The reality of addiction. In my eyes at least.

I really wanted to stay away from all the bullshit going on about Charlie Sheen and his "crazy" banter and all the attention he's getting...

but, alas, I feel the public needs a swift kick in the gonads for a reality check.

Why do you think his behavior has continued the way it has? Why do you think the media continues to cover his every word and every move?

It's OK, I won't wait for an answer, because I know the answer. Because people WANT to read about it and hear about it so they have something to talk about the next day at work. Nobody actually cares about him or his serious problems.

Charlie, Lindsay Lohan, Justin Bieber's new haircut, and Britney Spears' chocha are the biggest news breaking stories because they are perpetuated by the audience.

What Charlie Sheen and others are dealing with is an illness. A mental illness called addiction. (Aside from Justin Bieber...he's...well, he's a whole other topic)

People need to seriously realize that it's not a joke and it's not something that could be fixed by going to a retreat style rehabilitation center where all the celebrities go just to put a check mark next to "rehab" on their list of "things to do as an overpaid human."

A stint on "Celebrity Rehab" or a 40 day "intense rehab" in one of the acclaimed centers located in a desert somewhere, doesn't constitute a successful attempt at saving your life.

You know why 80% of addicts relapse within a year after going sober? Because NONE of them get scared out of their addictions.

Instead of spending $45K on a month long "spa" with rules like "no candy allowed", they should be tossed into a maximum security facility where you are forced to go through proper withdrawal and undergo professional therapy and proper psychological treatment.

Addiction IS a disease. If it weren't a disease people wouldn't be "genetically predisposed" to it. There have been studies done to show that there are different parts of the brain that are affected by and control addiction.

When a person gets diagnosed with hypertension, the doctor doesn't recommend doing some breathing exercises to cope with the disease, they prescribe medication to control it and properly TREAT the disease.

Addiction is no different.

Raking a zen garden will help you think about the next time you want to get your high, nice and peacefully. But it won't do shit to TREAT the reason WHY you want to get your high.

I'm disappointed in this country on so many levels on this subject.

Doctors for disregarding cries out for help. People around addicts that allow the addiction to take over and continue without handling it like they actually WANT to save that person. Rehabilitation centers for faking their way into making everyone think they can cure anything by building zen gardens and talking in a circle. And society for taking it all so lightly.

The only people that don't disappoint me are the addicts themselves. I'm actually quite impressed with their abilities to do everything in their powers to get their next high. Addiction is their highest power. It's stronger than adrenaline, fear and life, in most cases.

It's absolutely ridiculous that we rely on the will of the addict to allow us to take action and start treatment.

You show me an addict that is clear enough to make that choice and I'll show you a Leprechaun or a Unicorn.

People who need help the most will never have a moment of clarity where they will willingly surrender their addiction. They may realize they are in trouble, but the chances of them actually wanting to give it up are slim.

There have to be facilities that take this more seriously. Yes, treat it like a prison sentence. Because it should be.

I'm not saying rehabilitation centers need to seize to exist, by any means. But REHABILITATION, by definition is something you do after you stop the bleeding.

When someone has successfully gone through withdrawals and have managed to recognize and control triggers (either with psychotherapy or through brute force), which in most cases takes YEARS not months or days, that's when they should be transferred into a rehabilitation center where they can start rebuilding their life.

Learn to live in a society that shoves drugs and substances in your face in great abundance. Rake your gardens, meditate and exercise whatever else tool they teach you.

Shoving people into 40 day programs is like putting a band-aid on a decapitated head.

Charlie Sheen needs to get kidnapped and thrown into a prison style treatment center and given drugs for the marbles he's lost along the way before it's too late.

It saddens me that people like Mikey Starr suffer so long with addiction and the world around them just watches. I'm not sure how living in a place with 10 other addicts was conducive to saving his life. He needed someone to grab him by the neck and FORCE him into real treatment. NOTHING in his life was his choice anymore. Even life itself.

He never forgave himself for the death of his best friend, and from that point on had no intention of living his own life. It was only a matter of time that things ended the way they did for him.

As cruel as it may sound, but I'm happy he is no longer suffering and is reunited with his best friend. I'm saddened for my own selfish reasons, just like everyone else. But just like everyone else, there was nothing I could personally do. Me, because I didn't know him. Others because they were too ignorant or scared to do anything.

Nobody should ever lose their physical life to addiction. It's enough that they lose their mental and emotional life to it.

There's gotta be a better way to do this....we can't just wait for people to ASK for help.

I miss my cousin Danny. I'm sorry I was too ignorant and naive to see the real issue. Maybe if I was strong enough, was more observant and had enough balls, you would still be with us today.