Philip Seymour Hoffman Rip

[Ric.ror]

Quite a shock

[emmie]

its what they said when the news broke last evening, a drug problem that he had battled, a very good actor, so sad for his family

[joeluke]

I find it hard to understand the sympathy for people who use hard drugs and know the consequences

[brionon]

So an Actor takes an overdose. Main news on BBC this morning.Out come the Lovies to tell us what a tragedy it is for the acting profession. NO the tragedy is that 3 kids are fatherless.

[maggiebee]

Heard that he fought his drug addiction and had been clean for a few years. Who knows why he succumbed again - very sad.

[sp1814]

brionon

"Out come the Lovies to tell us what a tragedy it is for the acting profession. NO the tragedy is that 3 kids are fatherless."

It can be both.

[ummmm]

No one takes drugs thinking they will kill themself.

[brionon]

sp1814 Agreed it can be both But the Kids weren't mentioned by the Lovies I saw- OK ?

[emmie]

ummm that's the problem, many people who take recreational drugs don't think at all, of those who it will affect, their families, and not just in the case of a fatal overdose as in this case. Having seen a number of friends, and one or two relatives go the drug route, the effects can be devastating, i have seen the aftermath of one who's life is wrecked, no coming back from this at all.

[jomifl]

Do we not have enough domestic tragedies and fatherless children with poverty stricken mothers to devote our sympathy, or even support charities that support them?

[emmie]

jom, yes we do, i feel more sad for the children.

[andy-hughes]

I always told my children the same story about drugs - the difference with legal and illegal drugs is very simple -

if you buy a pack of Paracetamol in Edinburgh one day, and Torquay the next, you will get the same product because it is manufactured under licence.

If you buy heroin from the same locations, you have no idea what you will get, because drug dealers will vary quantities and strengths, to say nothing of diluting with chalk dust, rat poison, flour, etc. etc.

That is why heroin addicts overdose - they have no idea of the strength of the drug from one pack to the next, and overdosing is as simple as that.

It's a great leveller, from the street corner junkie to the famous wealthy actor - and the tragedy is the same anywhere, any time - a life is lost to addicition, and that is really sad, regardless of talent, or perceived loss to the arts, another sad individual with demons they can't deal with, has felt their demons deal with them.

[smurfchops]

Anna squinty it was Doubt

[smurfchops]

Anneasquith. Squinty? Blame my ipad and me not checking spelling! X

[emmie]

AH, in the case of this chap i expect he could afford the real deal, it seems he had packets of the stuff lying around, why would someone go back to it after kicking the habit a long while ago. I suppose i could answer that myself having seen how it works, and with some close friends who have died from alcoholism

[joggerjayne]

RIP, Philip Semen Hoffman
.

[jomifl]

easily done it would seem.. erm.

[andy-hughes]

emmie - this is drug dealing we are talking about.

Someone with a bag of high-grade pure heroin which he can sell for $1,000, will not be averse to mixing it to make it 25% pure, 75% various toxins, and worth $5,000 - no matter how high-profile his clients are.

In the case of PSH, it is possible that his natural tolerence for a strong dose had dissipated during his 'clean' period, and a dose which would have got him high during his addicition phase simply proved fatal for his heroin-free system.

[emmie]

it doesn't say how long he had taken heroin for, the reports state that he was addicted to prescription pills...

[emmie]

seems he had battled his demons a long while

http://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/feb/02/philip-seymour-hoffman-found-dead-new-york

[Prudie]

Unusually I agree with Joe, heroin is hardly my idea of a recreational drug, he was not being very thoughtful of his 3 young children.