Alcohol and addiction

Last night, like most of Australia, I watched Aussie footballer Wayne Carey pour out his personal life to Andrew Denton.
I didn't intend to watch it - I was going to change channels and watch the rest of the comedy festival - but the two seconds I did see got me hooked.

Now, I want to get one thing clear - I didn't watch the interview to gloat, or to laugh at the train wreck that this once great footballer had become. Like most people watching it, I just wanted to know why - and to see if I could figure him out for myself.

And do you know what I saw? I saw a man in the throes of addiction. There was nothing funny about this interview. Denton went in deep, discussing allegations of domestic violence and alchoholism concerning his father and then asking questions that essentially linked Carey with the disease.

I know from personal exprience the devastating effects alcoholism can have on family and friends. The fact that it is a legal drug makes it all the more easier to go unnoticed for a longer period of time.
The worst part is, that when someone's in the throes of addiction they know that what they're doing is out of the ordinary. They often are acutely aware of the gradual slide - they can feel it happening to them - yet they can't, won't or don't know how to stop.

Last night, we saw a man who hit rock bottom.
We saw a man who couldn't remember a lot of the major scandals/incidents that had been highly publicised - because he'd been so drunk he'd forgotten.
We saw a man who had destroyed his life - he was the captain of a successful football team, and he had a gorgeous wife with a young baby - all of which he threw away due to poor decision making.

The fact that he was in the public eye meant that rock bottom was a little harder than for most of us, but he was at the point where it could only get better from here on in.
He's got a long, tough road in front of him.