Josh Hamilton has alcohol relapse

[Wes]

People are fascinated, and should care, because he's an example to many of how you can beat addiction and alcoholism and thrive. I don't know him and have no reason to care one way or the other, but I think the world is better when there's a role model like that for people who are struggling to look to.

Not the first time, won't be the last time. Not surprised. Don't care either.

I don't see why people are so fascinated by this guy.

Really? How's that working out? I'm sick to death of Josh Hamilton and the way so many people put him on a pedestal. You say he's a role model? How about a real role model to look up to like the thousands of men and women in the armed forces or the millions of good teachers, police officers and firefighters out there. I had the privilege of meeting a four year old recently suffering from brain cancer and you’ll excuse me if I can't drum up any sympathy for a multi-millionaire with a self-inflicted "disease."

Possibly not self-inflicted. And there have documented people who have used him as an example to overcome their own struggles. And there are also non role models in the jobs you mentioned, just as there are role models in them and in baseball.

Exactly. Like it or not, Hamilton is a heck of a lot more famous than your average teacher, police officer or firefighter. I don't think you need to have sympathy for him, I'm simply explaining why him having a relapse is bad for more than just him.

 

[homerun28aa]

Honestly, my heart goes out to Hamilton purely as a human being and I want him to get clean just because he's another human being and that is very destructive behavior. Like people have said the people that don't make multi multi millions of dollars and live in mansions those are the people my thoughts go out to foremost but nonetheless Hamilton has battled this addiction and I wish him to get back on the right track. I think he'll battle through and figure things out as he should at this point only he can help himself and I think he will.

 

[Lancemountain]

No one sets out to be chemically dependent on anything and only an ignorant fool would say addiction to alcohol and opiates is not a true disease.

Glad a few here can be glib and have lived their lives so perfect that they can toss those stones from behind the comfort of their computer screen. Hope they are comfortable in their judging this Sunday at church.

Good luck to JH, it's a terrible disease that he found himself in and has done well for many years. Stay strong and get the help you need.

 

[darkman]

I wonder what exactly was the relapse.. If it was a couple of beers or a night of drinking then big deal...plenty of people go through that and there has been only one Jesus that has walked this earth.. Everyone drinks ....

 

[G $MONEY$]

No one sets out to be chemically dependent on anything and only an ignorant fool would say addiction to alcohol and opiates is not a true disease.

Glad a few here can be glib and have lived their lives so perfect that they can toss those stones from behind the comfort of their computer screen. Hope they are comfortable in their judging this Sunday at church.

Good luck to JH, it's a terrible disease that he found himself in and has done well for many years. Stay strong and get the help you need.

AGREED. GOOD POST.

 

[tramers]

No one sets out to be chemically dependent on anything and only an ignorant fool would say addiction to alcohol and opiates is not a true disease.

Glad a few here can be glib and have lived their lives so perfect that they can toss those stones from behind the comfort of their computer screen. Hope they are comfortable in their judging this Sunday at church.

Good luck to JH, it's a terrible disease that he found himself in and has done well for many years. Stay strong and get the help you need.

AGREED. GOOD POST.

+1

 

[CAROLINA BOSOX]

Sad to hear about Josh. When Josh was here in Charleston, before his addiction, he was an absolute fan favorite. He would stay on the field till every kid got an autograph, always had a smile on his face, and was polite to everyone thet came in contact with him. I don't look at him as a role model for me, but a decent person who has made mistakes, owned up to them, and is fighting to resist those addictions that have cost him alot of his life. I wish Josh the best.

 

[Mozzie22]

No one sets out to be chemically dependent on anything and only an ignorant fool would say addiction to alcohol and opiates is not a true disease.

Glad a few here can be glib and have lived their lives so perfect that they can toss those stones from behind the comfort of their computer screen. Hope they are comfortable in their judging this Sunday at church.

Good luck to JH, it's a terrible disease that he found himself in and has done well for many years. Stay strong and get the help you need.

Wrong! The first time that loser stuck a needle in his arm or took a drink he sent himself down that road and nobody made him do it. Oh the poor defenseless drug addict, boo hoo. A disease is something that can’t be prevented; Cancer, ALS, MS, etc. Drug addiction is not a disease it’s a consequence of poor decisions. You wrote "it's a terrible disease that he found himself in," he didn't "find himself" in it, he caused this himself and you think he deserves to be admired and praised.

Why don't you climb down off your cross and get a life.

 

[TomMurry]

Its surprising to me that there are still people out there that are unaware that Alcoholism is a documented disease and has absolute ties to heredity. You dont choose to be an alcoholic, but you you DO choose to have that first drink, and the second and the third. Its once you get the ball rolling that you find out that you have the disease. Having a single drink doesnt constitute a relapse, so it may have been an incident of drunkenness that was reported. I wish him the best in fighting a fight that will last the rest of his life. He's in the public eye and will make it more difficult, but he needs to be selfish now and get himself better before he can be of any benefit to the sport and his team.

 

[goldenegg1]

I was was addicted to smoking for ten years, but I got smart and quit.
I chose to smoke, and to keep smoking for all those years. Since I kicked the addiction I guess I am a role model now! Woo hoo! I'm sorry but I have no sympathy for anyone who is addicted to drugs. You chose to use them, you pay the price. You can go to AA and they can feed your head with all this faith and god stuff, but in the end, YOU personally are responsible for your actions. Guys like Pat Tillman are the ones that I will speak to my children about, not a guy shooting up somewhere.

 

[LazerShow15]

I can see him being signed by the Brewers next year to be reunited with Narron. We need a CF after this year.

 

[JzWand]

To start with, the fact hes relapsed twice shows that he hasn't really overcome or beat the addiction and lets be honest many people never do.

Secondly, should a 30 y/o grown man who needs basically an adult chaperone really be the the model that addicts should strive to follow?

Besides the fact 99.9% of people dont have the resources to have someone with them all the time to stop them from drinking or shooting up, at some point hes just going to have to realize hes a grown man with a family and only he can keep himself clean.

I mean really, people put him up on a pedestal but I have to be honest that I find that a grown man who is married and a father needs a chaperone to travel around everywhere he goes to make sure he doesnt slip up kind of ridiculous.

Hell I dont know if its still the case but he didnt "allow" himself to carry $$$ out of fear of what he will spend it on.

That does not sound like a success story nor someone anyone should look up to!

At the same time, I wish him success as he doesnt seem like a bad guy at all.
Hes made some mistakes and hes going to have to live with them for the rest of his life.

But at some point in his life hes going to have to let go of the nipple and make good decisions because they are good decisions and not because its what his "accountability partner" advises him to do!

 

[mudflap02]

No one sets out to be chemically dependent on anything and only an ignorant fool would say addiction to alcohol and opiates is not a true disease.

Glad a few here can be glib and have lived their lives so perfect that they can toss those stones from behind the comfort of their computer screen. Hope they are comfortable in their judging this Sunday at church.

Good luck to JH, it's a terrible disease that he found himself in and has done well for many years. Stay strong and get the help you need.

Wrong! The first time that loser stuck a needle in his arm or took a drink he sent himself down that road and nobody made him do it. Oh the poor defenseless drug addict, boo hoo. A disease is something that can’t be prevented; Cancer, ALS, MS, etc. Drug addiction is not a disease it’s a consequence of poor decisions. You wrote "it's a terrible disease that he found himself in," he didn't "find himself" in it, he caused this himself and you think he deserves to be admired and praised.

Why don't you climb down off your cross and get a life.

stop talking

 

[mudflap02]

I can see him being signed by the Brewers next year to be reunited with Narron. We need a CF after this year.

Brewers = bad idea for any alcoholic, recovered or not

 

[sebpoo]

No one sets out to be chemically dependent on anything and only an ignorant fool would say addiction to alcohol and opiates is not a true disease.

Glad a few here can be glib and have lived their lives so perfect that they can toss those stones from behind the comfort of their computer screen. Hope they are comfortable in their judging this Sunday at church.

Good luck to JH, it's a terrible disease that he found himself in and has done well for many years. Stay strong and get the help you need.

AGREED. GOOD POST.

+1

+2
Well said, Sir.

 

[sebpoo]

No one sets out to be chemically dependent on anything and only an ignorant fool would say addiction to alcohol and opiates is not a true disease.

Glad a few here can be glib and have lived their lives so perfect that they can toss those stones from behind the comfort of their computer screen. Hope they are comfortable in their judging this Sunday at church.

Good luck to JH, it's a terrible disease that he found himself in and has done well for many years. Stay strong and get the help you need.

Wrong! The first time that loser stuck a needle in his arm or took a drink he sent himself down that road and nobody made him do it. Oh the poor defenseless drug addict, boo hoo. A disease is something that can’t be prevented; Cancer, ALS, MS, etc. Drug addiction is not a disease it’s a consequence of poor decisions. You wrote "it's a terrible disease that he found himself in," he didn't "find himself" in it, he caused this himself and you think he deserves to be admired and praised.

Why don't you climb down off your cross and get a life.

You are 100% wrong and too immature to talk about this kind of stuff. Go play with your toys and come back later.

 

[JoshHamilton]

No one sets out to be chemically dependent on anything and only an ignorant fool would say addiction to alcohol and opiates is not a true disease.

Glad a few here can be glib and have lived their lives so perfect that they can toss those stones from behind the comfort of their computer screen. Hope they are comfortable in their judging this Sunday at church.

Good luck to JH, it's a terrible disease that he found himself in and has done well for many years. Stay strong and get the help you need.

Wrong! The first time that loser stuck a needle in his arm or took a drink he sent himself down that road and nobody made him do it. Oh the poor defenseless drug addict, boo hoo. A disease is something that can’t be prevented; Cancer, ALS, MS, etc. Drug addiction is not a disease it’s a consequence of poor decisions. You wrote "it's a terrible disease that he found himself in," he didn't "find himself" in it, he caused this himself and you think he deserves to be admired and praised.

Why don't you climb down off your cross and get a life.

Do you consider diabetes a disease?

 

[mudflap02]

No one sets out to be chemically dependent on anything and only an ignorant fool would say addiction to alcohol and opiates is not a true disease.

Glad a few here can be glib and have lived their lives so perfect that they can toss those stones from behind the comfort of their computer screen. Hope they are comfortable in their judging this Sunday at church.

Good luck to JH, it's a terrible disease that he found himself in and has done well for many years. Stay strong and get the help you need.

Wrong! The first time that loser stuck a needle in his arm or took a drink he sent himself down that road and nobody made him do it. Oh the poor defenseless drug addict, boo hoo. A disease is something that can’t be prevented; Cancer, ALS, MS, etc. Drug addiction is not a disease it’s a consequence of poor decisions. You wrote "it's a terrible disease that he found himself in," he didn't "find himself" in it, he caused this himself and you think he deserves to be admired and praised.

Why don't you climb down off your cross and get a life.

Ugh. This post really just riles me up. There is just so much you don't seem to understand.

Yes, addiction stems from poor decisions. Every person who has ever lived has made a poor decision or two at some point in their lives. Mozzie, would you care to answer the following question - Have you ever smoked marijuana, used any other illegal drug, or did you drink alcohol before the age of 21? Most people have done at least one of the 3. Some people (addicts and alcoholics) just handle it differently than others. I can stand out in the sun for a long time without getting a sunburn. Mrs. Mudflap turns pink after about 10 seconds in direct sunlight because she is a light skinned Irish lady. Our bodies are just different and we all handle unique physical stimuli differently. Read up on the definition of a disease, along with the medical community's view of alcoholism and addiction as diseases, before you come in a public forum and start spouting off facts. "Cancer is not preventable." Right. Some forms of cancer are not preventable. Tell the person who smoked for 60 years that their lung cancer was not preventable.

Recovered addicts and alcoholics deserve to be praised the same way that cancer survivors deserve to be praised. One may be easier to beat than the other, but it is commendable to fight against what is killing you as opposed to letting it consume you without a struggle. Just because Josh Hamilton (or any other person in recovery) is looked up to doesn't mean that someone can't look up to teachers, soldiers, firefighters, whatever sort of stereotypical hero everyone is supposed to adore. He didn't make a conscious decision to become an addict, he made a conscious decision to use drugs once without knowing the path it would lead him down. You probably made the same poor decision at some point in your life, but your path led elsewhere.

 

[James52411]

I agree with everyone who wishes Josh well and hopes that he can stay clean and sober. I suppose the only quibble I have is with labeling drug or alcohol addiction a "disease." Hamilton has an addiction that resulted from using illegal drugs and failing to use alcohol in moderation. I think we do a disservice when we use the same terms to describe alcoholism and drug addiction that we use to describe cancer, neuromuscular disease, and other conditions that cannot be "cured" by making wise choices in life going forward. Like I said, I want Josh to live well and be an inspiration to others who have made bad choices. However, I think we should frame the issue of addiction as more about morality and wise choices than illness and disease.

 

[mudflap02]

I agree with everyone who wishes Josh well and hopes that he can stay clean and sober. I suppose the only quibble I have is with labeling drug or alcohol addiction a "disease." Hamilton has an addiction that resulted from using illegal drugs and failing to use alcohol in moderation. I think we do a disservice when we use the same terms to describe alcoholism and drug addiction that we use to describe cancer, neuromuscular disease, and other conditions that cannot be "cured" by making wise choices in life going forward. Like I said, I want Josh to live well and be an inspiration to others who have made bad choices. However, I think we should frame the issue of addiction as more about morality and wise choices than illness and disease.

http://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/faqs.htm