The Sheening

As one of the most well known actors in American sit-com history axes a hole through the American psyche and sticks his head through to yell, "He-e-e-re's Charlie!" I have to weigh in on addiction and our attitudes toward it in this crazy culture.

Every standup comedian and late night host alive has won some laughs now at Charlie Sheen's expense.  Some people suggest Charlie is laughing all the way to the bank as he flits from one paid interview to the next.  the world is well aware of his cocaine and alcohol addictions, his crazed comments about maggots and devils and flying monkeys ( okay, he hasn't gotten to flying monkeys yet but it's only a matter of time), his repeated acts of self destruction.   His name has been added to the Urban Dictionary as a synonym (verb) for outrageously out-of-control behavior.

Anybody who has loved another person In the grips of addiction has a hard time laughing.  Addiction is like a whole other entity--it is the other woman, the best friend, the first choice always for an addict not in recovery.  It comes ahead of family, love, work, even food. It is like the devil himself, possessing its victims and changing them into heedless, soulless zombies or ax wielding family wreckers.

And, like a horror picture, we all want to laugh about it to keep ourselves from crying or screaming.

So my heart goes out to all those who are close to Charlie and who are getting sheened once more in a long series of sheenings. May they, and he, find peace.