By Paul Shepard on Feb 10th 2011 10:35AM
Filed under: News, Profiles
Headlines are proclaiming that Ted Williams, the Golden Voice from Ohio, is on the road to recovery since he moved into a California sober house.
Unfortunately, it's a road that Williams has traveled before -- most recently, last month when Williams bailed on a drug and alcohol rehab clinic stay sparked by his appearance on the Dr. Phil Show.
Williams is no different than millions of other Americans who battle drug and alcohol demons. Beating them is usually like a championship prize fight -- taking several rounds of close combat before victory can be declared.
Williams has attempted to clean up before. The story has been told in painfully personal detail through the Dr. Phil appearance and several other interviews Williams has unwisely granted since fate plucked him from obscurity two months ago.
The bottom line is that Williams won't get clean until he is ready to get himself clean. No amount of cajoling from Dr. Phil, his children, his girlfriend or the public will accelerate that process.
Williams himself said his brief stay at rehab with Dr. Phil felt like a "rushed decision."
That's fine. But people who get on and off the road to recovery can be very good at knowing exactly what to say to gain sympathy from those around them. And these days, we all are around Williams.
Only Williams really knows if this is the time that he will truly leave his drug and alcohol abuse behind him.
All we can do is go along for what will be a very public ride on the road to recovery and wish him luck.
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Comments: (8)
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By: David on 2/10/2011 12:50PM
This guy needs to get out of the public eye. Even though the media brought his plight to the publics attention, the same media will be the one that destroys him. His first of many mistakes was going on that fake Dr Phil show. He certainly needs rehab but he has to do this by his own choice not by being humiliated on TV for rating by a quack fake Dr Phil. I hope he and others with addiction problems get the help they all need.
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By: clarke on 2/10/2011 3:22PM
Ok LOOK, His ass was in one of the best and most expensive Rehabilation Centers in the country on a damn island somewhere down in Texas. Do you know how many people would give a limb for the chance he got. God Bless you Ted but I'm done. I don't want to hear anymore about him. PEACE.
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By: Vertee on 2/11/2011 5:19PM
The only thing I can say to you Clarke, is that I am truly glad God isn't like you. If he gave us only one or two chances, all of us (including you) would be in a whole lot of trouble. It's amazing how we (humans) withhold mercy, until it's our turn to need it.
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By: clarke on 2/12/2011 3:32PM
You know what Vertee I'm glad God aint like me or you or any other human being either. That's why HE'S GOD. Now do you have anything else STUPID to say? Like I said, I, and that is all I am talking about, Me, Myself, don't really want to hear s**t else about Ted Williams, the man squandered a chance that some people would give anything they had for. Just like YOU speak for YOU, I speak foe ME. Have a nice day.
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By: R O C K Y on 2/11/2011 8:34AM
THE LAST TIME I SAW HIM ON T/V I WAS ELATED THAT HE WOULD BE A VERY HELPFUL MAN FOR THOSE ON DRUGS AND THAT HIS VOICE WOULD PLEASE THE PUBLIC VIEWEERS. WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO HIM, RATHER FAME AND NOTIRIETY AND YET TO HEAR HIM SING ON PUBLIC T/V, IS STILL A MYSTERY TO ME. IS HE EVER GOING TO PERFORM AND HAVE THE VIEWERS SEE HIM AND PLEASE US WITH HIS VOICE .....I REALLY DO NOT KNOW....I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR HIM SING....
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By: johnny on 2/11/2011 12:04PM
Dr. Phil, and many feminists went after this man with everything they had. They wanted this man to be put back on the street and suffer. What a country.
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By: Zenobia on 2/11/2011 9:32PM
I agree with Vertee. I am GLAD that Clarke is not God. We are a punishing country. I remember my daughter getting into social work. Following my "footsteps" so to speak in the same line of work. I happened to have been working with battered women and my daughter, who had not acquired her degree, asked one night, "Do you let the women come back if they fail"? By FAIL, she meant if they listened to or went back to their abusive spouses or boyfriends. I did not understand right away, but when I GOT it, I was disappointed with her. She wanted to know if we allowed the women to come back to safety if they "failed" at getting their act together. She is long past that now, and knowing that I was an abused wife while she was a little girl, I did not understand at first. What I DO underststand is that we are sometimes a "one strike" and you're out society. This man should never have been given so much air time. His already mixed up world has been invaded and he knows that not one or two people, but thousands are watching, judging, deciding if he is worthy of his second chance. My prayer is that he will go into obscurity until he either accepts the help he has been offered or does not. His rehab money does not render us unable to pay our rent, so why should we demonize him. As for Dr. Phil...I wish he would take off his Superman cape and go somewhere.
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By: clarke on 2/12/2011 3:40PM
LOLOL, You know what Zee? You and Vee can fall for the bulls**t and let an addict keep running game on yalls silly behinds if you want to, that's your choice. When Ted is serious about getting clean then I'll listen, until then, see ya later, BYE.
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