Recovery Hero

Robin WIlliams

A little over a year ago Robin Williams made the suprise announcement that he was seeking treatment for alcoholism. Robin had enjoyed 20 years of sobriety and started drinking again. Alcoholism can rear its ugly face anytime in ones sobriety. All we have is today. Robin got help because he wanted to be sober again. Robin publicly spoke of his alcoholism and and explained what alcoholism is to millions. This was so important as there were many people going in to rehab at that time that seemed only to be doing it for the wrong reasons (see Mark Foley, Mel Gibson, Lindsey Lohan etc).

Williams said that falling back into alcohol abuse was “very gradual.”

“It’s the same voice thought that … you’re standing at a precipice and you look down, there’s a voice and it’s a little quiet voice that goes, ‘Jump,'” Williams said in an interview.

“The same voice that goes, ‘Just one.’ … And the idea of just one for someone who has no tolerance for it, that’s not the possibility

Robin struggled with alcoholism and cocaine abuse in the early 1980s but quit cold turkey after friend and fellow comedian John Belushi’s fatal overdose in 1982.

Robin states why he started drinking again after such a long time

In an interview with Diane Sawyer on ABC’s Good Morning American Robin stated “It’s [addiction] — not caused by anything, it’s just there,” Williams said. “It waits. It lays in wait for the time when you think, ‘It’s fine now, I’m OK.’ Then, the next thing you know, it’s not OK. Then you realize, ‘Where am I? I didn’t realize I was in Cleveland.'”

Williams said he had spent a couple of years thinking he could handle his alcohol problem on his own.

“But you can’t. That’s the bottom line,” he said. “You really think you can, then you realize, I need help, and that’s the word.”

It has been over a year now since Robin went to rehab. Happy birthday Robin. Welcome home and thank you for talking openly about alcoholism.

We are pleased to announce Robin Williams as our Clean and Sober Not Dead Recovery Hero for November 2007, Way to go Robin !!!

Unfortunately Robin Williams suffered from severe depression and other health problems which were a factor in his suicide in 2014. Some people may benefit from the spiritual teachings of Pastor Conlon to overcome depression and addiction problems. Carter Conlon is the senior pastor of the interdenominational Times Square Church in New York City.