Last Sunday, we lost another brilliant actor to a drug overdose. This came just months after Cory Monteith and about two years after Whitney Houston. With all due respect to Philip Seymour Hoffman’s family and all those who’ve lost their loved ones to drugs, I don’t think we should refer to these deaths as accidental. Tragic as it is, these are adults who chose to play with fire and got burnt. You don’t need to be told that drugs are lethal. It’s one of those things you should just leave alone. ‘Oh Sophie, you don’t know anything about addiction,’ some of you must be saying! As a matter of fact, I do. I’ve lost five teeth and still counting, to sugar. For years, I took up to 15 cups of strong coffee a day and I have what’s left of my teeth to prove it. There are quite a number of alcoholics in my family too and it’s a miracle they make it home safely every night. I also have a cousin who experimented with marijuana and it didn’t end well. So know about addiction but also believe that adult can exercise self control. Whatever your addiction—junk food, cigarettes, women... you’ve got to draw a line somewhere or suffer the consequences. I am angry and disappointed with celebrities because they have all the opportunities and money which they simply put to waste. Recently, my friend Christine and I were watching one of those entertainment channels showcasing celebrities’ homes. All were swanky mansions with marble floors, swimming pools etc. It occurred to us that no matter how hard we work, we are never going to have any of that. I told my friend that perhaps we shouldn’t feel so bad because at the end of the day, we’re all going to die and you don’t hear of anyone buried in their Porsche or Lamborghini! We nodded to that but deep down, we also knew that rich people generally lead more fulfilled lives. Philip Seymour Hoffman was making good money and had several movie roles lined up. He was paying $10,000 in rent for his New York Apartment. I work six days a week, sometimes seven and I don’t even make $3,000 a year. Even if I saved every franc I earned for the next five years, I would still not be able to afford my dream house. I don’t have a car, I can’t afford to eat at fancy restaurants, I can’t buy new shoes and clothes at the same time... I should be depressed but I’m not because I know that there are millions who would give anything to have what I have. So I don’t want to hear anyone making excuses for people like Miley Cyrus, Amanda Bynes, Lindsay Lohan and company who spend thousands of dollars a night on booze and drugs because they made so much money at a young age. Please, I know 12-year-olds who’re more responsible. I was pleased when I read that Justin Bieber had gone all the way to The Philippines to help typhoon Haiyan victims. You’d think that after meeting people who’d lost everything, he would be the last person to indulge in excesses of any kind. I keep telling God that He’s giving money to the wrong people. With scores starving in Somalia, Eritrea, Syria and so many others in need around the world, why don’t these people donate the money since it’s clear that they have more than they know what to do with? I urge all of you not to add to these people’s wealth. Instead of buying CDs and paying to watch their movies, maybe we should put our money to better use, like buying shoes for kids in our neighbourhood who go barefooted. After all, we can watch the movies or music for free on YouTube. To be continued...
