Remembering Cory...

Glee ran their tribute episode to Cory Monteith called "The Quarterback", and I just thought that I would also look say a few words about Cory and his character on Glee "Finn", as well as wading into the topic of addiction. Now I don't pretend to have any type of degree pertained to that, but I think its important to talk about.

Cory's character, Finn Hudson, was a natural leader on Glee. He truly was "The Quarterback" in ever sense, and even beyond football. He evolved as a character and showed tremendous tolerance, especially with Kurt, as they eventually became step-brothers. Finn was the leading point of Glee next to Lea Michele's Rachel. He even directed New Directions towards the latter half of last season, and looked to have a future as a teacher. His character may have been written a little rough around the edges, but all in all, he was a solid leading man.

But just beyond Glee, we lost a great talent. Cory had a solid voice with a lot of talent.

(Its hard to select just 1 performance of his, so I found this compilation)

More importantly, you can tell that a lot of people cared about him, just from seeing the raw emotion in the tribute episode. Whether it was during Naya Rivera (Santana's) outburst at Coach/Principal Sue (Jane Lynch), the scenes between Kurt's dad and Finn's mom, or the final scene with Mr. Schue and Finn's jacket. You could sense the real emotion there. You could also feel it during the performances.

and especially with Lea's performance.

Getting at the bigger issue (and again, I'll point out that I'm nowhere near certified to go in depth on this), but addiction is a real disease/disorder, just as much as depression and panic disorder. While people may write it off that he "made the choice", to those with addiction, it isn't that easy. They feel a need of dependence, whether its alcohol, prescription drugs, etc. To simply write it off as a "choice" won't help us combat addiction. In order to deal with it as a society, we have to acknowledge it, and help those conflicted by it. We need to be there to support them, not chastise them or write them off. It can be tough, but it can be done. As the ending PSA the Glee cast did said immediately following the episode, even the most happy person you know could be dealing with addiction in the shadows. Addiction doesn't know happiness or love, fame or fortune, it has no prejudice and can strike anyone regardless. The important thing is to get help.

If you or a loved one needs help, call 1-800-662-HELP, or go to www.findtreatment.samhsa.gov