iclfan2;1075690 wrote:This thread is ridiculous. Dude had 4 beers. Just because you were once addicted doesn't mean you can't touch anything ever. If this becomes a problem then obviously it would look worse, but 4 drinks is nothing.

This.

iclfan2;1075690 wrote:This thread is ridiculous. Dude had 4 beers. Just because you were once addicted doesn't mean you can't touch anything ever. If this becomes a problem then obviously it would look worse, but 4 drinks is nothing.

1. I thought he had 3-4 beers, then after Kinsler left, he resumed drinking, which would mean he had over 4 beers.

2. I also thought that, according to his contract, there's a zero tolerance policy concerning him and intoxicating substances, which means that, according to his employers, he really can't touch anything.

iclfan2;1075690 wrote:This thread is ridiculous. Dude had 4 beers. Just because you were once addicted doesn't mean you can't touch anything ever. If this becomes a problem then obviously it would look worse, but 4 drinks is nothing.

Statements like this are ridiculous.

The guy was the number one pick in the 1999 draft. He didn't make his debut until 2007 because of drug AND alcohol problems. The addiction for him DOES mean he can't touch anything ever.

He knows that. He's had two relapses in 3 years. I guarantee he hates both times. I guarantee he hates doing this to his family. I also guarantee he knows that at any given point, the "one drink" could lead to another time where he's gone with drugs and alcohol. Do you think he wants to put his family through that again?

For some people, maybe you, an addiction may mean your statement. But...for others, a recovery means that they have to abstain completely. It's something that not all people understand, and addicts/recovering addicts don't think you should try and understand it either.

You can't just paint everyone with the same brush.

I have a problem with alcohol. In my case, if I start drinking, I cannot control it at all. I don't know if I'd call it a disease. I tink of it as a personality condition - something in my brain that doesn't allow good control over alcohol intake. So in my case, taking a drink opens the door to problems.

I have stopped actively drinking for 5 years. However in that time, I have had two slips. In both cases, bad decisions, or lack of preperation on a situation led to my downfall. Regardless, I don't look at a "relapse". In both cases, I tripped up. I learned from both. I equate it to someone making a mistake in any other area. There's a difference between tripping up and actively changing your behavior.

So I am probably a lenient person with alcoholics only because I consider myself an insider. I hope Hamilton had a screw up and nothing more. I hate that he has to make his dirty laundry so public because of the attitude we have towards addiction and because he's a highly paid athlete, but those are the breaks.