Soapbox moment

I was literally born in Hollywood. I went to school in Burbank, which is a studio town. They shot Wonder Years at my high school, and the girl in my geometry class had a sitcom. I actually married a child actor (when he grew up, of course).

What I'm trying to say is: I know that being in "the industry" is not all glamour shots and gala parties. The bloom fell off the rose for me a long time ago as far as all that goes. I've met too many transplants who have come to Hollywood to be some one, to just end up waiting tables and just plain waiting.

The media is riveted on celebrities and their DUI's, jail time and nightclub shenanigans. I try not to pay attention, and I still know that Lindsay is a chronic relapser, and that Kiefer just got released from his little stint in jail. The press obviously thinks it's great that these people are dealing with the deadly disease of alcoholism.

Well, it's all fun & games 'til some one dies. And this week two very young people did just that. One guy you might not know, Brad Renfro, was 25. The other, who had gained quite a bit of stardom over the last few years, Heath Ledger, was 28. Listen, I'm not one for social commentary of any kind, but let me stand on my soapbox for a minute.

It's sad that alcoholism is still something to be laughed at, that the general public thinks it's delicious to see an obviously wasted celebutante slumped over in a car, passed out. It's awful that some one can't walk into a rehab with out 500 paparazzo documenting their every move. I can't claim to know how they feel, but when I went into rehab I was not feeling like getting my picture taken.

If you are suffering with the disease of alcoholism, know that help is always always always just a phone call away. Remember these two young men that died so that maybe you don't have to. I hate to be all melodramatic but this is a life-threatening disease.

Obviously, I'm feeling grief from the deaths of two people I didn't even know. That's because I feel that I (and many people I know and love) have escaped that same kind of end. It's too bad that two young men had to die, but there's no reason we can't take something away from their deaths. Maybe we can feel gratitude that we've made it this far, and hope that if we stay sober there is a solution to any and all problems we have.