We most certainly can. I know the “But think of all the children” person above was trying to make one point but I think they were really successful in making the opposite point. I am not a bad person, I am completely honest and do not wear rose-colored glasses when looking at my life. My daughter (11), whom visited me…

Complete with appropriation haircut!

No one is saying not to talk about it, no one is saying that drug use and addiction didn’t contribute to her death. We’re saying drug addiction didn’t make her any less talented nor does it diminish her accomplishments. And it doesn’t make her a ‘bad person’, as you intend to tell a child who worships Princess Leia.…

No, it’s not trolling. But it does make you an absolute asshole if you think that doing drugs and being an addict makes someone a bad person, or someone not worthy of admiration for their accomplishments. I feel sorry that your goddaughter’s parents thought you were a good choice for godmother when clearly you’re a…

Keep fighting. I don’t think addiction is the sort of thing a person ever truly “beats”, but it is possible to stay sober and healthy if you keep working towards it - I’ve seen it. Carrie may not have been a perfect role model in that regard (your strength and success is not tied to hers!), but that doesn’t mean she…

How about not judging other people as “good” “bad” “better” “best”? Perhaps YOU could be your goddaughter’s role model and teach tolerance, compassion and understanding.

Addiction and mental illness do not make one “not a good person”. If so, put me on the naughty list. If you choose to frame it that way for your goddaughter (with her parents permission which you’d seek, right?), I hope she never battles addiction or mental illness. Why not use it to let her know that even “role…

I want to just thank you from the deepest part of my soul for all you have said in this thread. I am an alcoholic, I know it and I would give my right arm not to be. Growing up, I never answered the question “What do you want to be when you grow up?” with “An alcoholic!”

What? “She was not a good person.” Because she was sick? God forbid your child should ever have any form of mental illness. I feel sorry for her already.

Yeah, for sure, her/his god daughter should trade up for a new god parent. God help her if she ever suffers from mental health issues and/or addiction, her “compassionate” god parent will probably kick her to the curb.

just because she was an addict does not mean she wasn’t a good person.

Fuck you and your higher standard. Addiction doesn’t make someone a bad person. And telling your goddaughter that someone that uses drugs is a bad person does fuck all in terms of prevention.

seriously. she’d just get told what a bad person she was.

Yeah, I hope his/her goddaughter doesn’t end up an addict because it looks like she would get little help or support from her godparent. Sad.

nah, i was calling for empathy. of which you have none.

Thank you for demonstrating what a complete ignorance of mental health and addiction looks like with this utterly worthless comment.

my point was that we need to look at the root of a lot of drug use, and provide support to addicts to avoid more death. addiction is a vicious cycle and is both the cause and the symptom of a lot of other problems...that’s all i was saying. her heart problems, her apnea, her mental health issues, and her addiction all…

Addiction is a disease. Her life was cut short in part because of disease. We shouldn’t demonize her because the illness she had is less understood in society than something like cancer, but we also shouldn’t pretend that there aren’t health complications that can happen as a result of it.

drugs kill us in more ways than OD and pretending otherwise is so nuts it makes me want to throw my computer against the wall.

drugs= death for us addicts. pretending otherwise as to not “stigmatize” the addiction IS stigmatization. let’s be open and honest. drugs kill us in more ways than OD.