Drug Abuse Leads to Michael Jackson's Untimely Death
First they said cardiac arrest, now the medical community, friends and family alike say that long-term drug abuse is what led to Michael Jackson’s untimely death
With his drug abuse now public, fans on the street, family members and the media outlets alike are no longer speaking in hushed whispers about cardiac or respiratory arrest, but now rather that the iconic singer with a bizarre lifestyle was living in a deep and dark space addled by a drug cocktail of at least seven different prescription drugs. His death will most likely be shrouded in a swirl of massive controversy for the next three to six weeks when the autopsy report is expected. I spoke to Ira Levy, the Executive Director at Sunrise Detox, in Lake Worth, Florida. He had this to say: “I hate to say it … but Michael Jackson dying from an alleged drug overdose brings to the forefront of people’s consciousness and also, to the front page of newspapers how dangerous drug abuse actually is. Hopefully it will educate people and help them and their loved ones reach out for help. We have helped countless individuals and their families with drug abuse and alcoholism for years.”
The statistics are astounding. The latest results are sorely outdated, but in 2002 an estimated 22 million Americans suffered from substance dependence or abuse due to drugs, alcohol or both, according to latest results of the Household Survey released by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). There were 19.5 million Americans, 8.3 percent of the population ages 12 years or older, who currently use illicit drugs; 54 million who participated in binge drinking in the previous 30 days; and 15.9 million who were heavy drinkers. Today those statistics are estimated by the members of the National Institute on Drug Addiction (off the record) to have reached nearly 30 million Americans. “Drug Abuse” is that dirty little phrase that the United States government – particularly under the Bush Administration – that no one wanted to utter … don’t ask, don’t tell. But, when Michael Jackson’s alleged drug abuse, subsequently leading to his tragic death, hit the headlines, the government could no longer turn a blind eye and the non-profits finally gained some valuable ammunition to fight this deadly disease.
The legendary singer/songwriter/dancer extraordinaire was said to be healthy and was planning for a London tour - in fact one report even claimed that he would add some shows for his planned comeback to toss him atop the pop world again. But it begs the question: In light of his now widely publicized drug abuse, how could he even hope to achieve this kind of a comeback? A cocktail of up to 7 different types of prescription medications – ranging from Oxycontin to Demerol to Zoloft to Xanax -- would cripple a superstar in even the best of health. In March of this year, he was photographed pictured in pajamas in a wheelchair, his face hidden by a surgical mask. Did that appear to be a man set to embark on the most elaborate and grueling tour of his life or – more likely – of a man addled by drug a abuse and mental illness? He willingly took a cocktail of up to seven different prescription medications every day. He self-imposed a level of drug abuse that few survive, and he did it year after year, all the while his handlers selling stories to the tabloids that he was attending an Intensive Outpatient Program for two-hours a day. It was the tabloids at their worst – and there were literally no takers. That type of drug abuse – no one can hide – not even with Mr. Jackson’s wealth.
Ira Levy, of Sunrise Detox, emphasizes that one of the key components of a successful Intervention is the willingness of the client to cooperate with the treatment plan that has been laid out. Over my years of reporting, I have spoken many times to the Jackson family lawyer, Brian Oxman. In a recent interview with CNN, Mr. Oxman alluded to the involvement of drugs in Mr. Jackson’s death when he likened the pop star’s death to that of tragic star Anna Nicole Smith – also due to drug abuse.
He said to me today that “the Jackson family had been trying for months and months and months to take care of Michael Jackson.” And that his utter frustration and fear stemmed from “The non-family members who had surrounded him [Michael Jackson] and that had been enabling him, particularly his agents, tour managers and private doctor," alluding specifically to Dr. Conrad Murray.
It is always tragic when a man as talented as Michael Jackson, someone who touched so many hearts, dies in such an awfully sad and heartbreaking way. All we can do is pray that if you, yourself, or someone you know and love, is suffering from alcoholism and/or drug abuse, that you’ll pick up the phone and ask for help. There are many detox facilities and treatment centers out there just waiting for your call. Pick up that phone and safe someone’s life. Do it today.
Michael Jackson Death…or simply “Put to Sleep?”
Michael Jackson will go down in the history books defining one of the greatest dichotomies: equal parts as the world’s greatest entertainer and on the flip side, one of the saddest, most grief-stricken, enigmatic figures to dominate the world on-and-off the stage for the better part of four decades. This one and only King of Pop was about to attempt one of the greatest comebacks of all time – 50 concerts starting July 13 at London’s famed 02 arena. Then his life was cut shockingly — or was it just mysteriously? — either way, it was cut short.
We now know that Jackson died at UCLA Medical Center after being stricken at his rented home in the posh Los Angeles neighborhood of Holmby Hills. Sources including his now tarnished “personal doctor,” Dr. Conrad Murray, have said he may have suffered respiratory arrest before eventually succumbing to cardiac arrest, a condition that can lead to death if not treated within five minutes.
"Cardiac arrest refers broadly to when your heart just no longer pumps blood," says Dr. Morgan Poncy, co-founder of Sunrise Detox in Lake Worth, Florida. Dr. Poncy completed his internship and residency at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami. While continuing his private practice he became licensed to administer Suboxone, a proven, highly successful, revolutionary opiate detoxification method. He has subsequently treated more than 3,000 patients using Suboxone, more than any other physician inside the United States. After reading this, I knew I’d found the right guy so I called him up, and begged him for a face-to-face. Despite him, his wife and four children being smack in the middle of a move, Dr. Poncy succumbed to my pleadings. I drove up to Jupiter, just north of Palm Beach, Florida for the interview. Dr. Poncy, himself, has never treated Michael Jackson directly, but basically because of his extensive knowledge of addiction, and detoxification I thought he’d have some cogent and perceptive thoughts on Mr. Jackson’s life, addiction and death. Also, because of Dr. Poncy’s extensive work with addicts, I was curious to hear about how Mr. Jackson’s wealth and power might have played a role in his active addiction while living and his subsequent death.
I was surprised to find Dr. Poncy to be this handsome, laidback, intelligent, “cool” kind of a guy — very unassuming and confident with out being like “Hey, I’m a doctor little girl, back off and let me tell you how it is.” It’s so funny because journalists are usually such arrogant pricks. We come off as these cross-grained, overly educated, verbally-on-crack, recalcitrant puffed-up-jerks. Most of us are alcoholics or Domestic Violence People, or worse. It’s ever-so ironic that we have these sweeping judgments of sources before we even meet them. When we can barely get out of bed in the morning. Sad. Anyway, Poncy was fascinating. Thank God.
We first began talking about Mr. Jackson’s alleged, daily “cocktail” of drugs, including, according to The London Sun, a mixture of opiates, benzodiazepines, and barbiturates such as Oxyxontin Vicodin, Dilaudid, Xanax, Zoloft, Demerol, Vistaril, Paxil, and Prilosec. Dr. Poncy’s take was two-fold: someone taking that mixture with an unknown dosage of pills on a daily basis is probably not just suffering from a pain condition, if even suffering from a pain condition at all. Instead they're probably self-medicating some kind of an underlying mood disorder. “Because Michael Jackson was said to also suffer from an eating disorder or some kind of self-image disorder…he may have even been suffering from bi-polar disorder…that’s when this all gets much, much more complicated. He will have gone through periods of time when he absolutely hated himself and hated the way he looked. This is when his addiction would spike and he would be ingesting even more and more medications in higher and higher dosages.” Dr. Poncy went on to explain that addicts with underlying mood disorders are often drawn to opiates because it gives them a “therapeutic window” where they feel a wave of calm. “The challenge with this type of so-called therapeutic window, of course,” says Poncy, “is that window becomes narrower and narrower and the appearance of the window because less and less frequent. Thereby the addict has to up the dosage and increase the frequency.”
I asked Dr. Poncy about the role of Mr. Jackson’s wealth and power.
“Ah. That’s where it gets very, very tricky. That’s where the ‘private doctor’ becomes the pawn or the so-called conduit — some even say ‘dealer’ — I want to be clear here … not all private doctors but a lot of them. It was a similar situation with the rapper Eminem. When a professional ballplayer, movie star, singer/songwriter … an icon of any form who can afford a private doctor, that wealthy icon essentially begins administering his own care. I believe the converse of a ‘private doctor,’ a respected doctor with a private practice, affiliated with a respectable hospital … if a client asks him for a hefty shot of Demerol at 10 o’clock in the morning with no guarantees of what that client has taken on his own accord earlier in the day … he’d be less inclined to administer that shot. That’s just the way it goes.”
Other physicians I spoke to — 100 percent without exception — agreed with Dr. Poncy’s theory on this and I spoke to 11 physicians, one a private doctor himself! (Which was a little odd, to be frank.)
There is no question that Mr. Jackson’s death brought a tragic end to a long, bizarre, sometimes farcical decline from his peak in the 1980s, when he was popular music’s premier all-around performer. He was a uniter of black and white music who shattered the race barrier on MTV, dominated the charts and dazzled even more on stage. His 1982 album “Thriller” — which included the blockbuster hits “Beat It,” “Billie Jean” and “Thriller” — is the best-selling album of all time, with an estimated 50 million copies sold worldwide.
Steven Spielberg told Entertainment Tonight over the weekend that “Michael Jackson’s talent, his wonderment and his mystery made him legend.” Justin Timberlake, one of today’s most popular music icons, who many say mimics many of The King of Pop’s moves, was quoted saying: “We have lost a genius and a true ambassador of not only Pop music, but of all music.” Quincy Jones, who produced “Thriller”capped the many quotes with: “Taken away from us so suddenly at such a young age, I just don’t have the words … He was the consummate entertainer and his contributions and legacy will be felt upon the world forever. I’ve lost my little brother today, and part of my soul has gone with him.”
Which brings up the question: Was it a tragic error, or an overdose? If it was indeed an overdose, was it accidental or by desire...subconscious or mercy-killing?
I asked Dr. Poncy if he were to headline this article what would the title be? He promptly replied: “Michael Jackson: Put To Sleep.” He further explained that when vets put down dogs or cats they essentially “overdose” the animals with a shot of opiates, barbiturates — or a combination of the two — and the dog will die comfortably in his sleep. I asked Dr. Poncy about Dr. Kevorkian — the man famed for assisting terminally ill patients commit suicide. Poncy explained that prescient to the Jackson case, if it were indeed the case, Kevorkian never “put his own patients ‘to sleep.' He simply set up the three IVs with the three tubes of ‘medications’ and allowed the ‘patient’ to press the one button that would trigger the drip causing a completely painless process of ‘putting the patient to sleep.’”
Perhaps Michael Jackson did not want to do the grueling, physically exhausting 50-show “final” concert tour. After all, he was recently photographed being pushed in a wheelchair by his eldest sun with his face covered by a surgical mask. He was rumored to, once again, be in failing health. It was clear he wanted to go out with a bang but we all construed from that … that he wanted to “go out” with a “professional” bang. Did he have something else in mind? The 1 million tickets to his last hurrah had sold out in 5 hours. The pressure was on. Did he want – subconsciously or not – another way to go?
My First Night in LA Hear Me Roar!
It’s my first solo night in Los Angeles and I wasn’t quite sure what to do with myself. You see my VP of Operations, Dave O’Hanlon, who accompanied me on my cross-country voyage caught a terrible cold on our way West, so he rightfully chose to stay in bed. I, however, decided to forage slightly north up Lincoln Boulevard toward Santa Monica’s Third Street Promenade for a quick look at the new Apple Store and a glimmer of hope for a movie at 5 o’clock.
I hate crowds so I chose “Michael Clayton.” This was my thinking: It’s a movie that has been out for more than a bit – and disappointed at the Academy Awards. Good sign, I thought. I was encouraged even more when the pony-tailed blond with creamy sky-blue-eye-shadow working the ticket counter told me with a smile: “Honey, the theater’s empty.”
Whatever.
I bought a ticket and hunkered down with my Sugar-Free Red Bull.
“Michael Clayton,” the movie, I loved it. The theater was horrible … freezing; I felt like I was trapped in the factory warehouse in “Rocky.” And the plot? The stratagem was maudlin and dull. I had seen it umpteen times before.
But Ahh!
The performances! The performances! Clooney, Pollack, Wilkinson and Swinton. Suddenly, I realized how much this film benefited from its serendipitous casting. Switch out those four muses, and the energy and tension might have just evaporated. But it didn’t – not for me.
Tilda Swinton, whom I had not seen before was as cold and clinical as the picture needed her to be. In one pivotal scene, Swinton can be seen rehearsing the lies she will give in an interview to which Sidney Pollack needs her “step-up.” First-time director Tony Gilroy helps blur the line between fiction and fact by interspersing her practiced speech with the actual media cross-examination. It's one of those crisp interactions Gilroy uses throughout the film to wring deeper meaning out of what could have been a simple scene. Swinton won the 2008 “Best Supporting Actress” Academy Award for her performance. No surprise, there.
The plot itself centers around Arthur Edens (Tom Wilkinson,) a treasured friend of Clayton’s, a bipolar victim who has stopped taking his pills and now glows with reckless zeal and conviction. Edens is by far the most brilliant lawyer in the firm; he is the lead attorney in the $3 billion class-action suit filed against U/North -- the company that is being sued by salt-of-the-earth farmers because of a germ killer U/North used despite knowing it was hazardous to people's health. The issue … or “challenge” as Clayton espouses, is that the brilliant Edens simply cannot stay on his meds. If it were only that simple.
Let’s just say the story is about the lawsuit without really being about the lawsuit, if that makes sense. The picture, after all, isn't titled U/North, correct?
The bottom line is that the real tension in the film comes from Clayton’s zeal to go toe to toe with U/North's steely in-house chief counsel (Swinton) and his race against the clock to pull together the unraveling threads of a massive conglomerate's tapestry of lies.
"Clayton" is a resonant throwback with deep roots in the political thrillers of the 1970s: slick, smart and saturated in dramatic paranoia. A brainy pastiche of set-ups, pay-offs, company malfeasance and revenge in absorbing shades of grey.
Finally a film that doesn’t just make you think; it makes you feel.
Kate in LA: A New Adventure Begins
I've got some big news. I'M MOVING! After launching my first show "Kate's take" just fourteen months ago up at the beach on Hillsboro Mile and yes after sweating bullets shooting outside in the soggy stifling Florida summer I decided last Fall to move the show inside to bring you the more sophisticated "WatercoolerDiaries". Well, after reporting umpteen health reports, boxing in the ring, fishing, cooking, skydiving and swimming with the dolphins, I decided to make my move. Yes I'm off to find my dreams on the West Coast – Los Angeles! Santa Monica to be exact. The new show? It's to be titled ... "KateInLA!" We plan to launch sometime this Spring. Please stay tuned for regular blog updates!
Gas-pumping Robot
Some of you may remember the good old days when there were still full-service gas stations, where a neatly dressed, smiling attendant would pump your gas for you with a smile. There are still a few places where this is still the case, like if you stop in a remote section of New Jersey, but for the most part self-service gas stations are the norm. Well, if you’re taking a trip to the Netherlands any time soon and stop to fill up your tank, you may encounter quite a different type of person filling up your tank – one made of metal with computer chips and lots of wires…yes, a robot.
A group of Dutch inventors recently unveiled a $111,100 car-fuelling robot. They claim it’s the first of its kind.
This high tech robot works by registering the car as it pulls up to the pump and matching it to a database of fuel cap designs and fuel types. A robotic arm fitted with multiple sensors then extends from a regular gas pump. It carefully opens the car’s flap, unscrews the fuel cap, grabs the fuel nozzle and sticks it inside the tank. It basically works much like a human arm would, and the inventors claim, it’s just as efficient.
The robot’s developer and owner of the gas station putting it to work, Nico van Staveren, says the got the idea for this invention when he was on a farm and saw a robotic arm milking a cow. He thought, “If a robot can do that then why can’t it fill a car tank.” He figured that drivers, and gas pumping attendants, shouldn’t have to get their hands dirty or smell the gas on their bodies.
Staveren hopes to introduce his robot, called the “Tankpitstop” to several Dutch stations by the end of the year.
The only limitation is that the robot can’t fill the tank of a car whose contours and dimensions aren’t recorded in its database. It if tries, it could scratch the car. The robot also doesn’t work on tanks that have locks on them.
Okay, so say these Dutch stations install this gas-pumping robot. Will anyone actually want to use it? One Dutchman filling his black Alfa Romeo near Staveren’s station said, “Why not? I guess I could keep my hands free and clean, but I’d hope they have good insurance.” He makes a good point!
The Beatles in Space!
This week NASA sent a transmission of The Beatles 1968 song "Across the Universe" shooting into space towards residents of the Polaris star system. But those residents – if there are any – won't be getting the message for 431 years. So why'd they do it? To commemorate the 40 anniversary of the song's recording and NASA's 50th birthday.
NASA, with help from friends at Spain's space agency, beamed an MP3 of the four-minute song from a giant space antenna near Madrid where it began its long road to Polaris – also known as the North Star – which is about 2.5 quadrillion miles away. But before NASA could send The Beatles’ song into space they had to get permission.
Martin Lewis, a Low Angeles-based Beatles Historian, got the OK from former Beatle Paul McCartney, John Lennon's widow Yoko Ono and the two companies that own the rights to The Beatles' music. According to an Associate Press report, one of the companies, Apple Records, said that it was happy to approve the song for this transmission because it is "always looking for new markets."
The date of the “Beatles in space launch” had a few more significant dates attached to it. It also marked the 50th anniversary of Explorer 1, the first US satellite and the founding 45 years ago of the Deep Space Network, a system of antennas across the globe that transmits and receives signals from distant stars.
The event may, however, turn out to be simply an exercise in posterity, since there is a good chance The Beatles' music will never reach alien ears – assuming they even have any!
To pick up the signal NASA sent the citizens of Polaris would have to have an antenna and receiver. These alien listeners would also need the technology to decrypt the mp3 format. And all this, of course, hinges on there actually being anyone on Polaris.
Despite the obstacles, those involved are optimistic. The diligent Beatles' historian Mr. Lewis told The Guardian "We don't know if there's life out there, but I'd like to think the US government wouldn't be spending taxpayers' money of this if there was no hope.
Even if all those things I mentioned before do work out and there actually are extra terrestrial beings listening, we can’t expect a reply for a long, long, long time. Well exactly when you ask. In the words of NASA scientists.. not for a "long, long, long” time.
Polaris, aka the North Star, is situated at the end of the handle of the little dipper. As I said before about 2.5 quadrillion miles away. Traveling at light speed, the signal will take 431 years to reach the star and at least that long for a response to get back to us. So we're looking at about 862 years!!!
So what does former Beatle Paul McCartney, the last living member of the band, think about this whole project. He dashed off a short, handwritten letter to NASA before the launch saying: "Amazing! Well done, NASA! Send my love to the aliens. All the best, Paul."
