MLB: Keep on Keeping on Josh Hamilton

[CloneIce]

He deserves a beer... I dont believe in all of the absolutisms people claim about alcohol, everyone deals with it and recovers differently.

 

[acody]

In 1986, I quit drinking. For the next five years everything improved. I saved my job as well as saving my family. I fixed my credit and became active in local politics... in short I became accepted in my community and my home.

It got to the point that I felt I could control it again. Everything I fixed in five years I totally destroyed in two years. I lost my job, I lost my family, I lost it all.

I took my last drink 1994 and by the Grace of God, I am sober today.

I believe I needed that slip to remove all doubts that I was indeed an alcoholic. I also believe, from my experience, that some alcoholics need a slip to become "stronger" in their desire to stay sober. Sadly though, some spend a whole lifetime of periods of sobriety followed by slips (Steve Howe.)

The loneliest place in the world for an alcoholic is realizing they can't live life with alcohol, yet they can't imagine a life without it.

Godspeed Josh

I'm Tired - YouTube

The video could have stopped after the 15 second mark. Problem drinkers usually stop because they are "sick and tired of being sick and tired." They stop or slow way, way down when the physical problems with drinking start to far out weigh the "little buzz" they're getting. In other words, they are sick and tired of being sick and tired and feeling good going to bed sober and waking up feeling good is worth it. It actually sounds simple but unfortunately takes some of us to get older to understand.

 

[tigerclone924]

He deserves a beer... I dont believe in all of the absolutisms people claim about alcohol, everyone deals with it and recovers differently.

I didn't hear anyone asking you to believe in "all of the absolutisms about alcohol". And I for one would not say that you are any less than based on your opinion. I believe that the only way a person can ever fully believe in "all the absolutisms about alcohol" is to experience the mental obcession and physical craving that an alcoholic experiences. Even then alot of people live in denial or try to fight the obvious solution to the problem for a long time. Stuff like, only a few won't hurt (famous last words:yes, or this time will be different. For an alcoholic to expect anyone that has not lived it to comprehend it fully is silly. Many feel blessed to have gone through the pain to experience the joy of recovery. Many more people don't understand that nor have they ever thought of it in any terms. Is either group "right" or "wrong"? No!

 

[tigerclone924]

Wanted to bump this since we got the Josh Hamilton bashing/defending going again. I was going to put my opinion in that thread but it's all been said here by myself and others. Josh is a man that has been all the way to the top!(#1 overall pick in MLB draft, $2.97M signing bonus at 18 years old) Then all the way to the bottom!(full blown crack addict, skinny, twitchy, dirty, the real deal) Then all the way to the top again (AL MVP in 2010) He is a great ballplayer and a great man, he made a mistake like we all do and I hope and pray the he will persevere and get back to the basics of recovery! God Bless.

 

[creightonclone]

Wanted to bump this since we got the Josh Hamilton bashing/defending going again. I was going to put my opinion in that thread but it's all been said here by myself and others. Josh is a man that has been all the way to the top!(#1 overall pick in MLB draft, $2.97M signing bonus at 18 years old) Then all the way to the bottom!(full blown crack addict, skinny, twitchy, dirty, the real deal) Then all the way to the top again (AL MVP in 2010) He is a great ballplayer and a great man, he made a mistake like we all do and I hope and pray the he will persevere and get back to the basics of recovery! God Bless.

God bless?

Where was god when this happened:

JerseyChaser.com » Blog Archive » Josh Hamilton Forced To Apologize For Having Fun…

 

[bos]

If it was about self-control or will power there would be no such thing as alcoholism or drug addiction.

Some people can quit drinking by that method... many alcoholics/addicts can not.

For me, if my sobriety was about will power I think I would rather drink. Today, I can eat a meal in a bar and it does not bother me or even walk past a bar... if it was about will power, I could never enjoy a meal in a restaurant because my mind would be constantly battling myself... "I can not drink... I can not drink."

I could not walk past a bar without battling myself to not walk in.

My own experience? Will power or self control has nothing to do with long term sobriety...

This. Bravo to you sir. May you continue to have strength.

 

[bos]

God bless?

Where was god when this happened:

JerseyChaser.com » Blog Archive » Josh Hamilton Forced To Apologize For Having Fun…

Of course, you blame god for mans weakness. Nice job.

 

[creightonclone]

Of course, you blame god for mans weakness. Nice job.

Everybody thanks god when things are going well. Nobody mentions god for all the things they have when they are bankrupt, homeless, and have nothing to live for.

 

[bos]

Everybody thanks god when things are going well. Nobody mentions god for all the things they have when they are bankrupt, homeless, and have nothing to live for.

Not everybody does this. Painting with a big brush today.

 

[tigerclone924]

Everybody thanks god when things are going well. Nobody mentions god for all the things they have when they are bankrupt, homeless, and have nothing to live for.

God as I understand him is undoubtedly different from God as you and anyone else understands Him. And that is not a bad thing. My interpretation is not better than yours and yours no better than mine. Now, do bad things happen to good people? Everyday! Do good things happen to bad people? Everyday! Why? Boy that three word question kept me an agnostic for a long time! I can't answer this question. No one else will be able to answer that question for me sufficiently. Even when bad things are happening in my life I can find things to be grateful for if I want to. If I want to see only the bad, that's what I will see! Josh is a man of faith, he may not have liked making that statement to the media but I am sure that if he was in a good frame of mind he realized that the statement (while not fun) maybe, just maybe would help someone that was watching. If I can use my past failures as a postive then I have a purpose in life and THAT is bigger than me!

God Bless.

 

[Palmer]

*yawn*

 

[creightonclone]

God as I understand him is undoubtedly different from God as you and anyone else understands Him. And that is not a bad thing. My interpretation is not better than yours and yours no better than mine. Now, do bad things happen to good people? Everyday! Do good things happen to bad people? Everyday! Why? Boy that three word question kept me an agnostic for a long time! I can't answer this question. No one else will be able to answer that question for me sufficiently. Even when bad things are happening in my life I can find things to be grateful for if I want to. If I want to see only the bad, that's what I will see! Josh is a man of faith, he may not have liked making that statement to the media but I am sure that if he was in a good frame of mind he realized that the statement (while not fun) maybe, just maybe would help someone that was watching. If I can use my past failures as a postive then I have a purpose in life and THAT is bigger than me!

God Bless.

Can you actually prove any of this?

 

[tigerclone924]

Can you actually prove any of this?

I suppose that depends on your definiton of prove. If you are asking if I can bring God over to your house in the flesh, then no I cannot prove it to you. If you are asking if I can give you examples of how having a God OF MY UNDERSTANDING in my life has helped me then yes. If you're asking if I can show you how the God OF MY UNDERSTANDING has helped me find a purpose in life then yes! The part about Josh believing that his statement could help others is based on the fact that he has made that a big part of his life following his return to baseball and that I have similar experiences. Do I know for sure that this is how Josh feels? No. Just basing that on what I have learned about the man by reading his book and following his career. The thing about it is, I don't need to prove it to you or have you believe what I'm saying for it to be a working part of my life. I won't hide or be shy about the way I feel but I also won't tell anyone that their God or lack there of makes them inferior to me. If having any God of your understanding works for you then right on! If having no God works for you then right on! I just know in my heart that God is doing for me what I could never do for myself.

 

[creightonclone]

I suppose that depends on your definiton of prove. If you are asking if I can bring God over to your house in the flesh, then no I cannot prove it to you. If you are asking if I can give you examples of how having a God OF MY UNDERSTANDING in my life has helped me then yes. If you're asking if I can show you how the God OF MY UNDERSTANDING has helped me find a purpose in life then yes! The part about Josh believing that his statement could help others is based on the fact that he has made that a big part of his life following his return to baseball and that I have similar experiences. Do I know for sure that this is how Josh feels? No. Just basing that on what I have learned about the man by reading his book and following his career. The thing about it is, I don't need to prove it to you or have you believe what I'm saying for it to be a working part of my life. I won't hide or be shy about the way I feel but I also won't tell anyone that their God or lack there of makes them inferior to me. If having any God of your understanding works for you then right on! If having no God works for you then right on! I just know in my heart that God is doing for me what I could never do for myself.

Please clarify... What can god do for you that you could never do for yourself?

 

[rebecacy]

We all have those moments in life where we wish we could turn back the hands of time. Those moments that we play in our minds over and over, endlessly thinking about what we should have done differently. Moments when going before our loved ones with the incident exposed feel like the proverbial naked in front of the class dream. In these moments, we are vulnerable and we are ashamed. We are disgusted by our own behavior and we are overcome with guilt. The people we love the most give us their thoughts and explain to us in their sternest, most disappointed tones that we have done wrong. We feel like I’m sorry is not enough and it’s not. We know we must give it time and do better the next chance we get to make a better decision.

Now, imagine having one of the moments you thought of while reading the first paragraph being a top news story when you turn your TV on the morning after. Think about the BottomLine ticker on ESPN displaying this terrible mistake every two minutes or so for the entire day.

Imagining you are a celebrity or high profile athlete, “worthy†of such news is not necessary in my opinion. In fact, imagining you are would give credence to the notion that being a celebrity is reason enough to have your shortcomings dug up and displayed for the world to see. Which is not the point of this article. My intention is not to dispute nor support the idea that fame is a justification for total disclosure. My point is that whether this is an acceptable practice or not, it has got to be sickening. While I know that a great number of people that read this will want to go back to the fact that celebrities are subject to this scrutiny based on their fame, I would encourage you to think from a different perspective. A human, compassionate prospective.

I woke up this morning to SportsCenter’s greeting as I do most mornings. On many occasions I have been awaken to a less than favorable report of numerous different athletes or sports figures. But this morning I was informed by my favorite news source (okay, maybe my standards for “news sources†is a little low) that one of my favorite baseball players had experienced an alcohol relapse. This baseball player as most of you have figured out by now is Josh Hamilton. While my favorite baseball team is the Chicago Cubs, Josh has a spot in my heart for far more powerful reason. I have an emotional attachment to the subject of alcoholism and drug addiction; and Josh is a great inspiration for me and countless other folks. I read his book “Beyond Belief†and have followed his career and recovery due to our common bond.

I realize my opinion on this subject is emotionally driven and maybe slanted for that reason. This is supported by the fact that the news of Kobe Bryant’s divorce due to his idolatry (while disheartening) did not stir in me the type of heartfelt concern that the news of Josh’s setback did. I am not going to get on a soapbox and say that the media should not be covering this. I am not going to bash anyone for their opinion on the matter, because I realize there are people that are on the other side of this type of adversity. (the side of the love ones, the ones that have been hurt by relapses and/or continued active addiction)

All I am saying is that while you are inundated with opinions and coverage on this matter, maybe you could put yourself in Josh’s shoes. Maybe you could think about how your family member, neighbor, coworker, etc. is feeling while they are dealing with similar matters. Instead of forming an opinion on the matter, maybe ask a question to one of these people in your life. How are you doing today? Is there anything I can do to help?

This is a very polarizing topic due to the pain it has caused many and the misunderstanding that undoubtedly comes with matters we are not familiar with. My point isn’t that one opinion is right or wrong. My point is not to make anyone feel bad for their opinion. My point is that we all have made mistakes and for that reason we can all relate to what Josh is probably feeling right now.

One thing I am very confident of in this matter is that Josh will use this for good. He used his past troubles as a positive by writing a book and speaking to people who have the same problems. He has touched my life in no small way and I am sure I am not alone in that respect. My belief that he will do the same in this instance is one reason I am proud to be connected to him, and I have never even met the man.

Could you please publish a "Cliff's Notes" readable version.....?

 

[tigerclone924]

Could you please publish a "Cliff's Notes" readable version.....?

Not an English major, I'm sorry...Just a man with a strong conviction on this matter.