PLN 1 for Second Semester

Just about everyone I know, and thousands of others I don't have heard about the tragic death of actor Heath Ledger. Though many were so callous as to make jokes about his death like, "he died of a Brokeback," or, "if I had been in Brokeback Mountain, I would have killed myself too," most were heart broken to hear of the Australian actor's death. Source: Feds investigate Heath Ledger's death by CNN.com discusses the cause of Ledger's death. CNN reports that he did due to an accidental overdose of six different types of medication.

This article matters because, though his death was accidental, the fact remains that
Ledger died of a drug overdose. There are so many people out there using multiple types of drugs. Though many of these people are using them for similar reasons to that of Heath Ledger, many more are using them solely for the purpose of getting high. Heath Ledger never meant to overdose, chances are, he was just frustrated and took too many drugs at one time. It was so easy for him to take so many pills that it killed him. Heath Ledger's death was an accident, so how can people who take drugs to hurt themselves not realize what they are doing?

This article relates to me because some of my close relatives use medicated drugs. My family has a history of health problems, so it is only natural that we would take medication. Though all of my family members who use medication use it safely and for its proper purpose, reading stories like Ledger's scare me. It was so easy for him to overdose, so easy to kill himself accidentally. It frightens me to think that it is so easy for people to kill themselves without even meaning to. Heath Ledger's story really opened my eyes to the dangers of medication. Anyone in my family could accidentally overdose, and it could be there name in the headlines.