Excuse me, but I don't recall any of the people you mentioned blaming their problems on the prescription drugs they were taking. What I do remember is both Wynonna Ryder and Rush Limbaugh saying that their use of pain medication began with a legitimate need for pain relief following an injury.

Unfortunately, increased tolerance and addiction are just one of the "side effects" of having to use pain medications. I've never heard of anyone who has made a conscious decision to become an addict. People who suffer excruciating pain for an extended period of time, find themselves doing things they would never even consider doing under normal circumstances, just to find some relief. (begging, pleading, crying, "doctor shopping," even using online pharmacies to supplement the measly amounts of pain meds they are lucky enough to be prescribed.)

And I do believe that Rush owned up to his addiction and related behavior and got help.

I'm not defending either of these people - I just don't see how they fall into your category of "it wasn't my fault, it was the drugs."

I read the article about Ozzy to which you refer. If you read the whole story, his problems began when he was prescribed something by his wife's oncologist to help him cope with her illness. His family trusted this doctor, who subsequently prescribed over 13 different medications for Ozzy - much to Ozzy's detriment. The doctor was prescribing medications that were contra-indicated with some of his other meds, and then more meds to combat the side effects of the other meds. (Never a good idea.) When Sharon got better, she and Ozzy took a good look at his situation, and got a second opinion. This new doc, immediately took Ozzy off almost everything, helped him get much, much better, and Ozzy & Sharon fired the "Doctor Feelgood." The message that Ozzy & Sharon conveyed is that they (like so many of us were taught to do) trusted that the doctor knew what he was doing, and blindly followed his advice. Now, they know better. (Gee, I never thought I'd be defending Ozzy Osbourne!)

Here is a link to the complete article: Seattle Times

I sincerely do not want to start a war of words and politics here, but IMHO your political comments are a bit heavy-handed, and somewhat out of place on this board. You have every right to your opinion, but why not take all that animosity and put it to work in changing what you see as such an injustice. I'll bet you'll get a lot more positive reward for your energy.