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This is part of Wayne’s genius: He rides free-associative waves, pushes tangents to surrealist extremes, and the results are exhilaratingly odd: gangsta dada. This might have to do with all the codeine cough syrup he drinks. “It’s a narcotic high. It’s like he’s taking a little bit of heroin,” says Dr. Cynthia Kuhn, professor of pharmacology at Duke University Medical Center and coauthor of the drug taxonomy Buzzed. “You can get an other­worldly feeling, and you can feel less constrained by your usual thought patterns."

-Blender Magazine, July 2008

Much ado has been made on Lil Wayne's not-so-secret crush on codeine and chaser. Some attribute the young superstar's success to it. Others rebuke his ways as a negative influence on kids and those who admire him. What I want to know is why everyone is making such a big deal?

Vice's are a part of life. We all have them. From food, to various legal and illegal drugs, to shopping, to sex, to control - you may not think you have one; or you may think that yours is not hurting anyone but yourself. But I think these sort of views are short-sighted. What separates a cocaine addict - who manages his habit, goes to work every day on time, but overspends his income on drugs and partying, thus alienating his less adventurous friends and his family - from a glutton - who spends most of her time concealing her eating habit and overspends her income on food as it has become her primary source of entertainment; and she too has alienated her family and friends for the comfort of her food and couch?

Some would suggest the potential to cause harm to others. But I would disagree. The costs of one's vice is the same for all: if it is not managed, it can destroy your life. Now, managed is a loaded word as "managed" for some may not be "managed" for others, but the point still stands. Just as there are costs for jailing an illegal drug abuser and/or rehabilitating him, there are added healthcare costs for the diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart problems associated with obesity.

My question to you is, what is your vice? Is it managed? If you're like me, your vice is managed most of the time. But that other 2% could be the time that ruins my life. In other words, does Lil Wayne have a problem? I'm sure he has more than one. But it's no bigger than yours. His is just on camera.