2008 Woodie Awards
Actor's death sheds light on youth drug addiction
Lauren Sampson
Issue date: 1/31/08 Section: A & E
Australian-born actor and 2005 Academy Award nominee, Heath Ledger, was found dead in his SoHo apartment on Tuesday, Jan. 22, near a bottle of prescription sleeping pills raising speculation of a possible drug-inflicted death.
No confirmation of the cause of death has been released yet, but complications resulting from the mixture of alcohol and drugs have been ruled out since police said there were no signs that Ledger, 28, had been drinking that night.
Though it is not certain what caused his sudden death, Ledger's fatality has shone light on the consequences of drug abuse and reckless behavior among young Hollywood.
"I love Britney Spears and Lindsey Lohan and I think that their behavior is just a phase that they are going through," said sophomore Liz Bilotta. "I would love to see them get their lives back on track, because then they could go back to being more of a role model rather than setting the bad examples that they've been doing recently."
There are little to no repercussions for the actions of these young stars, causing a consensus belief that there is nothing wrong with abusing prescription, non-prescription, or illegal drugs and even mixing them with other drugs or alcohol.
"It's seen as fashionable and it minimizes the seriousness of the drugs," said Sacred Heart University Alcohol and Drug Coordinator Janice Kessler.
Young Hollywood stars like Britney Spears and Lindsey Lohan set a bad example for the rest of the youth by having their face plastered on every magazine cover being reckless, intoxicated and usually on some sort of drug or facing related charges.
"They act that way because they know they are going to get attention," said sophomore Dianna Madler. "And it's really sad how they just get caught up in the party scene and lose track of everything else."
Prescription and non-prescription drugs are readily available to all students on just about every university campus, by way of their fellow peers.
"In some circles, recreation substance abuse is sort of part of the culture. Young people can't always tell the difference between recreational and when it crosses the line into addiction or abuse. Despite the negative consequences of their drug use, they still continue," said Kessler.
The students taking these drugs do not always take the time to find out what can and cannot be mixed, sometimes resulting in hazardous situations.
"They don't read the fine print. Check the bottle. It is not necessarily on purpose all the time. The student may be on some medications that augment the effect of the alcohol, and they wind up blacked out or in the hospital," said Kessler.
No confirmation of the cause of death has been released yet, but complications resulting from the mixture of alcohol and drugs have been ruled out since police said there were no signs that Ledger, 28, had been drinking that night.
Though it is not certain what caused his sudden death, Ledger's fatality has shone light on the consequences of drug abuse and reckless behavior among young Hollywood.
"I love Britney Spears and Lindsey Lohan and I think that their behavior is just a phase that they are going through," said sophomore Liz Bilotta. "I would love to see them get their lives back on track, because then they could go back to being more of a role model rather than setting the bad examples that they've been doing recently."
There are little to no repercussions for the actions of these young stars, causing a consensus belief that there is nothing wrong with abusing prescription, non-prescription, or illegal drugs and even mixing them with other drugs or alcohol.
"It's seen as fashionable and it minimizes the seriousness of the drugs," said Sacred Heart University Alcohol and Drug Coordinator Janice Kessler.
Young Hollywood stars like Britney Spears and Lindsey Lohan set a bad example for the rest of the youth by having their face plastered on every magazine cover being reckless, intoxicated and usually on some sort of drug or facing related charges.
"They act that way because they know they are going to get attention," said sophomore Dianna Madler. "And it's really sad how they just get caught up in the party scene and lose track of everything else."
Prescription and non-prescription drugs are readily available to all students on just about every university campus, by way of their fellow peers.
"In some circles, recreation substance abuse is sort of part of the culture. Young people can't always tell the difference between recreational and when it crosses the line into addiction or abuse. Despite the negative consequences of their drug use, they still continue," said Kessler.
The students taking these drugs do not always take the time to find out what can and cannot be mixed, sometimes resulting in hazardous situations.
"They don't read the fine print. Check the bottle. It is not necessarily on purpose all the time. The student may be on some medications that augment the effect of the alcohol, and they wind up blacked out or in the hospital," said Kessler.
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Drug rehab clinic
posted 6/27/08 @ 11:03 AM EST
Why does someone has to die to make us understand some obvious important points about drugs. Heath is just another celeb on a long list of drug deaths. (Continued…)
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