Response to Travis McCoy’s Blog: Baby, You’re Amazing

So this morning I read this post in Travis McCoy’s public blog on the internet.

And though he’ll never read this blog or see it, I wanted to wish him so much good will in this endeavor and salute him for what he’s doing for himself. More than that, I’m amazed and proud that he’s talking about his issues openly and intimately like this.

A lot of celebrities hide from their issues…or at least hide their issues from the public. And that’s FINE, that’s their choice. My only problem is when celebrities completely deny they have problems, there’s a difference between refusing to talk about something because it’s a private matter and flat out saying “I don’t have a problem.” But when someone like Travis openly posts a blog saying “Yes, I have been fucked up. Yes, I am getting clean. I’m scared and at the same time I feel better every day,” it really does something big. It opens up that it’s okay to be fucked up and it’s okay to get help.

It’s part of why, no matter how much Pete Wentz might make me roll my eyes sometimes, I respect him for openly discussing his mental illness and his overdose incident. Because when he does, he encourages people to get help. He doesn’t glorify these problems, he doesn’t brag about them And you might think that sounds ridiculous, but I’ve seen other writers (and Pete above everything for me is a writer and businessman) glorify depression and dependency on alcohol and drugs. For a long time I thought that, to be a real writer, I had to do the same thing. I think a lot of young writers are exposed to that sort of ideal and think that they have to have an addiction or a problem in order to be effective, and if they get help, they’re not going to be REAL anymore. Or maybe that’s just me and my issues with being the most self-conscious bitch on the planet. Who knows?

Not saying that recreational usage of alcohol is a bad thing. That’s your call. Hell, I still drink on a semi-regular basis. As for recreational drugs? I know people who use weed and ‘shrooms in controlled amounts. It’s their call, their choice, their party. I just choose not to attend. I don’t excuse harder drug use, because there’s a point where you can’t stop. But that’s another rant entirely.

The point is, I know how much seeing other talk about their issues can help people. I know how being told you’re not alone in that situation can make the weight on your shoulders a little lighter. And I also know how SHARING THAT with people can do the same thing. You’ve come clean, you’ve told people “this is my problem.” And the thing about celebrities is they’re just like us. So maybe what they want to see is other people saying “Yeah, I’ve been there. It’s cool. You’ll get through it. We’re here for you.”

And Travis? Thanks for this little line:

So, yeah. Thanks, Travie. You really are a big deal.