by Sally Rosa | Sep 30, 2014 | Drug Addiction
Written By: Fiona Stockard
Michael Phelps Arrested for DUI…Again!
In the early morning of September 30th, Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps was pulled over by the Maryland police. He was driving eighty-five miles per hours in a forty-five mph zone. That was their first clue something was up.
After checking his license and registration, officers noticed Michael seemed to be a bit…inebriated. They performed a field sobriety test, which he failed. It turns out his blood-alcohol level was almost twice the legal limit.
Sounds like a fun night, Mike!
Déjà Vu
This was Michael’s second DUI arrest. He was pulled over for driving while intoxicated back in ancient history, aka 2004. He was nineteen, not even old enough to legally drink!
Michael struck a plea deal with prosecutors. He avoided jail time in exchange for fines and eighteen months of probation.
In 2009, Michael was famously photographed smoking weed. This led to a three-month suspension and the loss of his lucrative Kellogg’s sponsorship deal.
Through all this partying, Michael Phelps remains the most decorated Olympic athlete in U.S. history. He’s won a career total of eighteen gold medals. He’s inspired countless young athletes.
More importantly, he’s performed his a*s off and set an example of how an athlete should behave, on the field anyway. Off the field, though? That’s a different story.
Is Michael Phelps an Addict and Alcoholic?
Okay, so Michael Phelps likes to party. Who doesn’t? Normal people can take it or leave it. They have no consequences as a result of their alcohol or drug use. Michael’s gotten some consequences, but does that make him an addict and alcoholic?
I’m not so sure. See, being an addict or an alcoholic has nothing to do with the consequences of our use. Yes, addicts and alcoholics seem to get into trouble when we use. In fact, addicts and alcoholics almost always get into trouble when we use. That’s not what makes us different, though.
Addiction and alcoholism are three-part diseases. They consist of a physical allergy, coupled with a mental obsession, topped off with a spiritual malady. Consequences have nothing to do with it.
I’m an addict and alcoholic because I obsess about drinking until I finally take a drink. I’m an addict and alcoholic because once I start drinking, I don’t stop. Period. I’m an addict and alcoholic because of why I turned to alcohol and drugs in the first place.
Michael Phelps? I don’t know. It certainly seems like his use is chronic and progressing. Those are both key components of addiction and alcoholism. But once he starts, can be stop? Is he powerless over the obsession to drug and drink? The only one who can answer that question is Michael Phelps himself.
by Sally Rosa | Sep 8, 2014 | Sobriety For Women
Laura’s Story
In 2010, my husband of over six years filed for divorce. He took my name off of our bank accounts, so I couldn’t get money to hire a lawyer.
In court, the judge gave me a continuance to seek council. On the courthouse steps, my ex-husband’s lawyer gave me papers to sign. They were to give my ex-husband temporary custody of our house and children. I didn’t know I could object to these terms.
It was the beginning of the end. I found my children and myself homeless. I began to drink and take Xanax to cope with the stress.
Things Went From Bad to Worse
The following year, in 2011, I lost custody of my children. They were one, two, three, five, and twelve. I’d been a stay at home mother during my marriage. However, the judge ruled my ex-husband was more mentally and financially stable and gave him full custody of our children. I’d been diagnosed Bipolar after the birth of our second child.
I couldn’t accept that I only had visitation rights to my children. The judge gave my ex-husband full custody! I had no rights, only visitation. I was devastated.
A year after my ex and I divorced, he married a much younger woman. They married and moved to Georgia a month later. They moved with my children! My ex-husband gave me three days notice before they left. I scrambled to set up an emergency hearing, but they were gone before anything could be done. My children were enrolled in a Georgia school and no judge was going to take them out of school.
That’s when things really got bad. I couldn’t function any longer. I started drinking from the minute I woke up to the second I passed out. I started smoking pot, taking pills, partying every night, and sleeping with all kinds of men. I started doing whatever I could to not feel. My children were my whole world and without them I had no reason to live.
I couldn’t just pick up and move to Georgia with my children. I’m disabled and receive only $800 a month of support. I was literally out of my mind with grief. I was able to arrange for my children to visit me at Christmas. Watching them leave was the hardest thing I’ve ever done.
Not long after, I received a public intoxication and DUI change. This didn’t help me one bit in court. My lawyer gave up on me. I ended up receiving supervised visitation rights and was ordered to pay my ex-husband $500 a month in child support. For five children, you’re not supposed to pay more than 26% of your income. I was ordered to pay 500 out of 800 dollars!
A Light at Last
I checked myself into treatment in July of 2013. It wasn’t an easy journey. I relapsed the day I got out. I found out that it’s easy to stay sober when you’re in a safe environment. It isn’t so easy when you’re in the real world.
On August 24th, 2013, I went back to residential treatment. This time, I followed residential with an outpatient program. I’ve been sober a year and am fighting to get my children back
I haven’t seen my kids in over a year. As of May 2014, my ex-husband has stopped answering my calls. He won’t let me speak to my children anymore because I can’t pay the full $500 child support payment.
Being sober isn’t easy because it means I have to FEEL the grief and anguish from missing my babies. I know that being sober is the only way I’ll get my children back. This gives me the strength to keep on, one day at a time.
If you’d like more information about Laura and her story, visit her website.
