# Amy Winehouse is dead **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 23, 2011, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amy-winehouse-is-dead/590088 "2011-07-23T16:41:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 10
**Author:** ![Boo\_Boo\_Foo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@Boo\_Boo\_Foo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boo_Boo_Foo)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2011, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amy-winehouse-is-dead/590088/182 "2011-07-28T20:52:35Z")
> [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](#): > > **BooB oo Foo’s** opinion is also not supported by science. As addiction research and mental health research is progressing the medical community is developing a better understanding of the pathological compulsion that makes some people prone to addiction. Heh Heh Heh… but… but… but… your post is your cite! [QUOTE=DianaG] Boo Boo Foo, how do you feel about depression? Last I checked it’s not viral, bacterial, or cancerously mutated. [/QUOTE] Strawman # 1. [QUOTE=Living Well Is Best Revenge] I guess diabetes isn’t a “disease” either. [/QUOTE] Strawman # 2. [QUOTE=Living Well Is Best Revenge] @Boo Boo Foo, there are addictions where going cold turkey can kill you. Alcohol, for instance. [/QUOTE] Bullshit. I challenge you or anyone to provide one empirical fact which proves this. Note: Opinion disguised as fact doesn’t cut it. [QUOTE=Swallowed My Cellphone] Boo seems to think the disease is only because “withdrawl sucks”, but that is only physical dependence. What he is failing to acknowledge is the genetic predisposition some people have to psychological dependence — which is the reason they get physically addicted in the first place. Basically, it’s the same type of mechanism related to gambling addictions, cutting, and hoarding — compulsions that have no physically addictive properties and can’t be remedied by cold turkey. [/QUOTE] Strawman # 3: I did not, at any time, express a view on why certain persons have a prediliction to substance abuse. Quite disingenuously, you are arguing that position on my behalf. [QUOTE=Swallowed My Cellphone] A significant contributing factor to Winehouse’s addiction is **that she was bipolar** (refused treatment and medication) and there is a very strong link between bipolar disorder and substance abuse. Until more recently it’s been primarily believed to be linked to “self-medicating” but given that bipolar disorder and OCD are often co-morbid, there is newer speculation that there may be more to it than that. [/QUOTE] A diagnosis of ‘bipolar’ is an opinion, an opinion that you are repeating, seemingly, because it serves your position well at this time. An opinion is not fact, and given that you never met Winehouse, it’s an opinion which can neither be substantiated nor confirmed by any of us here personally, and it’s an opinion you’re propagating because it serves your particular projection on the subject. **“A very strong link”** again is not a fact, merely yet another opinion, as evidenced by your final comment that there is **“newer speculation”**. In closing, let us concern ourselves with the facts… a young woman, aged 27 died last Saturday. At this point in time, the official post mortem verdict is that the cause of death remains undetermined. A toxicology forensic report is being drawn up. Deliberately mixing the words “science” with “newer speculation”, informed opinion, and “strong links” merely confirms that you would like to think that your position is empirical science - but it’s not - it’s speculation and conjecture, and in the absence of empirical facts, opinion is often confused with fact. Now, to be fair, you have a position on addiction (the generic you who disagree with my view on cold turkey) and I have a position. Arguing about opinions on the internet is a waste of time, and I doubt any of us are going to change our opinions if we do so. However, I take pride in being able to stand corrected when confronted with inarguable empirical fact, and I invite anyone here who disagrees with my position to provide same. But be warned: if all you come up with is yet more opinion and speculation disguised as fact, it won’t sway me. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2011, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amy-winehouse-is-dead/590088/183 "2011-07-28T21:01:22Z")
Great Debates would be a better place for this addiction discussion. I suggest someone start a thread there. ---
**Author:** ![Boo\_Boo\_Foo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@Boo\_Boo\_Foo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boo_Boo_Foo)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2011, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amy-winehouse-is-dead/590088/184 "2011-07-28T21:23:08Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > Great Debates would be a better place for this addiction discussion. I suggest someone start a thread there. I agree. However, in the narrow context of Amy Winehouse, I’d like to make an observation about the assertion that she was “supposedly” bipolar. I did a Google search on “Winehouse” + “bipolar” and 2.6 million hits came up. I then indexed them chronologically. I could not find a hit anywhere prior to her death where she publicly announced at any time while she was alive, that she had been officially diagnosed as bipolar. There was plenty of speculation however. Further and perhaps more tellingly, not once anywhere on her Wikipedia page, is the word “bipolar” ever mentioned. Seemingly, it is a diagnosis which has occurred after her death, and is now being propagated as fact by those who wish to project a certain position. ---
**Author:** ![Boo\_Boo\_Foo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@Boo\_Boo\_Foo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boo_Boo_Foo)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2011, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amy-winehouse-is-dead/590088/185 "2011-07-28T21:38:38Z")
Upon further reading of Amy Winehouse’s Wikipedia page, I need to correct my earlier post. It appears that once, and once only in early 2006 Winehouse stated that she “feared” she was a manic depressive, but that she was NOT an alcoholic, which she immediately followed with an observation that her comment “sounded like an alcoholic in denial”. From what I have found thus far, this appears to be her only reference to manic depression, and for mine, it does not indicate a formal diagnosis by a respected psychologist. To be fair, given that it was her words, that’s enough grey for me to concede she probably had mental health problems - but we don’t know and won’t know which came first, the drug abuse or the mental health issues. I maintain that will always be a source of open ended speculation and conjecture. ---
**Author:** ![MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MPB_in_Salt_Lake)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2011, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amy-winehouse-is-dead/590088/186 "2011-08-23T16:03:06Z")
> [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](#): > > Yeah, I don’t want to hijack this and turn it into an ecstasy tutorial, but I was under the impression that X is generally pretty safe, as far as street drugs go, at least when it comes to the prospect of taking it and then suddenly keeling over dead is concerned. > > ## The main danger of using ecstasy that is now being trumpeted seems to be chiefly the potential of messing up your neurochemistry with prolonged, long term use of the drug. > > I know next to nothing about Amy Winehouse or her music, but even I know that by all accounts she was a truly hardcore druggie, so I would imagine that her toxicology report is going to read like a police evidence log taken at a 3-day Music Festival featuring Phish, Snoop Dogg and Willie Nelson. It seems that the toxicology reports are back, and there were NO traces of illegal drugs found in Amy Winehouse’s body, though apparently she had been drinking before her death, but it’s not known whether or not alcohol was a factor in her passing. I was wrong for assuming that she was an OD. ---
**Author:** ![nikonikosuru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5f8ce5/32.png) [@nikonikosuru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nikonikosuru)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2011, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amy-winehouse-is-dead/590088/187 "2011-08-23T18:27:24Z")
> [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](#): > > It seems that the toxicology reports are back, and there were NO traces of illegal drugs found in Amy Winehouse’s body, though apparently she had been drinking before her death, but it’s not known whether or not alcohol was a factor in her passing. > > I was wrong for assuming that she was an OD. Gotta say, as others have pointed out on different sites, there were no \*illegal \*substances. Sounds like clever wording. Doesn’t cover any legal substances, i.e. prescription pills. Not automatically saying she did, but just pointing it out. ---
**Author:** ![MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MPB_in_Salt_Lake)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2011, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amy-winehouse-is-dead/590088/188 "2011-08-23T18:53:42Z")
> [@nikonikosuru](#): > > Gotta say, as others have pointed out on different sites, there were no \*illegal \*substances. Sounds like clever wording. Doesn’t cover any legal substances, i.e. prescription pills. Not automatically saying she did, but just pointing it out. That’s a good point, and something that never even occurred to me. Someone like Amy Winehouse could have (if so desired) access to just about any Rx drug known to man, thru legitimate means or otherwise… ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2011, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amy-winehouse-is-dead/590088/189 "2011-08-23T19:30:27Z")
They did say there was alcohol in her. Mix that with the right prescriptions and you get a dead pop star. The inquest isn’t until Oct? Wonder why they are waiting so long. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2011, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amy-winehouse-is-dead/590088/190 "2011-08-24T04:15:33Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > They did say there was alcohol in her. Mix that with the right prescriptions and you get a dead pop star. Especially when you add in all the damage done to her body by her previous binges, and she had been majorly f-d up in Prague earlier in the month. She seems pretty altered in the [Dionne Bromfield video](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8suk3VUM0M) a few days before her death (and Dionne seems to have a “Please don’t put me in tomorrow’s headlines Aunt Amy” look of concern). ---
**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2011, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amy-winehouse-is-dead/590088/191 "2011-08-25T02:34:30Z")
It took the media forever to finally say the “A” word. Apparently, it was alcohol…but no one’s saying how much. They keepo saying “no illegal drugs were found”. Duuh, so c’mon now! We’re all adults here! Naturally, it was some form of legal drug! Why the big secret? Like her fans would think any less of her, or her non-fans would think any more of her??? ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2019, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amy-winehouse-is-dead/590088/192 "2019-03-02T03:52:29Z")
Updating this thread: Great News for her fans: she may be coming back on tour (although project is temporarily on hold)! > **[The strange truth behind the Amy Winehouse hologram tour](https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/article/amy-winehouse-hologram-tour)** > > A digital revival of Amy Winehouse promises to bring the iconic singer back to the stage, but not everything is running smoothly... Anything to make a buck. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2019, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amy-winehouse-is-dead/590088/193 "2019-03-02T04:02:07Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > Updating this thread: > Great News for her fans: she may be coming back on tour (although project is temporarily on hold)! > [Amy Winehouse hologram tour: The strange truth behind her digital resurrection | British GQ | British GQ](https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/article/amy-winehouse-hologram-tour) > > Anything to make a buck. I believe I heard the same about Roy Orbison. ---
**Author:** ![SuperAbe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f17d59/32.png) [@SuperAbe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuperAbe)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2019, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amy-winehouse-is-dead/590088/194 "2019-03-02T05:04:06Z")
> [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](#): > > @ **Boo Boo Foo** , there are addictions where going cold turkey can kill you. Alcohol, for instance. > [@Boo\_Boo\_Foo](#): > > Bullshit. I challenge you or anyone to provide one empirical fact which proves this. Note: Opinion disguised as fact doesn’t cut it. (I fully realize this is a discussion from nearly 8 years ago and that **Boo Boo Foo** hasn’t been on the board since October 2017, but this particular… misunderstanding…needs to be corrected). Alcohol withdrawal can and will kill you. Period. This is not a matter of opinion - this is a medical fact. Nor is this new: acute withdrawal fatalities has been identified for hundreds of years - here’s a [National Institutes of Health report from 1998](https://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/arh22-1/61-66.pdf) on the physical dangers of acute alcohol withdrawal: the first sentence is _“Disease processes or events that accompany acute alcohol withdrawal (AW) can cause significant illness and death.”_ Wikipedia even has a [pretty decent overview of the process](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcohol_withdrawal_syndrome). Don’t like Wikipedia? Here’s a 2018 USA Today piece on the hundreds of fatal AW cases each year. Or a commentary from an [American Nursing Journal about managing symptoms to prevent death](https://www.americannursetoday.com/understanding-and-managing-alcohol-withdrawal-syndrome/). Or a [law enforcement officer commentary about how to keep prisoners from dying](https://www.officer.com/tactical/ems-hazmat/article/10984222/incustody-acute-alcohol-withdrawal). Or an entry from the [Merck Medical Manual](https://www.merckmanuals.com/professional/special-subjects/recreational-drugs-and-intoxicants/alcohol-toxicity-and-withdrawal). One can have a (mostly) reasonable discussion about the levels of physical vs psychological dependence in many forms of withdrawal. Alcohol is not one of those: AW can kill you. Full stop. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2019, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amy-winehouse-is-dead/590088/195 "2019-03-02T18:24:04Z")
Amy Winehouse is still dead? Next you’ll be telling me Roy Orbison and Ivor Novello are still dead, too. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2019, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amy-winehouse-is-dead/590088/196 "2019-03-02T19:09:43Z")
Quite the appropriate zombie thread (like you weren’t thinking it?) ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2019, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amy-winehouse-is-dead/590088/197 "2019-03-02T20:22:19Z")
A perserved in alcohol zombie. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2019, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amy-winehouse-is-dead/590088/198 "2019-03-02T20:33:52Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > Amy Winehouse is still dead? > > Next you’ll be telling me Roy Orbison and Ivor Novello are still dead, too. Heard anything lately on Generalísimo Francisco Franco? ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2019, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amy-winehouse-is-dead/590088/199 "2019-03-02T20:59:08Z")
I hear he’s not feeling at all well. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2019, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amy-winehouse-is-dead/590088/200 "2019-03-02T21:38:20Z")
Back to the subject of the bump, the “holograms” referred to are a singularly unimpressive technology: It’s basically just projection onto a screen, except the screen is partly transparent so it’s not noticeable except where the projection is. ---
**Author:** ![Sefton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Sefton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sefton)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2019, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amy-winehouse-is-dead/590088/201 "2019-03-02T22:55:41Z")
What? Still? Alert me if there’s any change in her condition. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amy-winehouse-is-dead/590088.md?page=9) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amy-winehouse-is-dead/590088.md?page=11)