Too many people we love die from substance abuse. Too many celebrities we all love die from substance abuse. By now you would think people would know how to party without killing themselves. The rich partiers go to expensive rehab centers. The not so rich celebrities go on HLN’s “Dr Drew” show with Dr. Drew Pinsky as the host and none of his patients do that well on the show either.

As we enter into our nation’s drinking holiday, St. Patrick’s Day, it is important that we know thyself when drinking or taking drugs. Everyone is talking about prescription drugs lately especially after we just lost another talented causality Whitney Houston. We are now losing more people to substances that are not considered street drugs.

The statistics show that in this nation , the United States which represents only 5% of the world’s population, uses 56% of the world’s manufactured painkiller drugs. What is it about Americans that cannot cope with pain? It is obvious that we as a nation look to pills to solve all our problems. Just watch some television advertising. There is always some unpronounceable pill they are asking you to tell your doctor to prescribe for you.

Remember your doctor really only has 3 tools at his or her’s disposal to try to cure you of your ailments. They are a scalpel, medication and the doctor patient relationship. With all the publicity about Whitney’s death, Quincy Jones said that once a celebrity is hooked on drugs, it is just a waiting game to death. So, what does that mean to all those co-called celebrity re-hab places?

We have a problem with prescription drugs that started lately with the death of Heath Ledger. Then we lost Michael Jackson and Amy Winehouse and now Whitney. Think of all the street druggies except for the IV heroin users, they are all still with us from the rock bands of the 60’s till now. It is the prescription drugs that no one has an escape from.

People do not realize that the biggest problem is if you cannot sleep. We lost Elvis, Marylyn Monroe, Judy Garland, Whitney, Michael Jackson, Anna Nicole to name a few who had problems with sleep depravation who can get whatever they want from all over the world. They can get a sandwich from a place 2 states away. Elizabeth Taylor got Chili from America when she was in Rome. They get whatever they want at any time.

The one thing anyone cannot command is sleep. When they die it is from downers. The typical combination is alcohol, benzodiazepine or valium, or analgesic pain medication like Vikadin. We can think of using these things very casually but it is a readily available combination to all that is deadly. Period.

So, a couple of glasses of wine, a couple of Ambian and you could get into a lot of trouble. Then take a pain killer too! Well, then you are in real trouble. The problem is the Lunesta and other sleep medications that really get you hooked. Besides that, we all know that all drugs work less the more you use them anyway. But especially downers. The more you take them, the more you have to take in order for them to work until you overdose and never wake up. If you then become an addict, not only do you need more but you also have a drive to get more. So, now the thing that presents itself as the solution is now the problem.

Americans are spoiled and feel that they need and can get something they want all the time. The fact that there is a product out there for every possible feeling is part of the problem. We need to be able to confront the problems we have in this life without the help of the so called pain killer and sleep medication and drinking of alcohol.

So, after all this don’t drink on your drinking holiday and don’t take pain killers when you get a headache from drinking anyway and don’t take the sleeping pill when you are still awake for many many hours. Try getting high on life you might live to enjoy some of it.