David Hasselhoff's alcoholism is no laughing matter

By now just about anyone with a TV or access to a computer has seen the infamous video of David Hasselhoff -- aka The Hoff -- lying on the floor shirtless, drunk and slurring. The former star of Knight Rider and Baywatch, and current Youtube favorite for his hilarious music videos, was filmed by his teenage daughter in a physical and mental state that was anything but hilarious.

Apparently Hasselhoff is a recovering alcoholic and in the video it definitely looks like he has fallen way off the wagon. Anyone who has ever struggled with drinking or knows someone who has, realizes that alcoholism is a disease that is often deadly and destroys the lives of the sufferer as well as of their family, friends and other loved ones. The sad thing is that much of the resulting coverage from the video treats the footage as a big joke.

Perhaps taken out of context it would be funny to watch someone who has had one too many drop fast food out of their mouths onto the floor (and whether or not even that is funny is subjective). However, I find it very sad to watch this man, who obviously has a problem with drinking and is obviously very upset over his personal troubles, attempt to pacify his pleading underage daughter who is stuck in the middle of the mess. Some say that celebrities deserve what they get but would it be so terrible to show the guy a little compassion?