I must admit, and I am a little ashamed of it now, that I had a few chuckles at Charlie Sheen’s expense a little while ago when some of his rants were published. Vatican Assassins, F-18 and such.
I am not laughing anymore because this isn’t funny.
The pictures above (via Drudge) are from a web cam video Charlie did tonight after news of his formal firing aired earlier this evening. This is a man in deep deep trouble and in desperate need of our prayers and help.
There is a really troubling article in the New York Times today about the coterie of enablers that have surrounded Sheen for years and have done nothing to help. They have done nothing for one simple reason. Money. Long-time recovering addict Tom Arnold tells it this way.
“I went to a person close to him and said, ‘This guy is in serious trouble with serious drugs. We’ve got to help him,’ ” Mr. Arnold recalled in an interview. “And this person flat-out told me to my face, ‘We make a lot of money from him. I can’t be part of it.’ That tells you everything you need to know.”
Wow. What an indictment of everything. The culture, the industry, you name it.
This is a man in serious trouble and who is going to die unless someone can help him .
When I made those jokes two weeks ago, I thought it was simply the rant of a man on drugs. That doesn’t excuse it, but I had no idea the trouble he is in. I probably still don’t understand fully now, but I know it’s bad.
A while ago, when Britney Spears was going through something similar, comedian Dennis Miller remarked that he no longer does Britney Spears jokes because he doesn’t want to be the last comedian to joke about her before she dies.
Fortunately Britney did not die and I pray that Charlie Sheen will not either. But I can say one thing, it is no laughing matter.
March 8, 2011 at 11:32 pm
Anonymous,
Sheen hurts a lot of people, the people that produced and worked on his show which is now cancelled, his wife who at one time loved him and his own children who are deprived of a sane and safe father. They will never know that type of father only a 'recovering addict' father who will still be focused on himself and nobody else.
Diabetes is a disorder of the body, many people get this disease because its genetic, they don't hang out at street corners or send a flunky to go pay a dealer for more DNA material to make them more addicted.
To put those 2 together in the same sentence is not even sane; perhaps its not tobacco cigarettes you are addicted.
March 8, 2011 at 11:34 pm
Winston Churchill may have drank a bottle a day, Sheen looks like he drinks a bottle an hour.
March 8, 2011 at 11:52 pm
I think you should all check out Fr John Hogan's blog (http://www.fatherdirector.blogspot.com/)
– he's talking about Charlie Sheen too, but offering a practical solution. Instead of praying to St Jude he suggests praying to Charlie's patron saint – St Genesius. Fr Hogan leads an association in the Church which is dedicated to praying for and supporting those in the arts whose lives are out of control. I joined and am praying for Charlie – I think others should too. Matt and Pat, perhaps you might do an article on Father for CMR and his work – it's not widely known on the net, and yet they have something good to offer.
March 8, 2011 at 11:56 pm
Let us do a thought experiment:
Imagine that we banned insulin tomorrow.
Then all of a sudden, you would have a huge group of people who needed a substance who was now illegal.
Within a week, everyone who needed diabetes would have to spend most of their time trying to get insulin illegaly.
An illegal marked would develop overnight, prices would sky-rocket and people would have to steal and rob to get their fix, instead of bying it gently on prescription at the drug-store.
Add to that the condemnation and stigmata of society, and within a couple of months you would have an entire group of patients in jail or in risk of being jailed because they had to get their meds illegally.
And by the way, I do not smoke dope, and luckily I get my sleeping-piills from my doctor. And marlboro is luckily not illegal.
Had they been, same story with them.
And because I get my meds from my doctor, and can buy them legally at the pharmacy, I do not have to buy them on street-corners and can spend my days online, and not on the streets.
All because society for some reason accepts that my condition needs a certain form of pills, while they do not accept that other conditions need other pills.
Lucky for me, sad sad sad for all those who are dependent on substances that their doctors cannot prescribe for them.
And before you all go screaming "But you did not commit a crime to get addicted to insulin! That is different!"
No it is not different. If you need a substance of some kind, you need it.
No matter what the circumstances that led to the original dependancy.
March 9, 2011 at 12:22 am
Or I could simply rephrase it in way that might sound familliar to you:
Judge not, lest you yourself be JUDGED.
Though luck, ha, people?
You`ve certainly met the really, really, really wrong guy,
to condemn others in front of.
G.
March 9, 2011 at 12:53 am
Hi, Charlie. When did you start reading CMR?
March 9, 2011 at 6:35 am
It is always easy to sit and watch and judge, but only God can judge. Addiction is a mighty foe. It does not discriminate. It takes the best of the human race and allows that person to do things they would never do without the drug. It destroys families and leaves behind loved ones to wonder why. Pray for Charlie, offer compassion. If you lived through this, you'd be much more understanding. God Bless.
March 9, 2011 at 1:12 pm
@anonymous 3/8 6:56
The difference is that with Sheen it was an acquired dependency, one he conscientiously and intentionally created, whereas with the Type I diabetic it is imposed against his will.
Another difference is that with insulin, deprivation leads to death. Insulin regulates metabolism and physiology and disturbances in its function kills. With Sheen and those in his situation, deprivation leads to pain and anguish, but not usually death.
Another difference is that insulin is made by the body for the body's health. Drugs are introduced to the body by choice and are unnecessary for health until dependency is reached. At that point, the effects of the drug are detrimental to the body even if deprivation is also detrimental.
All that being said, it is clear that Sheen needs prayers, more than most of the rest of us do. And that is not judgmental. It would be far worse for us, in the name of not judging him, to say he doesn't need special prayers and thus withhold them. The guy is clearly messed up. And it is pathetic. He has a long road back, both physiologically and spiritually. And that is "knowing them by their fruit."
March 9, 2011 at 5:41 pm
Anonymous et al.
Great posts. Is Mr. Sheen the last honest man? Being a truly filthy rich American he has achieved 'greatness' in our culture of death. He wears it well; the emptiness, the violence the desperation. Is he possessed? Certainly by his own ego and intemperance for sure. His crash is a exciting as NASCAR for many of us. Can we relate to him? I can, and it has prompted in me to seek a good confession.
May Jesus enter his heart and bring him home!
March 9, 2011 at 7:33 pm
OK. hands up now – how many of you are praying for Charlie? If not – why not?
Do it. Right now. What a victory!
While he may have addictions, I think his issue is that he is having a manic episode. When he says he's high on "Charlie Sheen" it
s true. His brain's in uber drive man. I've seen it before. He needs meds (Lithium, Respiridol, whatever) to get him back down to earth before someone dies. (Many going through this are actually self-medicating with alcohol in order to SLOW themselves down.)
Meanwhile – he's opened himself up to other demons and he needs our help and prayers.
If he was your brother would you pray and beg and sacrifice for him? WOULD YOU? I'll bet you would.
Well – he IS your brother.
Word.
March 10, 2011 at 4:49 am
Dutchman,
Your politics betray a very small mind.
March 10, 2011 at 2:32 pm
I think it's horrible the way some misguilded libertarian types are making him out to be some kind of hero because of the way he lashes out at things they preceive to be sacred cows. Charile Sheen is mentally ill. Anybody who has had a friend or family member who was mentally ill would recognize the symptoms and signs that Charile exhibits. The media, instead out giving Sheen a platform for his lunacy, ought to be pleading with him to get help, and if nessasary twisting his arm to force him to get help. But no, they're just exploiting the tragedy for their stinking ratings. That says a lot about the entertainment business and the news media in this country, doesn't it?!