Sex, Drugs, Rock & Roll Never Hurt Anyone?

Everyone has been to a cool club or bar and enjoyed themselves through an all-nighter, doing the walk of shame in the morning (or more likely, the morning after that one), feeling wrong yet laughing at the legendary evening before, stories to tell those who missed out. If not, everyone's seen the glamour that surrounds Hollywood and its celebrities that make it up. The media are always telling us how wasted Amy Winehouse is (whilst celebrating her as a musical genius). Nothing sells more copies of Heat than the drugs and sex scandals of Paris, Britney, Lohan and co. The Daily Mail doesn't stop with it's 'reports' of cocaine being the new wine of the Middle Classes - the dinner parties replaced by grams of the white stuff.

I saw a programme recently that really made me look at the party lifestyle in a completely different light. Wherever you stand on the position of drugs, these links will, I think, be interesting: If you're vehemently against them it'll support your arguement; if you're a caner and wish you could stop but can't find it in you to stop purely for your health, you might find a reason to stop here. If you're out on it every weekend and have a healthy coke habit that you enjoy and you don't wish to stop then thats your choice too.

Don't misunderstand me - I am not standing at the pulpit of the reformed, preaching to you as if you were Zammo - we are all adults here - I was just surprised to learn of the massive economic, social, and environmental impact drugs (especially coke as its presence in London seems very normal) have on the countries that supply the celebrities and wannabes in the clubs and bars of the popular and cool. Don't get me wrong, I'm not naiive either - I know drugs are bad but it's the same with anything - it's easier not to think of the bigger ramifications of your actions - to imagine all people involved in drugs are therefore criminals so of course there are gonna be guns, violence, death - half the Hollywood movies have all of the above in them.

When something affects you, I think it's worth a mention, if only because I enjoy writing as a way to work through things in my own head. Without judgement I bring these links to you:


Panorama - Cocaine and Alex James on youtube:
Part One:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-DRoWlN3Og
Part Two:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTlgTHWxbiA&feature=related
Part Three:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-TFVi-xpzQ&feature=related

Transcript of the above Panorama programme with Alex James: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/panorama/6032165.stm

The environmental damage of coke in pictures:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/gallery/2008/may/21/endangeredhabitats.forests?picture=334279809

Antonio Maria Costa - Why Europe is killing Africa with its drug use:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/mar/09/drugstrade.unitednations

Your cocaine habit is destroying my country - by Vice President of Columbia: Francisco Santos Caldern
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20061103/ai_n16824571

Dame Helen Mirren gave up coke because of it's links to a former Nazi drugs baron:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2008/sep/01/drugsandalcohol.drugstrade
and a writer's response:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2008/sep/03/drugsandalcohol.drugstrade1