Posted on 07/31/2006 11:13:59 PM PDT by claudiustg
Thanks I swallowed that hook line and sinker.
The same guy Who said, "He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first." See John chapter 8.
I don't condone or excuse DUIs or hateful remarks, but I am amazed by the complete lack of compassion shown by most of the people commenting here. I've heard it said that our sin looks worst when somebody else is wearing it.
Mel obviously needs help. Instead of piling on, reveling in his problems, or taking pleasure out of this man getting crushed, I will be praying that he gets the help he needs, from the One whose words you quoted.
Well as long as they go. Private is not the same as mingling and relating to your "ordinary" alcholic. My daughter goes to the regular meetings, but then we aren't rich and famous.
That is a good link, I don't feel like reading it right now but bookmarked it. Need to find a lost link somewhere else about something entirely different. Thank you.
Well said & worth repeating. God bless you.
No, I know it isn't an easy problem, and I'm sorry about your father. The family must still bear the scars from that to a certain extent.
I've been reading and writing responses to this thread in reactionary mode. My son is in trouble with the law right now for knocking a guy out at a swanky club, guy was harassing him really bad, but my son threw the first punch, both had been drinking. Causes me more worries and I have enough as it is. My daughter's friend seems hopeless to me, beautiful girl, flirty, can get guys like other women can't, but periodically starts drinking again and doesn't stop until she is incarcerated at taxpayer's expense. She steals and has a record. She has a bubbly personality, but when she starts drinking, there is nothing anybody can do. She had 2 abortions; that is some of it but not all. It's got me frustrated because she can't drive and if I don't watch it, I'll be playing taxi driver.
I've been very compassionate and patient with her, but for some reason some anger is starting to kick in. She gets more help from government resources than my daughter who has maintained sobriety for years and is in terrible trouble with other things due to other poor choices. I've turned off my phone again because I don't want to talk to her several hours a day because of the emotional drain and bringing back bad memories with struggling with my ex. A common thread between her and my daughter is that neither does anything with their lives in the way of hobbies or any other interests, just locked into their problems, go out and have fun when they can, cling to guys for giving hope to empty lives. If I were a guy, I would not want to take on somebody with those problems, but . . .best not go on with that. Sexual attraction is blind, I guess. Their whole identity is built around and defined by their problems.
I just get fed up with it. I'm no saint and don't have endless patience.
Thanks, Sue--God bless you, too!
Your attitude is sickening.
"High station"? He's not royalty.
"Why is it that most of the alcoholics I know are some of the biggest liars, especially after hitting the sauce?"
There ya go! When I was still drinking, much of my time and effort went to hiding the lie I was living!
But you can't forgive the comments?
Becky
Your seething hatred is demonic.
Aliska, I'm looking from hindsight. It is only since his death in 2000 that I can forgive him. Before dad died, I was angry at him for what he had done to himself and our family. He was very self-centered. He, at least to me at the time, seemed to be centered completely on himself and his alcohol. He had only an interest in a few things - most of which somehow were connected to getting money for more alchohol. Poker, selling metal, picking junk, selling some of the antiques our family had.... It was sad. He, once, when he was in a nursing home and sober, talked about the things he had once longed to do. He realized what he had thrown away.
I called the local drug and alcohol unit once about getting him help. They did talk about how to help HIM but they suggested that my siblings and I should come in to try to deal with the problem! Excuse me? My mom always made sure we knew that NOTHING was our fault - or hers. He was an alcoholic by his own choice that had nothing to do with us. The "alcoholism expert" was in a rage to try to treat US instead! I NEVER EVER blamed myself for dad's alcoholism.
Actually, we all turned out rather well-adjusted in spite of it all! lol! I'm no saint and, believe me, I don't have much patience either.
I pray for your daughter's continued sobriety. It's a hard thing to do.
God bless,
sneakers
If nothing else, I feel sorry for his family.
The reasons for the private meetings for celebrities is so they can freely share without worrying about it being on the front page in the morning, or, their personal life being discussed amongst others. Also, photographers love to hide in the bushes near some of the well known meetings to grab a picture. This happened to a TV star years ago - sickening. It only takes 2 to have a meeting - ordinary folk are just like celebrities when it comes to alcoholism - both are drunks.
I also read something that says alcoholics get drunker with less drinks, I guess because the liver is shot and they can`t handle it as well? Yeah it doesn`t excuse his conduct, but I am very interested to see how long and how far the press is going to push this. Ted Kennedy, although he never bashed the Jews, has done a hell of lot worse through drink, and he keeps getting re-elected, and I highly doubt he has stopped drinking. Not with that purple red face of his. I wonder how many times that guy has been pulled over drunk and given a pass like they are saying about Mel.
The main thing is that they get help and try to maintain sobriety, no matter what treatment method or manner of meeting.
A few manage to lick it on their own, I know not everybody can possibly do that, but kudos to the ones that can.
Anyway, it was not your fault. I faced the same thing. Won't go through all the horrors, but I've had enough. The other daughter was going into treatment. Would I come to meetings? No. I will talk to them if they want to call me on the phone. Been there too many times and decided I can't afford the emotional drain it causes running to hospitals and treatment centers, etc., etc., etc., except when I really have to. I have to watch it now and do my best not to get dragged down by somebody else's problems.
In the end, it's best to forgive if you can. I have a hard time with that. I do not beat myself up because the anger surfaces from time to time.
I'm sorry your father never got the help he needed, his loss. Don't let those people intimidate you or feel guilty. May he have found peace at last.
I understand addiction and difficulty in controlling impulses. When so many people get in trouble from their own bad choices, it is harder to deal with. Lord knows enough people have bad things happen over which had no choice at all , sometimes because somebody else made a bad choice and sometimes because they get a terrible illness through no fault of their own.
Why would a man as successful as Gibson be an alcoholic? The short answer is, money and success have absolutely no bearing on who becomes an alcoholic and who does not. It's a disease. It's a disease that will strike, by most estimates, a minimum of 1 out of every 10 social drinkers.
It's natural to assume that cause and effect thinking is the answer to understanding alcoholism, but it is not. The most successful, wealthy, and often famous people I've met have been recovering alcoholics. And I don't mean just a few people of that sort, I mean a whole lot of them.
Many years ago the famous author, F. Scott Fitzgerald, wrote the following before he died of alcoholism:
"First you take a drink, then the drink takes a drink, then the drink takes you."
He wrote the truth, though many people choose not to believe it. Seems they'd rather be mad at and misinformed about alcoholism, rather than accept the truth. That's too bad. The sooner the public accepts the true nature of alcoholism, the better off everyone's going to be.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.