I work with a lot of young people who are involved with the law and probation, and Athiest is right. Many would just as soon serve a full year in jail than have to be on probation for several years. They want to do the jail time and, when they get out, have a clean slate. Will they (or Gooden, in this case) stay out of trouble after that year? Doubtful. But in their minds, they either kid themselves into believing they can, or are willing to risk it.
BullpenPro, Don't be jealous because you live the CT. I'm going to take your advice, because I have no idea of what I am supposed to be jealous. Most people in the North East think they're better than everyone else. Are you one of them? Are you suggesting that if people think they're better than you, they necessarily think they're better than everyone else? Sounds to me like you think you're better than everyone else. Maybe you should move up here. For the record, I don't think I'm better than you. I don't know you. I think in the short time you've been here you've made comments that were a tad insensitive, a tad foolish, a tad silly, a tad irrelevant, and a tad offensive. It would be hypocritical of me to be too critical of you, since I've certainly crossed all those lines myself. As for Gooden, I feel bad for him. My impression is that his life has been a series of bad decisions, bad advice, bad friends, bad luck, and a total wisdom void in his universe. I don't mean to take him off the hook altogether, but I also don't think it's as simple as "unbelievable stupidity." His failure comes from a recipe.
that's one hell of a recipe....I t is partial stupidity, but to make bad choice after bad choice, it makes it easier for the odds to stack against you... I think it started as a bad habit, but this is more than that...unless the coke amazingly flew up his nose by itself it is hardly bad luck though
Nothing like staying in jail 366 days so you can get out and do what got you there to begin with. Idiot.
Gooden had the world at his doorstep and threw it away. What is so ''sad'' about a looser who makes stupid choices? It is always bad advice, bad friends, etc. He is an adult and is responsible for his decisions.
What is so ''sad'' about a looser who makes stupid choices? Someone who misspells "loser" is even more sad.
one poor choice is SAD.....MAKING the SAME mistakes time after time...year after year....throwing away your life is...................... idiotic.
can you say and spell sadder skater ?
I know all of you are probably family and human service professionals, doctors, drug counselors, and social workers, so my opinion is probably is probably less educated than the rest of you, but I saw my sister throw away alot because of a crystal meth addiction. I know it's possible to quit drugs, because I have witnesed people do it, but I think to truly quit drugs is akin to having the willpower to train for and complete an Ironman Triathlon. Furthermore, when you finish the triathlon, you can stop working out if you want to and still say you finished one; quitting drugs is like waking up every morning for the rest of your life and having the tenacity to keep on training for the next one. My sister I believe genuinely made many efforts to quit, and I think if she had found it in her to throw every last piece of effort into her body she may have, but the reality is that most people I know simply lack the ability to throw all of them selves into something. All of you judges out there, who have never had first hand experience with the thing, try and think about all the things you promised yourself you would do and then failed at, and after you do that maybe think about cutting Mr. Gooden some slack, or if not that just try to be a little compassionate to him or to others who are stuck in a world that you can't even contemplate. Sorry if I got too heavy.
Nice comment, everett.
any hope for getting off dope begins and ends with the individual - god helps those who help themselves - if someone truly wants to end that lifestyle they have the power to stop - they can get it if they really want it , it's about truth with yourself - when i looked at it honestly, god took away the desire to drink in that very moment and i havent touched it since - i'm thankful my lowest point came before i (or somebody else) was dead !
Why do you keep taking off my post? Do I scare you? Coward!
If not can you tell me why? There are people on hear saying very rude things. Why do you cancle my post? Please tell me. Is Bullpen your freind?
Look at the contribution everett made, then look at the contribution you made. If you're still confused, you might be a troll. Enjoy the sunset.
Everett - I do feel compasion for children born into poverty, or victims of crime, accidents, war, and other circumstances beyond their control. Many poeple are ravaged by disease, and die prematurely from cancer etc. But forgive me if I feel little sympathy for some idiot who is blessed with athletic talent, becomes a millionaire, and can't stop shoving coke up his nose. I personally am tired of the "its a disease excuse", especially coming from a guy who can go to the best rehab center if he chooses. This idiot is the only one responisble for his problem and he doesn't have the excuse of poverty, despair or little opportunity for anything better. Actually I do know a lot about this kind of problem and frankly it all boils down to will and determination. It goes to show you how many athletes succede on natural ability since it obvious some successful ones have little in the will and determination department. I'll save my sympathy for someone that deserves it.
Perhaps, Doc is showing a little courage and not stupidity. He knows that he can't quit. He knows he will not be able to get coked up in jail. He knows that his addiction will kill him. Maybe he knows that this is his best chance to survive. It would have been easy for him to accept the probation. I'm sure his addiction was telling him to. He could have gotten high at least one more time. An addiction is a desperate thing, it doesn't allow for planning on getting high in 366 days. Doc did not make a decision that a coward or an idiot would have made. He went to a probation meeting high as a kite. Idiocy or desperation? That's hard to judge. Accepting prison knowing you weren't gonna get your fix, that's courageous.
I agree with atheist in that athletes can afford the best medical care out of anybody (see Magic Johnson), which means that they have the best chance of over coming addiction because of their treatment. In Gooden's case, I think that he just cannot quit, and maybe doesn't want to. If he did, I'm sure he could find something top notch to help him do it.
Accepting prison knowing you weren't gonna get your fix, that's courageous. Call me silly but I describe the firefighters at the World Trade Center on 9/11, or the Marines on duty in Iraq as courageous. It's harldy the word I would use to describe a spoiled millioniare athlete who can't stop snorting coke. Courageous people face their problems and handle them, they do not turn to drugs and fail at every second and third and fourth chance their given. Coward and idiot are the more apropo words to describe this dude.
Sorry, I have been there. The only thing courageous is quitting. I was an idiot. I made plenty of foolish, selfish mistakes and I quit without clinics or rehab or the threat of jail time. I quit because it was best for me and my family. This is about the choices one makes. MS is a disease. MD is a disease. Alzheimer's is a disease. 9 times out of 10, I would say, the drug addicted person CHOSE to ingest their drug of choice. To categorize addicts with people who suffer from diseases is just wrong. This is from my long-ago past and I don't like to revisit it, but I do feel strongly about how people perceive the addicted. It's not glamorous, and those of us who have made it back are not "heroic". We're just better now.
yerfatma, He couldn't have read the few post I added unless your life is on this Blogs. Still more DOPE in jail than in Rehab. Speaking of trolls....
Well said, well said.
yerfatma, How do you make a column on this site. I see you have pretty much knowledge doing the blog. Send an email to keywestjeff@hotmail.com if you can help me on this subject. I would really appreciate it.
