I Know there are a lot of arguments on this board over why some people would choose to see River in such a fond light, when he did in fact die of a drug overdose. I am a very big fan of River's and I just wanted to add my two cents.
I do think it is his own fault that he died, not the fault of anyone who gave him drugs, he chose to take them of his own freewill making the fault souly his. I however don't mind the fact that e did drugs. I still remember River fondly because I see alot of myself in what he went through and I feel like I can connect with what he protrayed as a person and what we now know he hid.
I have done drugs myself and while I am perfectly aware of the fact that they are terrible and can kill you at any time, I will probably continue to do them on a recreational basis. It is an expression of who he was as a person. I think that all people have pain in their lives that is hard to overcome, and drugs help that. Not because they mask the pain but because they make you feel like you are part of something. He probably felt a flase connection and security with the freinds that engaged in that behavior with him, becuase like the quote says "there is a certain intimacy found only with those who can go all the way". It's an altered state but it's very truthful and telling and I admire him because he seemed to have a big heart and a childlike enthusiasm for life that probably would have amounted to something wonderful to see, had he not died tragically at the age of 23, only one year older then I am now, he had alot of life to live. I would hope that if I made a horrible lack of judgement next year and died while experimenting with finding myself and being young that people would not scorn me and say I was nothing but a drug addict, because I am not. Drugs are a very small part of my life that I would not even count in remarkable things I have done. There is much more to people then the nasty stuff that is easy to pin point. I see myself in his sillyness.

i agree with you jenn..........i myself have tampered with drugs as well and know how they can make you feel.....river probably just needed something to ease off all his tensions.......his death, though, is defintely a shame.........you are right 100%

Hey Jen!

I understand your post completely and what you are saying - but please indulge me one moment to add my 2 cents (as I am sure others will as well )

You mentioned a few times that you are a recreational drug user. River, by far, was no recreational user. He was an addict. An ADDICT. He absolutely could not live without his drug(s). The obvious resons we know this are because of the amount of drugs in his system. No one can ingest so many in a few hours and still be able to function going to a club with family and friends to take even more. His system had been building up a tolerance for quite some time.

If you are a recreational drug user - I wouldn't be doing myself or my career any justice if I didn't try to talk you out of it. Or at the very least, I beg you to be extremely cautious of any drug you use. There are far too many drugs on the market today that will change the chemical make-up of your own bloodstream and CNS, causing your own addiction to a substance whether you want the drug or not. An addict isn't just someone who wants to do drugs (recreationally or otherwise). The addict is the one who cannot live without the sh*t because their body has gotten too dependent on it (them). A couple of examples right off are Meth and Heroin. After "Katrina", my family and I moved to a small country area not far from NOLA, and I have to say the meth problem here nearly outweighs the Crack problem I saw on the streets in NOLA. That being because of the Nitrate tanks that are plentiful in the area - plus a very cheap drug to make. Like Heroin - one hit and your hooked. A hit or two more - you are an addict. No question. Please be careful.

I think it was also Ana who brought up the point that I haven't considered in a while .... and that is that River and those who surrounded him probably kept feeding his addiction because River was cash in the bank. Why go to rehab or try to get clean when taking time off would damage the young stars reputation and then snowball into a bunch of B-Grade movies and small television appearances? Maybe even on a reality show? (cough! cough!). This is EXACTLY the moves that Corey Feldman and Corey Haim made, and as we can also see, the drug use that went public along with the several attempts to get clean has turned them into movie star "has beens". That is extremely sad. Corey Feldman says his downward spiral was not only drugs but a poor family relationship and parents who took all of his earnings. Whether this occured or not - the downward spiral happened IMO because of the drug use.