Posted on 01/12/2004 4:29:11 AM PST by tornado100
Several months have elapsed and I thought it might be interesting to re-examine the plight of radio megastar Rush Limbaugh. In my previous article on Limbaugh's troubles entitled "Limbaugh's Secret Life", I was initially criticized for accepting The National Enquirer's contention that he was addicted to prescription narcotics. Heck, I was also skewered for surmising that the conservative icon was likely to be subject to arrest, pursuant to his drug activities. In hindsight, I think my points were well taken. My article came out about five days before Limbaugh publicly acknowledged his addiction and need for rehabilitation. And now criminal charges against Rush might be unavoidable, if the Palm Beach prosecutor has his way. I have no crystal ball, just plenty of life experience. In fact, I'll be quite happy if I'm wrong about this situation. However, there's no need to fret -- even if Limbaugh takes some type of plea, he's looking at court supervision rather than jail time.
Now for some pertinent background information --The National Enquirer vets its front page exposés of celebrities with a phalanx of attorneys, certainly more thoroughly than anything that you would read on the front page of The New York Times. That's a sad commentary on our modern culture, isn't it? Common sense dictates that the tabloid was not going to place itself at the mercy of Limbaugh and a libel suit. The National Enquirer couldn't afford to be wrong. That said, I rightly judged that the essence of the story - Limbaugh's significant addiction to painkillers - had to be accurate otherwise the publication would not have gone to print with it. But what about those that categorically reject anything published in The National Enquirer, claiming that it's all pure drivel rife with abundant sensationalism? I'll readily concede there's a lot of innuendo and spinning that's intended for pure titillation purposes in The National Enquirer - But the lead stories (such as the Limbaugh piece) often contain significant morsels of truth, which is directly attributable to decent investigative reporting by journalists such as David Wright and oversight by attorneys. To some degree, The National Enquirer and its sister paper, The Star, get a bum rap. Many "junk paper" aficionados point out that the supermarket tabloids sell millions of copies each week precisely because they deliver genuine tidbits to their readership.
Since Limbaugh's return from residential treatment, he's verbally eviscerated the tabloid for relying on the statements of a couple who had "blackmailed" him. His anger toward the tabloid is totally understandable. However, it's important to note that although The National Enquirer didn't get everything right in their article on Limbaugh, it certainly got much of the story right - at least the key elements. As an aside, Limbaugh violated a fundamental precept in life that you should never, ever permit yourself to be blackmailed. And it demonstrates Limbaugh's depths of despair in his attempts to manage a dire, no-win situation. Ultimately, it was really Limbaugh's responsibility to have gone directly to law enforcement authorities if he was being blackmailed, but he chose not to do so. Clearly, he wanted to avoid scrutiny of his own drug involvement.
Despite Limbaugh's shortcomings, his fans have remained profoundly loyal. Rush's audience numbers are peaking at an all-time high due to his incisive political analysis that's the best around.
(Excerpt) Read more at gopusa.com ...
The only way addicts get and stay clean is when they are subject to random pee tests and the threat of incarceration.
That's what "hitting bottom" means.
| Rank | Location | Receipts | Donors/Avg | Freepers/Avg | Monthlies | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 | Arizona | 435.50 |
11 |
39.59 |
346 |
1.26 |
125.50 |
10 |
Thanks for donating to Free Republic!
Move your locale up the leaderboard!
I know they had search warrents for four doctor offices, but I thought they only use two of the warrents, but then again I think the two other doctors share offices with the other two. Because these two doctors were dealing with two different ailments, it is not even clear whether doctor shopping laws applies.
Nossir. Hitting bottom can mean any number of things, and it varies from person to person.
I know plenty of addicts who went to prison and/or jail and emerged to use within hours of their release. I know many addicts who used the day before a piss test. None of these things are guarenteed 'bottoms'.
I myself never really hit a bottom. I hit a wall. I lost a marriage and got arrested for serious drug crimes. Did either stop me? No, it was when I got sick of using that I stopped.
It is only through G-d, Narcotics Anonymous, and my Sponsor that I have begun my recovery from drugs. One year clean and counting! :o)
Prison and pee tests do not guarentee anything except prison and pee tests.
The threat of certain consequences is what forces them to get with the program.
I'm worried about Limbaugh.
.....and God bless ya for it, bud.
It's a proven way. Not the only way, but the most reliable. G-d bless Bill W. !!!!
The threat of certain consequences is what forces them to get with the program.
I'm tellin' ya, this is not necessarily true. In fact, addicts are stubborn and self-centered people, so I'd say this is true < 50% of the time. Probably much less than 50%, actually.
What forces most people to get with the program is not THREATS, but a geniune desire to leave the lifestyle.
In fact, if a person comes to the rooms of NA because a judge ordered it or because they are under threats of some nature, I can usually and accurately predict they won't make it.
I am too. Big time. Rush came out of treatment sounding like a recovering addict. Lately, however, he has been sounding like an addict on the road to relapse. I hope he's going to a meeting a day, and I hope he's working the steps. He really needs to concentrate on step one: Surrender. I sense he is still thinking he can control his disease. He can't. He's got a big ego and he's got to lose that -- with respect to his addiction -- if he's gonna make it.
There is a special place in hell for those who make fun of recovering addicts.
In fact, last night: Someone was going to jail. He/she had the option of either partying one last time -- getting vodka and orange juice and some cocaine -- or, coming to an NA meeting. He/she made the choice to come to an NA meeting.
That person will make it.
There is no more threat to this person. He/she will go to jail no matter what. But he/she chose recovery anyways.
(I use the generic "he/she" for further anonymity -- because anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our traditions, ever reminding us to put principles before personalities.)
Just before you posted, I was thinking the same thing. He is losing his sense of powerlessness, and finding his rage at the "outside" forces that tripped him up to be more important. This doesn't bode well for him. I wish him well, but he indeed sounds like someone who now thinks he has it under enough control to use again. But everyone is different, I don't want to predict failure, just am sad that there seems to be a path to it that he's ready to walk.
Actually, it has to do with values. You can take President Bush as a prime example. He had a problem with drinking and his wife laid down the law; it was either her or booze. He valued his family life more than he valued drinking, so he chose the former.
Funny how the language alone can reveal the way one is drfiting from the path. I have an employee who is a recovering alcoholic. He had some jail time because he couldn't stay out of a car, so I am familiar with what you are describing.
I also recognize the changes in Rush's language that cause a scare that he may be relapsing. One thing we hate to hear is when he starts talking like he was just an unfortunate victim....to have been caught or the victim of an unjustified witch hunt.
I want to hear him say how he set himself up for the fall and not blame others.
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.