I don't have personal experience being addicted to substances so I might not know what I am talking about, but I always wonder how free a person is to make choices with a monkey on his or her back, particularly when there is no recent effective treatment program experience under the person's belt.
To me, the point of choice that comes closet to being free might be the initial decision to use a substance, which is why I hope we continue to educate, educate, educate, and to help those most vulnerable to needing a chemical crutch find healthier ways to cope.
The choice, imo, is whether or not to seek treatment. I don't follow enough celebrity news/gossip to know if Whitney ever sought treatment or not.
Deep down addicts know they have a problem, whether they are ready to admit it and do something about it or not, they know. The lack of choice occurs after picking up the first drink, or after starting using the substance of their addiction. An addict has no control once under the influence. They do have a choice when they choose to become intoxicated with that first drink, or that first pill popped, joint smoked, or something shot up. Does that make sense?
I also think succesful recovery has to do with how much support the person receiving treatment, or in recovery has. I do imagine for celebs, it would be very hard, but not impossible, to remove themself from the situations leading to their need to use. Not an excuse, but I can imagine the lure of being a celebrity as a type of addiction as well.
I really hoped she would have dropped out of sight, dropped out of the scene for a long time and only come back after she was in full recovery. Even if she dropped out of sight for a decade, she would have been able to make a full comeback. Sadly, she, like many, lost the battle of addiction- regardless of COD, imo.