How many different intoxicants do you think they found in the autopsy of Whitney Houston? Of course you remember the pop diva dies after drowning in her bathtub.

If you have seen the photos of the room, you can clearly see that Whitney, despite a number of attempts, she was still was using cocaine.

The drug was found throughout Houston's body according to cleveland.com. By the time she was fou8nd, she had been dead at least an hour in a tub so hot it had scalded part of her body.

Nearby, on the bathroom counter, investigators found a small spoon described by investigators as having a "crystal like substance" in it and in a drawer they discovered a white powdery substance. There also were a dozen prescription drug bottles found in Houston's suite of the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

Because of the paraphernalia and meds it was originally thought she died of an overdose, but after further examination and toxicology results they concluded she drowned accidentally. Heart disease, which caused a 60 percent blockage in one of her arteries, and cocaine use were listed as contributing factors.

Toxicology results also showed Houston had marijuana, Xanax, the muscle relaxant Flexeril, and the allergy medication Benadryl in her system.

The grim accounting of the room where Houston died and what investigators found provide a sad footnote to the singer's life, showing the impact drugs took on her. An investigator noted a hole in the singer's nose, listed under "history of substance abuse."

Houston died at the age of 48.

What a tragedy. Houston is the perfect example of how drugs ruin lives. A beauty and a God-given talent that is gone – due to drugs. I would hope this is a wake-up call to other celebrities and members of the public. They should know that there are drug classes available that can help them!

Given the recent rash of deaths among celebrities and drugs I feel the need to start a blog series on celebrities and drugs. As I have mentioned from the beginning, celebrities are not role models and should not be looked on as such.

Nevertheless, given America’s and the rest of the world’s fascination with celebrities, there is no doubt they have significant influence on society – despite their sometimes bad behavior.

Most recently, the death of pop star Whitney Houston shocked the world. But was it really a shock? There have been so many celebrity drug-related incidents over the years it almost never shocks.

Others who have succumbed to drug addiction in recent years include Michael Jackson, Heath Ledger and Anna Nicole Smith.

Anyone battling addiction issues must keep in mind one thing – never stop trying to quit. It is always possible that you can quit and become a role model for others trying to quit. Just look at Robert Downey, Jr. he is the poster-child for drug addiction and bad behavior. While one is never free from addiction, Downey Jr. has managed to stay sober long enough and resurrect his career that he is now the symbol of what you can become if you rid yourself of addiction.

Again, this will be the first in a series of blogs looking at celebrity addiction and who and how they overcame their addiction issues.

I have long espoused that celebrities certainly should not be role models.  In the past week two “celebrities,” have been arrested for possible drug-related offenses.  One of the two may get off (pun intended) without a drug charge claiming it was mental illness rather than drugs that caused a complete public breakdown.

The Shame! Or Mental Illness?

For those of you in the film industry you most-likely have heard the name Jason Russell. His mini-documentary KONY 2012 is making waves around the world. It tells the story of Ugandan despot Joseph Kony, who has created an army out of hundreds of thousands of kidnapped children. The video has had more than 80 million views in just a few weeks.

Perhaps the stress and pressure of making such a film was too much for the director who seemed to have snapped. In San Diego on St. Patrick’s Day, Russell was caught nude and masturbating, pounding the pavement with his fists out in public.

Supposedly it was due to stress and dehydration, but police bought the story and released him to a local hospital with no charges pressed. Something seems a little fishy. I would bet drugs were involved somewhere in the day.

80s Singer Arrested Too

El DeBarge was not lucky enough to escape prosecution for a drug-related offense in Encino, California this past weekend. As reported in the LA Times, the singer from the 80s band of the same name was arrested on suspicion of drug possession with intent to sell and booked on suspicion of possession for sale of drugs.

El DeBarge, best known for the Grammy-winning song "Rhythm of the Night" in the mid-1980s as part of his family's group DeBarge.

Drugs are evil.  If you or someone you love has a drug problem please seek help ASAP.  If you prefer anonymity there are online drug classes too.

How many musicians have to die from substance abuse before a more concerned effort is made to keeping them off of drugs and alcohol?

Treating musicians with substance abuse issues is among the goals of MusiCares, according to the LA Times. Realistically, however, no one can force troubled artists to get help.

Whitney Houston’s death last month on the eve of the Grammy awards still has fans and the music industry reeling, but it holds an extra measure of resonance to those whose primary mission is helping struggling musicians put their lives back on track.

The Irony

The singer's death at age 48 came just a few hours after the closing notes of the Recording Academy's MusiCares Person of the Year tribute in Los Angeles, the major fundraiser for the organization's foundation created more than two decades ago to help musicians in need — many of them like Houston wrestling with substance or alcohol abuse issues.

Though the cause of Houston's death is still under investigation, one of the many questions prompted by it and the passing of pop stars as varied as Amy Winehouse, Michael Jackson and Elvis Presley is this: If celebrities who have access to every resource available can't get help, what hope is there for the majority of people who haven't experienced the smallest fraction of their success?

The fact is you can't reach an addict when he's not ready. I've been through the struggle. To an alcoholic, I like to think it's a self-diagnosed disease: Nobody can tell you you're an alcoholic until you tell yourself.

Who Can Help the Stars?

Music industry veterans who've dealt closely with issues stemming from substance abuse say that though stars may be able to afford the highest quality treatment options out there, their fame and fortune can also can leave them more isolated from the tools they need to overcome their addictions. As a result, celebrities may frequently find themselves in the position of choosing, or being pressured, to continue self-destructive habits just to keep career momentum.

Many longtime associates of Jackson and Presley complained about being unable, in the stars' final years, to penetrate the circle of handlers they'd surrounded themselves with.

MusiCares provides "safe harbor" rooms at various special events where musicians in recovery can go to avoid relapsing. There also is a growing contingent of "sober companions," whose job is to look out for their clients' sobriety in the face of the many temptations surrounding them.

There are successes, but those stories usually don't generate nearly as much attention as the high-profile failures.

If Houston's death contributes to a broader understanding of addiction and substance abuse, her legacy might include more than the million-selling recordings she left behind.

Addiction can affect anyone. No human being is immune to addiction issues if they use drugs or alcohol. If you or someone you care about may have a drug or alcohol problem, please seek help immediately. There are also online drug classes.

Can you name a musician that dies from a drug overdose? If you are over the age of five most likely you can!

The latest of course is Whitney Houston who died earlier this month in Los Angeles, California. Her body was reportedly discovered by a personal assistant at the Beverly Hills Hotel where she was to attend a party for her mentor, music industry legend Clive Davis.

We all know Houston struggled for years with substance abuse. From rehab stints for cocaine and crack to serious battles with alcohol, Houston was a victim of her addictions.

Other pop stars such as Janis Joplin and Jim Morrison, guitar great Jimi Hendrix, and more recently singer Amy Winehouse, had similar problems.

Other lesser-known entertainers suffering from substance abuse are Gregory Isaacs, Ninjaman, Wayne ‘Baby Wayne’ Parkinson all battled drug addiction. Known as the ‘Don Gorgon’ of dancehall, Ninjaman converted to Christianity in 1997 as part of his attempt to fight his addiction.

Throughout his successful career, Isaacs openly battled an addiction to cocaine. Ironically, one of his biggest hit songs was Hard Drugs — a frank look at drug addiction.

Isaacs died from cancer, and in his memory, his widow June, along with music producer/distributor Tad Dawkins launched a drug awareness campaign.

There are different reasons entertainers get hooked on drugs. The consumption of hard-core drugs changes the way an individual feels. As it relates to entertainers, the euphoria of success sometimes takes them into different places where they meet other persons who are sometimes richer than them who are drug addicts. With greater availability and a higher rate of colleagues using drugs it often leads to peer pressure.

Whatever the reasons it is sad to see someone succumb to addiction. Musicians need drug classes just like everyone else. They need people close to them to help keep them sober.

Read more: www.jamaicaobserver.com

As a counselor for drug awareness classes I discussed the tragic demise and death of pop diva Whitney Houston with my students last weekend. Both Houston and Michael Jackson dies in the past year or so from drug overdose. Both had long histories of drug and substance abuse and both mixed all kinds of drugs.

Bankrupt

It is hard to believe that someone could fritter away $150 million. Mike Tyson, another celebrity with a long history of substance abuse too, managed to do it.

Houston’s fortune disappeared under a mound of white powder.

At her peak in the 1980s and ’90s, Whitney was the golden girl of the music industry — and one of the world’s best-selling artists. But her descent into a drug-addled hell saw the hits dry up — and her millions swallowed up by ruthless dealers.

Who Lives Like This?

Whitney famously denied using crack when she was interviewed on TV in 2002, saying: “I make too much money to smoke crack. But she would eventually admit to abusing cocaine, marijuana and pills — while her powerful voice was ruined by the effects of smoking crack pipes.

Sign, Signs Everywhere are Signs!

Houston was rushed to hospital in 2003 with blood gushing from her nose, later emerging with a bizarre bandage on her face. And the full extent of her spiral into squalor and degradation emerged in 2006 with the publication of shocking photos showing the disgusting state of her bathroom after a drug binge.

Drug gear, including a crack pipe and cocaine-encrusted spoons, was strewn across the filthy room. In a brutally honest interview with TV chat queen Oprah Winfrey three years later, Whitney finally admitted for the first time that she had become addicted to crack in the 1990s after marrying fellow pop star Bobby Brown.

She even admitted she spent seven months living in her pajamas while hooked on the killer drug.

Whitney told how she and Brown would get off their heads smoking cannabis laced with crack.

Houston admitted that her drug problems began to spiral out of control after finishing the film “The Bodyguard” with Kevin Costner in.

Houston twice went into rehab before telling Oprah she was drug-free in 2010.

In 2006 she faced eviction from her £4million home after running up almost £500,000 in mortgage arrears and unpaid taxes.

Just five years earlier, Whitney had signed what was then the biggest record deal in music history — a $100 million six-album contract with Arista/BMG.

What a tragic story. Hopefully her death will serve as a beacon to others suffering from addiction. Whether it was Whitney Houston’s $150 million, a middle class businessperson blowing $250,000 or a working-class citizen losing $5,000 on drugs, addiction take their toll on all who abuse.

Source: indepthafrica.com

I know guys are not supposed to admit this but I think Whitney Houston’s music is beautiful. She possessed one of the greatest voices I have ever heard. She could carry a note alongside any great opera singer.

In the end, unfortunately, Whitney became just another Hollywood drug tragedy.

Drowns in Bathtub

Houston drowned alone in a bathtub having accidentally overdosed on a cocktail of prescription drugs and alcohol after two back-to-back evenings of out-of-control binges.

The star was found dead by her bodyguard in a luxury hotel suite said to have been littered with bottles of prescription pills. She was 48.

Paramedics battled to revive the singer but she was pronounced dead at 3.55pm yesterday afternoon, hours before she had been due to perform at a pre-Grammys party at the Beverly Hills Hilton in Los Angeles.

Bottles of Lorazepam, Valium, Xanax and a sleeping medication were found in the hotel room. The drugs were believed to have acted as sedatives, causing her to fall asleep in the bathtub once they had been mixed with alcohol from the previous evenings.

As police look into the possibility that the star died from an accidental overdose, there are expected to be emotional scenes at the Grammy awards tonight with many of the singers inspired by Miss Houston dedicating their awards to her.

Addiction to Crack Cocaine

Houston had battled ravaging addictions to crack cocaine over the years but the drug is not believed to have played a part in her death.

Her frantic daughter Bobbi Kristina, 19, is understood to have got into a 'furious screaming argument' with authorities who refused to let her into the hotel room to see the body of her dead mother.

Houston's body remained at the hotel today where her family, including her daughter were paying their last respects. Last night around 800 guests attended a pre-Grammys dinner at the hotel where Miss Houston died.

Outside, fans gathered to mourn the star, leaving floral tributes and lighting candles.

It is not known if the destructive spiral played a part in death of the I Will Always Love You singer who had spent more than a decade battling an addiction to crack cocaine since rising to international stardom in the early 90s.

As the singer's body lay on the fourth floor, stars including Britney Spears, Tony Bennett and Kim Kardashian were taking part in the pre-Grammy Awards party at the hotel.

News of the death brought a string of public tributes from the music industry today. Simon Cowell said Houston was a 'true diva' with 'one of the best voices I have heard in my life ever'.

Rihanna tweeted that she was 'in tears' while Mariah Carey said that she was 'heartbroken' over the loss of her friend.

Her ex-husband Bobby Brown - whom Houston blamed partly for her drug issues - was said to be 'in and out of crying fits' upon hearing the news - but still appeared on stage on Saturday with his band New Edition, and cried out 'I love you, Whitney!' in the middle of the concert.

Singer Johnny Gill, one of Brown's New Edition bandmates, is on tour in Memphis with the star. ‘Bobby is struggling and he's devastated,’ he told CNN.

Houston won six Grammy awards, two Emmys, 30 Billboard Music Awards, and 22 American Music Awards, among others awards.

But the star's life had spiraled downhill since her early hits. She suffered a long battle with drugs, including cocaine, as well as alcohol and spent various spells in rehab.

Recent appearances had become increasingly erratic and the years of substance abuse had clearly taken a toll.

Her powerful voice began to suffer because of her demons prompting record sales to nosedive and in 2007 she split from husband Bobby Brown after 15 years of marriage.

Drugs are evil. They never create, they only destroy.

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk