Amy Winehouse Died of Alcohol Toxicity
The official results were just released, showing the troubled singer relapsed in her final days.
It’s official: Amy Winehouse died from alcohol toxicity. Despite a promising period of sobriety right before her July 23 death, the talented-but-troubled singer had two large bottles and one small bottle of vodka in the bedroom of her London home, according to the official inquest.
Winehouse, 27, had been battling her demons and seemed to be winning, but her untimely death shows how precarious recovery can be and reminds us just how difficult alcoholism and addiction are to overcome.
Officials don’t think Winehouse meant to harm herself, despite the fact that her blood alcohol level was more than five times the legal limit, leading the coroner to rule the incident “death by misadventure.”
Winehouse’s parents, Mitch and Janis, were in the court to hear the verdict, as was the late singer’s doctor, Christina Romete. The physician earlier told the court that she last saw Winehouse on the evening before her death. The singer, who had successfully battled drugs problems, had started drinking again after a period of abstinence, Dr. Romete said. Despite that admission, Romette said, “She didn’t want to die, she was looking forward to the future.”
No illegal drugs were found in Winehouse’s system, and immediately following her death this past summer Winehouse’s family suggested the tragic incident may have been the result of her suddenly stopping drinking. Treatment experts have long acknowledged that alcohol detox is one of the most difficult and dangerous.
After learning of the cause of death, Winehouse’s family issued a statement, saying, “It is some relief to finally find out what happened to Amy. We understand there was alcohol in her system when she passed away; it is likely a build up of alcohol in her system over a number of days. The court heard that Amy was battling hard to conquer her problems with alcohol and it is a source of great pain to us that she could not win in time.”
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Tags: Alcohol Poisoning, Alcoholism, Celebrity Alcohol Addiction
I am actually writing a paper for my College English class about how toxic alcohol really is. It may be legal, (under certain circumstances, and to certain aged people) but that doesn’t mean it is not extremely lethal. There are so many deaths related to alcohol every year, that it is horrifying.
Here is one part of my paper:
“Alcohol can surely be seen as not “all bad.” For one example, alcohol can be used as an antiseptic, and cleaner for wounds and other bodily harms. Also, certain alcoholic beverages can actually be beneficial, of course, when consumed in moderation, and not abused. For example, wine (especially red wine) has many antioxidants that are very advantageous to the body.
Antioxidants can help with many things in a person’s health. “Antioxidants boost the immune system and can help prevent cancer, heart disease and many other forms of major illness. They also slow down the effects of ageing and can fend off conditions like Alzheimer’s.” (http://www.veggieglobal.com/nutrition/antioxidants.htm) Again, these antioxidants are useful from red wine, if consumed in moderation. Otherwise, the worse effects of alcohol counteract the idea of its antioxidants being beneficial, because the other side effects of the actual alcohol property can literally break down the immune system, as well as take even deeper tolls on the consumer. Aside from the few, but also important, “beneficial” effects of alcohol, it can seriously be extremely toxic.
Apart from the “beneficial” side of alcohol, there are also numerous amounts of “unbeneficial” side effects from the use, and particularly, abuse of alcohol. “When alcohol is consumed, it’s absorbed into a person’s bloodstream. From there, it affects the central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord), which controls virtually all body functions. Alcohol actually blocks some of the messages trying to get to the brain. This alters a person’s perceptions, emotions, movement, vision, and hearing.” (http://www.abovetheinfluence.com/facts/drugsalcohol/) Alcohol can cause anger, violence, black-outs, and many other harmful side effects.
…Alcohol can be tremendously damaging to the consumer, and may take its toll so deeply that the consumer will have to live, or die with it for the rest of their (potentially short termed) life.”
I have seen the horrible effects of alcohol, in my own personal life. And it is so sad when alcohol takes someone over.. and ultimately, they are gone forever.
The death of Amy Winehouse was extremely sad, and it feels like we have lost an amazing person, musician, and entertainer. I can only hope she rests in peace, and continue to say prayers for her and her loved ones.
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