if highly addictive. I agree with others that I feel little sympathy for people who die from their stupid mistakes. This ass hole will be glorified because he was good at acting. What about the thousands of people who get no recognition when they just die from no result of their own.



Society is ass backwards when they give 2 seconds to these stupid celebrities who live wrecklessly

ijohnb

February 2nd, 2014 at 5:03 PM ^

so ironic about what you are saying is that drug addicts are often the most SELFLESS people, and the reason they do what they do is because they always put other people ahead of themselves.  You can call it codependence if you want and it may be, but it does not mean that they don't care, and most often, they care way more than the people they leave behind.  Look at your statement, your opinion of people suffering from addiction is why most of them don't seek help.

I think at some point you were given an inaccurate definition of "weak."  And I think it may be time to re-evaluate your friend's death.  I feel bad that you know somebody who was a victim of addiction but if you think addiction = weakness you truly, truly, do not understand it.

Flocka

February 2nd, 2014 at 5:22 PM ^

Well I do think addiction is in large part a weakness. You can call me wrong but this view has, in my opinion, been the reason why I have never became addicted to drugs even though I very easily could have. 

ijohnb

February 2nd, 2014 at 5:46 PM ^

has as much to do with weakness as Autism for god sake.  Addicts process information in different ways than you or me.  You did not become an addict before because you are not one.  You are not an addict because you were not cursed with it.  If you did not get cancer would you take credit for your mental fortitude?  You cannot see yourself as an addict because your brain works correctly.   I don't know you so I don't want to get personal, but your views on what addiction is about is seriously at about a 12 year old level.  I know two addicts on a very personal level and they are two of the strongest, most emotionally available people I have ever met.  And the last word I would use to describe them would be weak.

Phillip Seymour Hoffman was found dead, alone, with a needle is his arm.  In his arm.   Does you think that sounds like a person that had it all together?  Does that sound like a person that was having a little too much fun?  Partying a little too much?  Addiction is a sinister disease.  In some cases, involuntary suicide.  The self-loathing that it takes to acknowledge this as weakness is truly something to behold.

Crazy Canuck

February 2nd, 2014 at 8:09 PM ^

You can call me naive, but I think he didn't become an addict because he was smart enough not to stick a needle in his arm. I'm not addicted to coke, crack, meth or heroin because I was smart enough to not do them in the first place and know full well they are addictive. I'm sorry that your friends are addicts, but if they decided not to try it in the first place then they would not be addicts now.

Wolverine in 312

February 3rd, 2014 at 3:14 AM ^

People are not wired the same way or entered into the same circumstances that other people are. I have three older siblings. Two out of the three of them were able to dabble in drugs in college. The other wasn't. He's the nicest dude in the world, now extremely successful, but because he had psychological issues, what goes from being a normal college student who experiments turns into an issue for him and those around him. It's not his fault that he was put in the situation where he did a drug for the first time and became dependent on it. It was his wiring. He got a shitty hand. It happens with so many people. Im happy it didn't happen to you. That said, you don't know what you are talking about, and you are an asshole.

Flocka

February 2nd, 2014 at 11:22 PM ^

You make it sound like your born an addict. Studies show that you can inherit addictive traits and if thats true I likely have them since my own mother has been in and out of jail and rehab. My mom isn't a weak person but her not being able to fully overcome addiction is absolutley a weakness on her part. 

If I wasn't born an addict I might as well start doing coke on a daily basis, becuase as you say I wasn't born an addict. You logic is clearly flawed. The reason i'm not addicted to coke is im strong enough to do it a handful of times in my entire life and never feel dependent upon it. I absolutley view that as a strength of mine. I have weaknesses as well but addiction is not one of them.

LordGrantham

February 3rd, 2014 at 1:20 AM ^

Your rebuttal still doesn't show any flaw in his logic because I don't think he's suggesting that genetic predisposition is the only way to become an addict.  And if there is one thing that is almost certainly not a product of mental "strength," it's the ability to fend off addiction.  Mice with naturally high levels of FosB will literally starve themselves in favor of cocaine if given the choice, and the degree of heritability of cocaine addiction is right around 50 percent, which exceeds that of diabetes, hypertension, and breast cancer.  But perhaps you won't get diabetes because you're really mentally strong.

 

 

 

 

Flocka

February 3rd, 2014 at 1:27 AM ^

To become physically addicted to something you need to do it enough where your body needs it. But most people are mentally addicted well before the body needs it. They became addcited becuase at some point they were to weak to say no, whether it be to others or themselves.

tzwolverine

February 2nd, 2014 at 4:08 PM ^

My son became addicted to heroin and it has been a living hell for they entire family. Nobody knows what the addicted person goes through except for them. My son is now serving a prison sentence for stealing to support his habit. I truely believe that if he had not gotten arrested and put in prison, he would be dead from an overdose by now. I strongly suggest unless you have been part of a situation that involved heroin addiction, you refrain from posting any idiotic comments

WindyCityBlue

February 2nd, 2014 at 5:26 PM ^

And I'm glad he is getting help with his addiction. But to say that I cannot have an opinion on a matter because I have never experienced it is just plain asinine. We should just shut down this blog because no one here has played Michigan football.



But, while I, myself, have never been addicted to (or even tried) heroin. I did live with an uncle who was addicted to crack. I saw first hand how it tore apart the family. The lying and cheating to feed the habit without any regard for the innocent lives he ruined. He got treatment and is doing better. He doesn't ask for sympathy and asks that any type of sympathy be channeled to the true victims of his actions...his wife and son (who still won't speak to his dad). He'll be the first to tell you that what he did was selfish. Part of his therapy is to realize that and take accountability.



I'm sorry if my original comment was offensive, but I base my thoughts and feelings on this topic on my experience with living along side a crack addict.



LordGrantham

February 2nd, 2014 at 6:59 PM ^

First of all, your analogy is false.  When people comment on football here, they aren't commenting on what it's like to play in the game.  They are commenting on aspects of the game that are capable of being understood by an observer, such as formations, playcalls, rules, etc. 

Second, your personal anecdote about your uncle successfully getting help after being addicted to an entirely different class of drug still doesn't make you qualified to judge heroin addicts or speak about the reasons for its abuse. 

WindyCityBlue

February 2nd, 2014 at 7:23 PM ^

People on this blog make strong judgements on play calling and coaching decisions all the time, while never actually coaching at Michigan (let alone coaching at all) to fully understand it. It's perfectly fine.



And you probably shouldn't be comparing and contrasting the addictions between different classes of drugs since...you know...you have never been addicted to either. Being addicted to crack or heroin doesn't matter in this case.



A lot of red herrings in your post.

LordGrantham

February 2nd, 2014 at 9:48 PM ^

Nope, your analogy still sucks.  People are very capable of understanding strategy in the game of football without actually being a coach or playcaller because football lends itself well to objective criticism regardless of personal experience. The same is not even remotely true of drug addiction.

And you're right - I haven't been addicted to either drug, which is why I'm not sitting here judging people.  Consider it a free lesson.