CousinA

Living in or in close proximity to wine country didn't kill Robin Williams. It was addiction and/or clinical depression. Wealth, fame or lack of them and geography have nothing to do with who "makes it".

I've struggled with both and based on my experience I believe it comes down to grace (whatever that means to the individual), good "outside" help and more grace. I'm grateful I found the peace in life that he sought in death. My thoughts are with his family friends and many fans; Also with the countless anonymous people suffering as he did.

-allan

HotSauceJeff

Humbly disagree with the conclusions you are drawing. Post 16 validates nothing. There are triggers, etc. everywhere, mostly in our own heads... Best!

desypete

reports say he hung himself
why ?
when i look at my own life and all the hell i have been through then what on earth was missing in his life ?

i know for me i had people in aa i could count on and also the way i live my life today and how to deal with my moods etc
i feel sorry for famous people like him as who ever gets to know the real man ? everyone wants to know the clown or the fake face and have a pic taken with him

but who is the real robin Williams ?

at least if i am feeling lonely i can pop along to an aa meeting or go anywhere for peoples company that poor guy couldnt

there is no use trying to even work it out
just accept it as nothing can change it

this is real life as real as it gets everyday this outcome will fall on people
what can we learn from it ?

live each day as if its going to be your last, as one day it will be

dSober

I didn't mean to over-emphasize Robin's place of residence regarding his addictions. Only that he had, and made choices, as do we all. Some are in our best interests, some are not. As the line from one of Spielberg's movies says (paraphrased perhaps): "Choose wisely".

Dee74

I really don't believe it's possible to compare despair desypete.

For all the conjecture here, none of us will ever know what he was feeling in those few moments.

I understand the drive to pull meaning from this, or even a cautionary tale....but to me, a man has died too young too soon, leaving behind people who loved him.

That's the important thing here, to me?

D

CousinA

I have a half block walk from my apartment to the subway, grocery all that. I live on the fifth floor of a walk up and pass the drug dealers apartment on the second floor multiple times a day. There is a liquor store directly across the street and three bodegas on the block that sell beer. Yes, they could all be triggers and at another time in my life they were. They're not today. I owe that to grace and AA.

Like I said in my other post, it's my experience and the same that I've heard shared by many others. I acknowledge that others experience may vary but that's my story and it's all I've got.

I don't want to hijack the thread but always happy to discuss in another thread or by PM.

-allan

CousinA

No argument there, D.

bluehour

Robin Williams was a member of AA.

I know there are quite a few famous people that have acknowledged that. Do they have special meetings or something? I think some professionals whose alcoholism has to be secret (doctors, etc) have some amount of privacy in that area.

His death just reinforced my desire to stay sober. The drinking/depression cycle is so hard to break.

dSober

I believe that's how best to honor Robin and the valiant fight he fought.

dSober

Unfortunately, some of us may. I'm quite sure Robin would hope not but I'm sure he knew others have and more likely will. It's up to us to carry on the fight.

Dee74

I'm not going to argue with you Doug - if you think you've suffered enough to know what he was feeling that's your call.

D

dSober

I don't recall saying that Dee. Scrolling back, I don't see it either. Point is, many addicts have committed suicide and many more likely will. The more that's done to help stop it however, the smaller that number will likely be. Same is true for deeply depressed non-addicts.

Dee74

You used us twice, and I thought you were including yourself in the 'some of us'.

My bad.

Carry on
D

dSober

I couldn't quite get this in under the 15 second gun but...

I believe the most significant thing that's been done to deal with BOTH diseases was the publication of the Big Book in 1939. I also believe that Robin Williams' death has the potential to spur another great leap forward.

dSober

Thanks Dee. Actually, I did though. By "us" I meant we alcoholic and/or depressed people. Sad fact is, some of us will die by our own hands.

FeenixxRising

From what I've read, Robin most recently had homes in San Francisco and Marin County, and neither of those locations is typically considered "wine country". Also, he died in his Marin County home which is not in wine country.

In 2006, Williams went to Hazelden in Oregon, and most recently to Hazelden in Minnesota. Again neither of those locations is considered "wine country".

I'm not sure a postmortem analysis of Robin's addiction and mental health issues is constructive or helpful in any way, especially when that analysis appears to be based on incorrect information. Moreover, we don't really know the exact reason for his suicide. Conjecture doesn't work for me. I prefer to remember Robin for his contributions to comedy and popular culture, and to remember that addiction and mental illness do not discriminate.

dSober

I think we covered this already.

FeenixxRising

But it wasn't covered by me. You started a thread, I responded. If my responses annoy you (and it appears they do), don't start threads. Because after all, one doesn't start a thread so that members don't respond. And if bothers you when your incorrect information is pointed out, you may want do some fact checking before you post.

suki44883

While we share some of the addiction traits and many of us also have suffered depression, I don't think any of us can presume to know what was going on in his mind when he chose to kill himself. We didn't live his life.

He was bi-polar, had addiction problems and battled severe depression nearly his entire life. Some of those things he may have suffered with in childhood. That's a lot to handle, especially being a celebrity pretty much living in a glass bowl.

Whatever he was dealing with that night, I shudder to think. It makes me so sad to think about how low he must have felt at that moment. I just makes me so sad.

Dee74

Anyone and everyone can use the ignore function:

Dee
Moderator
SR