What is Alcoholics Anonymous Saying About the Johnny Depp Verdict?
Several years ago, I had a three and half year relationship with an alcoholic. It was my first and last time of being involved with someone who has a substance abuse problem.
He was charming, sexy, intelligent, a good listener, helpful, a good cook, and a handyman — everything a woman could possibly want. I was in love. And soon, I was deeply in love.
Then one day, about three months into the relationship, I came home after shopping at Wal*Mart, and there he was. So bloody drunk. I had never witnessed his drunk side before. It was a jaw-dropping moment.
When I left to go shopping, he was in the middle of creating a beautiful mural on my dining room table. Yes, he was also a talented artist. Muscle bound and soft spoken, he was the “Johnny Depp” of my life.
Now, here he was, covered in sweat and vomit, slurring his speech, and stumbling over the multiple cans of paint that populated my dining room floor.
“Babe, I’m soooo sorry,” he slurred, as he attempted to hug me. I backed away.
“I never told you . . . I used to be an alcoholic . . . but I actually HATE alcohol, and I swear to God this will never, never , ever happen again.”
I stared at him in shock and disbelief. And then I made a painful decision.
“I’m leaving now,” I told him. “I’m going to get a hotel room for the evening.”
He nodded, and stumbled, while drool dripped out of the corners of his mouth.
“And when I come back tomorrow, I expect my house to be clean.”
Paint had splashed up all over the sides of my white upright piano. I had no idea the extent of the damage.
Needless to say, this scenario continued with weekly frequency over the next three and half years.
Each time he got drunk, he SWORE that it would never happen again. I believed him. He was very convincing. I wanted to believe him. After all, I was in love.
But the longer it went on, the less I believed him.
Instead of apologies, there were moments when I was pinned to the bed. Or slapped. Or the time he put out a cigarette on my hand. The scar is still there to always remind me of the 3 and 1/2 years I spent connected to an alcoholic.
I started to read about the personality switch that can happen with alcoholics. I had never been exposed to an alcoholic before.
In an article titled “Alcohol, Violence, and Aggression,” the authors wrote,
“Based on published studies, Roizen (3) summarized the percentages of violent offenders who were drinking at the time of the offense as follows: up to 86 percent of homicide offenders, 37 percent of assault offenders, 60 percent of sexual offenders, up to 57 percent of men and 27 percent of women involved in marital violence, and 13 percent of child abusers. These figures are the upper limits of a wide range of estimates. In a community-based study, Pernanen (4) found that 42 percent of violent crimes reported to the police involved alcohol, although 51 percent of the victims interviewed believed that their assailants had been drinking.”
It was like being involved with two men at the same time — the Raven who was sexy, intelligent, made me laugh frequently, and was extremely helpful. Then there was that other guy who appeared and left marks on my face and bruises on my body. I would look in the mirror and cry as the apologies would begin again. And again. “Babe, I’m sooo sorry! I swear to God I’ll never drink again! I really mean it!”
And then there was that final day when he showed up at my door with an apology, and tears, and a big, beautiful bouquet of flowers. I looked at him tearfully and slowly closed the door.
**********
Do I believe Amber Heard? Yes, I believe Amber Heard with all of my heart.
“Let’s burn Amber. Let’s drown her before we burn her. I will fuck her burnt corpse afterwards to make sure she’s dead.”
These are not the words of a gentleman by any means.
These are the words of Johnny Depp, a known alcoholic and drug addict.
Alcoholics are known for switching personalities when they are under the influence of drugs and alcohol. Did such violent words evolve into violent deeds?
Most certainly.
The distasteful trial reminded me of when O.J. Simpson also claimed that that his ex-wife was the abuser and had been the one to physically abuse him.
Luckily for Amber, she was smart enough to leave the marriage and obtain a restraining order before the violence could evolve into murder.
So, why did the public not believe her?
The public’s opinions, as they watched the trial, simply reminded me how few people in the United States have been trained in critical thinking skills. They simply did not LIKE Amber Heard. It was a popularity contest. There is something so obnoxious about a beautiful young blonde who comes across as arrogant and entitled. We all hated her, didn’t we? She sat there, rolling her eyes and casually chomping on candies while twirling her hair. She huffed. She faked tears. Even her smile was obnoxious.
But lying? No, she wasn’t lying. Maybe sometimes exaggerating. But not lying.
She just came across as a spoiled bitch, and Johnny, “the victim,” sat there chuckling. And we all chuckled with him.
I’ve seen horrifying photos of the days when African Americans were publicly lynched, while crowds of people stood by watching and having a party.
The Johnny Depp/Amber Heard trial once again shows that public mentality lacks critical thinking and in-depth analysis. I’m sure if Johnny Depp decided to carry out his fantasies of burning and drowning Amber Heard, a large crowd would show up to cheer him on.
Go ahead, Johnny. Sue me for defamation.
******
P.S. — As the days have passed since the trial was decided, more and more media outlets on YouTube have come forward to “prove” what a liar Amber Heard is. It seems that anyone who takes her part is certainly not going to win a popularity contest at this point.
I dare to stand alone, and not go along with the media frenzy and the “Rah, Rah, Johnny crowd.” I’ll stand with the unpopular woman, even if she is arrogant and an exaggerator.
I believe you, Amber, even though you are a strange and arrogant woman who did lie about some things. Sure, you said you were paying $7 million to the ACLU. I believe you THOUGHT you were going to do that, but then you needed that $7 million to defend yourself. Your intentions were there, but you spoke too soon. That is my conclusion.
Actually, I see no relationship between “lying” about giving money to the ACLU and whether or not your ex-husband tortured you mentally, emotionally, and/or physically. One statement does not cancel out the other.
In other words, even if Amber Heard DID 100% lie about paying millions to the ACLU, that doesn’t mean that she didn’t suffer any kind of emotional, verbal, physical, or psychological abuse from Johnny Depp. Stringing those two things together seems ludicrous to me.
What if Amber Heard is telling the truth? WHAT IF?
I believe time will tell in the long run. Remember what happened to O.J.? He was found “not guilty.” But his despicable nature continued, and then he ended up in jail anyway.
Here’s my final thoughts.
A man down on his luck (Johnny Depp) got involved with a beautiful blonde woman who has a toxic side (Amber Heard). Together, the two of them brought out the worst in each other. They did and said terrible things to each other during their intimate, toxic relationship. His drinking was a big, big problem. As he aged, the drinking and drug problem became more severe. Depression set in with Johnny Depp. Amber Heard, obnoxious, arrogant, and toxic, brought out the worst in Johnny Depp. She slapped him. In a violent rage, he slapped her back. The toxicity continued to the point of no return.
Courts are frequently used by powerful people with results in their favor. But this does not mean that courts are just. Evidence can be hidden. Jurors can be stupid and biased.
As Johnny Depp sat in the courtroom chuckling and openly mocking Amber Heard, he realized that he had the upper hand.
All of his ex’s who testified to his wonderful, non-violent, gentle character were from long ago — decades before Johnny Depp was facing a downward degenerating career, aging, a serious drinking problem, and a relationship with a toxic, beautiful blonde who brought out the worst in him.
Watching him smash up his kitchen in a violent, drunken rage affirms where I stand. This violent behavior on the part of Johnny Depp will show up again in the future, I predict, and then the truth will be known, just like it finally was with O.J.
“A tiger cannot change its stripes.”