Heath Ledger's Accidental Overdose - Discussion Thread (Was: Breaking News)

[Jeff Wrangler]

Shit...I better get a drink.

Wish I could pour it for you. I got some pretty good scotch in the cupboard.

[Peter John Shields]

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=371144

I found this article quite upsetting

Stripey

[serious crayons]

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=371144

I found this article quite upsetting

If you think that's upsetting, beware -- here's the original NY Post article it's referring to. I saw the women on The View talking about it this morning with disgust, and wondered where they'd seen it. They just referred to seeing it in "the paper," but didn't say which one.

So I just now looked it up. Here it is. Beware, those of you who are disturbed by this kind of thing. It is very, very offensive.

http://www.nypost.com/seven/02072008/news/columnists/his_pals_are_guilty___and_so_was_he_701915.htm

[Meryl]

I knew about that article and was secretly hoping no one would post it.  There's always some columnist who will deliberately write something provocative like that to get a rise out of people and attain some sort of specious notoriety from the outraged replies.  "The Post" is hardly an exemplar of responsible journalism.  I would be surprised if she really even believes what she writes about Heath.  It's her job to take things and tweak them into "hot" topics.  Blechh. 

[Aloysius J. Gleek]

The "columnist," the Post's Andrea Peyser, is a nasty piece of goods. Period.

[serious crayons]

I knew about that article and was secretly hoping no one would post it.

Sorry, Meryl. I myself was curious, after hearing it alluded to. But I know what you mean. That's why I issued a warning and didn't post the text of the article.

There's always some columnist who will deliberately write something provocative like that to get a rise out of people and attain some sort of specious notoriety from the outraged replies.

Yeah, she sounds like kind of a mini Ann Coulter.

[Ellemeno]

My preface again: I love Heath.

We each come from our personal view of the situation - In this thread there are people who feel comfortable with medications/people who feel uncomfortable with medications.  People who know someone upstanding who was hurt by prescription drugs/people who don't know anyone unintentionally hurt by prescription drugs.  People who hope this for Heath/people who fear that for Heath.  But none of us know what happened.

Some of the posts I've read here don't seem to be likely scenarios for me, but I see that the person speaking is invested in it.  So it's not up to me to tell them they are wrong, or they are too callous, or they are too naive.  I can choose the parts that sound likely, and move on.

It's okay not to agree. 

[RossInIllinois]

I don't see, RossInIllinois, your point at trying to define and redefine "accidental" and confuse the point, leaving a cloud over Heath himself. "Nicer and kinder" than what? If a tree falls on your parked car, it's an accident; if you are driving your car and hit a tree because you answer you cell phone, it's still an accident.

I also don't understand the point about how people take medication. You may well be a perfect direction follower and can reach out to your doc in a moments notice if you have a question, but most people are not like this. Why do you think those little plastic boxes with days and numbers on them were invented? because most people forget when and how their meds are to be taken and lose track.

I fortunately have never been on anything other than aspirin for a headache here and there, but I have seen how meds work with people.

Even if Heath wasn't confused about when he last took the dose that should have lasted 8 hours or whatever and took them knowing they were over the prescribed amount, do you think it would have been the first time? you yourself call him an abuser; so he probably felt his body had a toleration it did not. That is not, imo, a reason to defame him, it's an honest and understandable mistake.

We all tend to suffer from a need for instant gratification. Got a headache, take a pill, and it should go away in 2 minutes. Can't sleep, take a pill, and cruise off to never never land in 2 minutes. When the medicinal aids do not give the instantaneous relief or desired effect, lots of people take more. I know many people who double the label instructions for tylenol or advil on a regular basis. Same with vitamins which is now becoming a bigger concern that they don't get flushed out harmlessly as once was believed.

even with dangerous pesticides. I know first hand that if a label instructions say one tablespoon per gallon of water, many, many people will double or triple it or more to 'make sure it works'.

so, I suspect Heath, having been accustomed to possibly over doing recreational booze and drugs thought nothing of taking an extra pill or two and thought nothing of combining the meds. I'll bet if he could speak out today he'd say something like "I would have never thought what I took would do me in". He desperately wanted to get rest and sleep; that's a pity. He was a good man and at worst, unwittingly made a serious mistake. I wouldn't label him with anything less.

So then if you take a grossly higher amount of pills than stated on Rx bottles its an accident when you can read and your an adult? I call that deliberate.  If you drive that car you mention above right smack into a tree on purpose and kill yourself doing so is that called an accident? or deliberate?  At what point do you feel people have to be held accountable for there own actions?  Accidents do happen yes, but people must also be held accountable for what they do to make them happen as well.

[yb]

So then if you take more pills than stated on Rx bottles its an accident when you can read and your an adult? I call that deliberate.  If you drive that car you mention above right smack into a tree on purpose to kill yourself is that called an accedent? or deliberate?

Obviously you have very low opinion about Heath, and you have made it very clear in various threads already, I wonder what's your purpose of persisting it here? 

I'd never considered Heath an angel, but we're not him, I would not speculate what was his mindset on his last days, nor am I qualified to pass judgement on him.  It is very hypocritical to pass judgement on him when we don't know anything about his condition.  I would want to say if he was a drug abuser or whatever, it must have affected his daily life and his work, but judging from the words of all those who had worked with him particularly the article written by Chris Nolan, I doubt he's such a low life.  I have expected negative articles about Heath ever since the day of 22 Jan, but I find it very disgusting and disappointing that this is happening on a BBM forum.

[souxi]

Well I guess my "reality" is quite different than yours. However it still does not mean im wrong.

I didn,t say what you said was wrong, I merely said I found your comments offensive.