As most of you know by now, the music world lost Amy Winehouse on Saturday at the age of 27. She was known for her amazing voice and talent...but unfortunately she was more well-known for her drug and alcohol addiction and the problems that stemmed from those issues.
It's always heartbreaking when talented people have addictions that interfere with their work and are taken from the world way too soon. But think about it...there are many of us who have an addiction to food which interferes with our own lives. Sometimes our talents are wasted because we're so focused on food - or when we feed our sugar, salt and other addictions it makes us feel so awful that we can't get the things done that we need to accomplish. We get that temporary food high, then when we come down off of it we need more...just like an alcoholic or drug addict.
There are many things we can learn from Amy's demise and apply to our own lives:
1. Surround yourself with people who care about your well-being, and don't be afraid to turn down something you know is not good for you. Obviously Amy had people who supplied her with the drugs and alcohol, and who would also partake of them with her. She needed to be around people who were sober to help break the cycle. Those of us who are addicted to food also need to be around others who live a healthy lifestyle so we can learn how to deal with food properly. And if we encounter someone who wants to make us eat something that will make us fall off the wagon, we need to find the courage to say no.
2. Think about all of the things you've put off and the dreams you have not accomplished because of your addiction. Everyone was waiting for Amy to put out another album after the success of Back to Black, but she could never get it together long enough to make it happen. She attempted a tour this summer, but the first show went so badly because of her issues that she cancelled the rest of the tour. The world will never know everything she could have accomplished if her addiction had not taken over. As food addicts, we put off a lot of things in life to get our own fix. Then we feel ill and not up to accomplishing anything. We all need to sit down and really think...about our talents, what we want out of life, and what we could accomplish if we didn't rely on food fixes; then use these goals and dreams to strengthen our resolve around food.
3. Use your talents to lure you away from addictive behaviors. Amy did use her musical and songwriting talents to express herself, but should have dug more deeply into her gifts in order to release the feelings that made her turn to drugs and alcohol. We should use our own gifts, whether it be writing, music, painting, or something else positive to express ourselves instead of wallowing in the emotions that make us want to eat. And as we find our inner athletes, we realize we do have the strength it takes to do anything!
4. You cannot fight this alone. Very often, Amy tried to conquer her demons by herself. When we are very deeply into addiction, we need more strength than we have on our own. Besides having a supportive group of people around us, we need God to fight this. There will be times when we are alone and no other human being is around to talk us down from doing something unhealthy. But God is always with us...so pray to Him for courage and strength to help you beat your addiction, one step at a time.
When you think about Amy, remember her talent first. Then think about her addictions...and how to help yourself and others beat their addictions so we can learn from her situation. In this way, some good can come out of her tragic end. Rest in peace, Amy.
