The opposite of Glee

I have a confession.  I used to hate the Fox TV show Glee.  (Gasp!)  I loved the story lines and thought the actors were great,  but the constant singing drove me nuts.  I never busted out Taylor Swift’s song “Mean” after being bullied in high school.  (Granted Taylor Swift wasn’t even alive back then, but you get my point.) The series grew on me.  I have even downloaded songs from the Glee soundtrack on Itunes.  Still, I would not consider myself a gleek.   I am not mourning Finn Hudson.  I am sad for the family and friends of Cory Monteith.   When I first read about his death I immediately thought about his mother.  Your baby is always your baby, no matter how old they get.  Of course, 31 isn’t old enough.  Monteith had reportedly struggled with drug addiction for years.  I won’t pretend to understand what that is like.  I am afraid to do drugs.  Terrified.  In high school, I was the designated driver while my friends got high every weekend.  My Mom put the fear of Jesus in me at an early age.  She, while puffing on a Marlboro with the car windows up, constantly reminded us, “If you do drugs I will kill you.”

Honestly, it pissed me off when I heard another Hollywood star may have died from a drug overdose.  I have seen first hand what drug addiction can do to a person and their family.  It sucks. It really sucks.   It would seem Cory had it all: money, fame and a beautiful girlfriend.   What more could he need?  Why would he risk it all for a quick high?  I don’t know the answer to that question.  Clearly, he was still battling those demons.  Cory’s friends say he was an incredible person who had a troubled childhood.   His family tried to help him.  He tried to help himself, checking into rehab for the second time in April.

Unlike a lot of celebrities Cory Monteith was very open about his substance abuse problem.  He didn’t think it was cool to take drugs.   In an interview with Parade Magazine he said, “I don’t want kids to think it’s okay to drop out of school and get high, and they’ll be famous actors, too.”   I hope his fans remember that along with his many performances.