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Dead from Alcohol - at 24 years old!

Old 07-19-2008, 12:51 PM
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Dead from Alcohol - at 24 years old!

I stumbled into this story on the internet. This is one of the saddest most touching stories I have ever heard. Dead at 24 from booze:

Dead at 24: The tragic story of how a young girl's life was wrecked by cheap alcohol | Mail Online
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Old 07-19-2008, 01:53 PM
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Wow...that story is powerful.

It's a shame that some of us have to die in order for some of us to live. Other than that I don't know what else to say except that I'm sober today and her death isn't in vain.

Keep coming back...
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Old 07-19-2008, 03:39 PM
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Jails, institutions, and death.

From reading the article I got a sense that everything was blamed except for the 'poor girl' herself. Cheap alcohol, as though it is more deadly than more expensive alcohol. Bars/pubs being open at all hours as though if they were open less hours this may solve a problem. Availability of alcohol, as if any of us weren't clever enough to obtain it at any level of risk.

Here's a direct quote from the article:

"Dr Smith-Laing says: 'We need a dramatic rise in the price of alcohol so it is no longer affordable for the young.'..."

Just a suggestion - if anyone is using this doctor, find another one. There will be NO improvement in the situation until doctors like this one address the problem: the people drinking the alcohol.

Just my opinion.
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Old 07-19-2008, 04:11 PM
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cheap alcohol, and the availability of it, and a drinking culture (especially among the young) are tragic and truly grave problems, whether we blame the victims or not.

I think the real issue here is a young girl - 24 years old - *died*
That's just sad.

leave the moralising.

D
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Old 07-19-2008, 05:33 PM
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How terrible
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Old 07-19-2008, 05:49 PM
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alcohol the drug killed Stacey dead and we lost one of our own to the monsters of addiction and its consumption of her flesh. and the picture history of Stacey's life path as i followed the story brings home the simple truth that none of us as addicts started out any different then any others started.

i am horrified. i am saddened. i am grateful. I will never really know why i am alive and Stacey is dead. oh yes, i know, i know what is popular to state and what not, i know the "facts". i meant in my heart of hearts in the wee hours of the morning with tears in my eyes wondering why me? with this or that problem and then feeling ashamed of myself when i think of my dead friends who no longer have any problems. i mean alot of things but i do not mean just the "facts"

i have been sober along time, and lived with addicts my whole live really, and i have been forced to unhappily accept the hard truth that too many addicts die dead as dead can be from addictions and that is just the way of it. i have been on these boards just under 30 days now. i know that as the months pass by, as time moves on, so also addicts will succeed, flourish, and some will fail, and die. some of our fellowship here today, this very day, will not be here later. i'm making friends here. i will lose friends here. all of us will not make it and i wish to hell that was a lie.

when Stacey lost her life a little of us went with her. and when we stay alive clean 'n sober 'n free then a little of Stacey comes with us. happy day then this day for all of us. rock on.

Robby
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Old 07-19-2008, 06:29 PM
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So sad and moving, another victim of the equal opportunity destroyer.
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Old 07-19-2008, 08:14 PM
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I lost my little sister, Linda, in 1991 from cirrhosis of the liver and the bleeding like Stacey.

She was only 26.

Did I stop drinking and using then? Unfortunately no. This disease is that powerful. We all think it can't happen to us . . . Just like Linda did.

Friday I will celebrate 3 years Clean & Sober . . . Happy, Joyous & Free.

I treasure each day that I have been Blessed with in Recovery.

Not only for myself, but Linda as well.
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Old 07-20-2008, 04:26 AM
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cheap beer, expensive beer.
cheap wine or chateau margot
smirnoff vodka or absolute


Really no difference. alcoholism IS alcoholism

she died from alcoholism, not "cheap" booze, as if it contained some unknown poison. The poison is "loud and clear, crystal clear"
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Old 07-20-2008, 04:37 AM
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A grim reminder of where we could all be.
I certainly hope this tragedy
will help someone else stay sober.
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Old 07-20-2008, 04:59 AM
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serenity queen,wish you a early happy 3th birthday!
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Old 07-20-2008, 12:09 PM
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Sadandtragic.
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Old 07-20-2008, 12:34 PM
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A sad and all too common story!

I don't mean to offend any of this girl's grieving family members, but I must agree with what TommyK said above. It doesn't matter if it was cheap alcohol vs. expensive. It's not going to matter if they increase the price of alcohol or try to make it illegal. For example, look at how many drugs are illegal in the US, and then look at how many of us are addicted to those substances and will do pretty much anything to obtain them.

The article mentioned something about this girl being the youngest to die in the UK from alcohol-related diseases. I doubt this to be true. I'm sure there have been younger addicts who have also died, maybe not in this same way, but from accidents, suicides, etc. . . The only difference was that this girl's family made it well-publicized. I think it was admirable to do that even if some of the facts could be wrong. In fact, although there are many things in that article I might not agree with, I'm glad it was published and glad someone posted it here. Why?? Because it got all of us thinking about our own lives; about how fortunate many of us are to still be alive when we have done far more drugs/alcohol and combos than she might have; and about how things in our own society need to change.

I don't know the answer of how to change things. I just know that I changed my life so that I can go on living. For those who are still teetering on whether they should get sober or not. Think about it as a life or death decision. In the end that is always what it comes down to. So many young people think "That will never happen to me." I don't mind saying that yes it does happen. It happened to this young girl; it has happened to our own friends and family members; it even happens here at SR--sometimes people disappear from here and we wonder if their addiction finally caught up with them.

Don't let it catch up to you, young and old alike. You are worthy of the life that has been given to you. Take care my sober friends and my struggling friends! I'll get off my soap-box now--just needed to get a few things out of my system!

God bless you all for being a friend to me and for being a part of SR!

Love,

butterfly19 (SP)

:ghug2
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Old 07-20-2008, 12:56 PM
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Butterfly - no one who truly shares their experience, strength, and hope will be offended when we honestly express our opinions in an open & polite manner.

In order to be offended someone has to pass judgement on the opinion-giver. In the offended person's mind they feel someone else's opinion is not 'correct' or it does not meet 'their standards'. As if somehow their own opinions are the 'superior' choice.

Hopefully through growth and understanding these people will someday attain the serenity & peace necessary to 'agree to disagree', become comfortable in their own skin by knowing they won't always be right, and learn to see the world from different angles.

There is a special place for them in my heart, as they remind me of how I used to be, and how far I have come.

Everybody keep coming back...!
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Old 07-20-2008, 01:03 PM
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" 'But the authorities said she was quite normal, just an alcoholic.' she recalls today."

Doesn't anyone see the paradox of this statement? In other words, the authorities said she was a "normal alcoholic." While it might be true for a person to be a normal alcoholic, it's not true that an active alcoholic is normal.

I've heard that addiction/alcoholism is more understood today than it ever has been...yep...I've heard that a lot, I just haven't seen it.
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Old 07-20-2008, 01:27 PM
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Yeh this is tragic- my uncle died at that too from addiction. I have joined the group on facebook that her mother set up in memory of her daughter, she has done so to make everyone aware of the danger of alcohol and the diesease alcoholism. I was chatting to her on there - we shared back and forth and i think its such a wonderful positive thing her mother is doing-it was an honour to chat with her. From my experience i dont think her mother is solely blaming cheap booze for her daughters death- she knows her daughter had alcoholism - she just wants people to know how damging cheap booze esspecially can be to anyone. The facebook group is under stacey louise rhymes.
In my opinion more people need to be aware of alcoholism - so many (young people esspecially) dont realise what they suffer from (ie some of my mates), more needs to be down to smash the ignorance of the illness, it can affect anyone at any age, - if strories like this are shown in the media hopefully many can realise that they too are eligable and can stop in time, i was lucky as both my parents are in aa so i had their example, otherwise i doubt i would have got to aa at 20 as alcoholism is seen as a moral issue that affetcs elders mostly in society - not a progressive disease that can kill you any age. Thanks for the post.
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Old 07-20-2008, 01:49 PM
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What an awful story. Some of the comments on that website are pretty nasty. Sometimes I hate the internet: you can bet if they weren't anonymous, a lot of those commentators wouldn't take such pleasure in being so publicly compassionless.
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Old 07-20-2008, 01:58 PM
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Maybe this is some AA thing I'm missing - alcohol is alcohol - but cheap alcohol *is* a problem - it's easier to afford, easy to get, and easier to get drunk on a whole lot of, and it's generally rough stuff.

That's simply my experience.

oh well I guess I still have a way to go to attain the peace and serenity that some have here
LOL

D

Last edited by Dee74; 07-20-2008 at 02:22 PM.
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Old 07-20-2008, 02:16 PM
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Originally Posted by VeritasAequitas View Post
" 'But the authorities said she was quite normal, just an alcoholic.' she recalls today."

Doesn't anyone see the paradox of this statement? In other words, the authorities said she was a "normal alcoholic." While it might be true for a person to be a normal alcoholic, it's not true that an active alcoholic is normal.

I've heard that addiction/alcoholism is more understood today than it ever has been...yep...I've heard that a lot, I just haven't seen it.
I agree 100%, Veritas.

It appears that teenage alcoholics are becoming accepted in society and brushed under the carpet, so to speak?
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Old 07-20-2008, 02:29 PM
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i totally agree tommy k - her mother wants the video of her daughter shown in schools- it was her daughters wish- to spread the word of the danger of booze to kids. Im not saying booze is dangerous for everyone- butif you are an alcoholic (which lots of young people are and dont know it), it is lethal as we know all too well.
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