Let's be clear about it. Charlie Sheen’s behavior and example to those who admire him and want to emulate him is a disgrace. I am a fan of the show “Two and a Half Men” but we should no longer be willing to be entertained if what we are watching is an addict who has scripted his life so he can destroy it.
The world has watched as celebrities like Elvis Presley, Kurt Cobain, Heath Ledger, Anna Nicole Smith and many others have lost their battle with addiction for the sake of “entertainment.” Right before our eyes, in this very moment, we are watching a beloved and talented actor spiral further out of control. Charlie Sheen has been loosing the battle against addiction for years and his condition is far worse than what many may realize. If Charlie continues on his self-destructive mission of cocaine-induced binges and psychotic drug swamped episodes with porn stars and prostitutes, he will face a certain death or a long-term commitment into a mental institution.
If there is a likely comparison to Sheen’s example, it would be that of former Hollywood producer Don Simpson who died in 1996 at the hands of an addiction so vicious, toxicology reports showed he died from a lethal, accidental drug overdose with a cocktail of 20 prescription dugs in his system. Simpson, like Sheen had plenty of money to pay anyone to furnish him anything he craved. Like Sheen, Simpson took it to the extreme with 3-day porn star and prostitute drug binges that corrupted and twisted his addiction into sexual obsession far beyond what one could imagine. Simpson controlled everyone around him with money to further his self-destructive pathological lies and self-destruction. For Simpson, like for Sheen, the truth was what he wanted it to be, regardless of how detached it was from reality. He could afford to pay for the silence of those who knew too much and he could hire dangerous henchmen like Anthony Pelicano to intimidate those who would try to stop him.
Sheen and Simpson are similar in many ways. For now, the only certain difference is that Sheen is alive and Simpson is not. But that too may change if no one heeds the warning of the events of the past three months. Good looks, talent, power, money and audiences begging for more, keep the destruction going. Sheen, who has unlimited funds to feed any desire and so much popularity and women throwing themselves at him, has taken full advantage of his privileges. If he is to be saved, he must be taken away from the life he knows so he can learn how to live without drugs. He must accept that he is a father to his children, not a 13-year old who just discovered puberty.
In the last three months, Sheen has taken it to another level. While Sheen has made it part of his marketing campaign to sell himself as a bad boy, what he has really done is script his addiction and made us all worry that he is going to die. Charlie Sheen, where will you be five years from now?
