<p>Moments ago, about 11 p.m., I heard there were no visible marks on her body, that might have caused her death. At the moment, my personal speculation is reminiscent of Andy Gibb, but time will tell.</p>
<p>Strongly agree with 79, and 81.</p>
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<p>Seriously? Many, many cancers can be attributed to life style choices… poor diet, smoking, etc. Why do you think they tell people to use sunscreen? Because excess sun exposure without sunscreen increases your risks of skin cancer; melanoma is one of the deadliest cancers; I know, my dad had it, and lung cancer; he was not only a year-round gardener, but a smoker.</p>
<p>Much speculation about Amy Winehouse’s death is that she died from withdrawal. There were witnesses claiming she was quitting drugs and alcohol, cold turkey. Bad decision; but people under the influence don’t often make good decisions. Yes, people do die from withdrawal.</p>
<p>I can’t remember what Jeff Conway died of… was it withdrawal, or an overdose? I don’t know how many times he went to rehab.</p>
<p>teriwtt (#80), what a beautiful and compassionate post! I am so glad that your health problem has been resolved. It sounds awful.</p>
<p>This is my favorite performance:</p>
<p>[Whitney</a> Houston - One Moment In Time(Grammy Awards Live) - YouTube](<a href=“- YouTube”>- YouTube)</p>
<p>She was so beautiful and spectactularly talented. Clearly, this did not bring her happiness. Addictions and substance abuse are complex, and brain chemistry is not at all well understood.</p>
<p>Conaway suffered from back problems and had back surgery 5 times with corresponding prescription meds. He had pneumonia & his drug use kept him from realizing how ill he was)
I suppose some would say he should have just kept a stiff upper lip.</p>
<p>nysmile may be right in 65, guessing how CPU feels. It may be that if a person chooses to take illegal drugs but then accidentally gets hooked, then cpu does not consider that to be self-inflicted because though the person chose drugs, the person didn’t intend to become addicted. That may well be what CPU is thinking when CPU says an addiction is not self-inflicted. Thank you for that perspective, nysmile.</p>
<p>I am so sorry to hear of her passing. Condolences to her family. Regardless of the reason for her death, the absolute lack of compassion by some posters here is beyond disgusting.I hope someday someone doesn’t tap dance on your grave. Sheesh.</p>
<p>Whitney was in rehab several times. It was unsuccessful. What a shame. What a loss.</p>
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<p>Alcohol withdrawal can be fatal. My first patient in the ICU died from complications from alcohol withdrawal.</p>
<p>Amy Winehouse actually died of acute alcohol poisoning, however.</p>
<p>EK4 - when I was in the worst depths of my despair last fall, I lurked on a few message boards (when my brain was clear enough to do so). I was amazed to read about the number of people who became addicted to pain killers and benzos because they were initially needed for medically valid reasons.</p>
<p>In fact, one of the health issues that I also became aware of last fall was that I have a rather stubborn case of restless legs syndrome (I had a sleep study done in October); my legs move 41 times per hour during Stage 2 REM sleep. My sleep has been compromised, but we’re not sure by how much (I have a second consultation with another sleep doctor, this time a pulmonologist) at this point. I have upped my iron and made sure my potassium levels are good, but one of the last resorts might be to take a low dose of klonopin at night. I am kicking and screaming against this, but sleep deprivation is not to be messed with. I have also been considering going back to work (the agency wants me back), but it would require my taking my share of overnight on-call rotations; obviously taking klonopin at night, if I had to get up and drive two counties away are not compatible. </p>
<p>Anyway, I hope we can get the RLS resolved, but for now I am taking two prescribed medications that anyone on this board could easily develop an addiction to. But to choose between renewing sleep and sleep deprivation, I choose renewing sleep. I’ve even had the conversation with myself about how I’m going to feel, say six months down the line, if it comes to pass that klonopin becomes my only option, for the rest of my life. Like I said, I don’t like it, and I will fight it until all options are eliminated.</p>
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<p>I know that’s what initially was reported, but just within the last couple of months, I thought I’d read that she had actually gone cold turkey in her apartment by herself.</p>
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<p>[Watch:</a> Whitney Houston’s memorable National Anthem performance before Super Bowl XXV - NFL - Sporting News](<a href=“http://aol.sportingnews.com/nfl/story/2012-02-11/watch-whitney-houstons-memorable-national-anthem-performance-before-super-bowl-x?icid=maing-grid7|main5|dl1|sec3_lnk2%26pLid%3D134898]Watch:”>http://aol.sportingnews.com/nfl/story/2012-02-11/watch-whitney-houstons-memorable-national-anthem-performance-before-super-bowl-x?icid=maing-grid7|main5|dl1|sec3_lnk2%26pLid%3D134898)</p>
<p>Another thing to remember is that a surprising percentage of people with mental illness turn to drugs or alcohol to self-medicate. After seeing what my two sons have experienced this past year (schizoaffective and bipolar disorders), it doesn’t surprise me as much (their doctor tells me they have not resorted to using substances, but I’ll remain vigilant). I also have a LOT more sympathy for people who OD. It is NOT my place to judge them - we have no idea what hell they may have been going through.</p>
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<p>She had, but then she began drinking again.</p>
<p>[Amy</a> Winehouse’s Cause of Death: Accidental Alcohol Poisoning, Blood Level Five Times the Legal Limit - E! Online](<a href=“http://www.eonline.com/news/amy_winehouses_cause_of_death/271628]Amy”>Amy Winehouse's Cause of Death: Accidental Alcohol Poisoning, Blood Level Five Times the Legal Limit)</p>
<p>I have RLS also- my mother had it as well, I always thought it was because of her medication, but I am on very few & have cut them way back.</p>
<p>One thing that can help is an epsom salt soak.</p>
<p>But yes sleep is important.
My youngest didn’t sleep well for many years & I was practically psychotic from lack of sleep myself.</p>
<p>I also think it’s possible to be frustrated with the actions of someone who abuses drugs when they seemingly have every reason to embrace life, and at the same time have incredible sympathy for them and their loved ones when they suffer the worst consequence possible as a result of their behavior.</p>
<p>I’m watching CNN right now as they’re talking to various celebs.</p>
<p>They’re talking to Larry King and Jermaine Jackson.</p>
<p>Nrdsb4 - I completely agree - to outsiders it may seem as if they have every reason to embrace life, but those kinds of demons are often kept to oneself.</p>
<p>EK4 - I always knew I had it during waking hours, just prior to falling asleep. But until I did the sleep study, I had no idea how disruptive it was to my sleep, well because, I was sleeping!</p>
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<p>Just for clarification, my response here in post #83, was in direct reply to a post that GladGradDad deleted. I don’t want it to be taken out of context.</p>
<p>I know that this may seem irrelevant, but I can’t tell you how many high school show choirs have performed “I Wanna Dance with Somebody”. So her music is still pertinent to some high school kids today! In fact, if you polled all the show choirs across the country today, I’ll bet at least three have it in their competition program this year.</p>
<p>An angel can find the weight of the wings too heavy a burden. I hope she’ll share her beautiful voice in a better place.</p>