We’ve all felt the disappointment of one of our heroes messing up.
America’s most recent scene of disappointment comes in the form of the arrest of 22-time Olympic medalist Michael Phelps.
Phelps was arrested for a DUI this past week in his home town of Baltimore, MD.
Jail or Rehab?
In situations like this, we have a choice.
We can either seek and accept help or refuse it. We can continue on a destructive path or turn around.
We don’t know Phelps’ entire situation, but it seems like he’s taking steps in the right direction:
DUI—Denial Under Investigation
How many times have you heard someone struggling with alcohol and drugs say, “I don’t have a problem.”
Part of the disease is denial. People say they don’t have a problem and they refuse to go to treatment. And family members are left desperately asking, “How do I get them into treatment?”
Think of a DUI as a chance to battle your loved one’s denial of addiction.
Getting a DUI is a terrible thing. You have the legal consequences and worse, you could potentially hurt and even kill someone. Thankfully, for Michael Phelps, nothing terrible happened.
Getting a DUI is also a great opportunity. Obviously, you wouldn’t want a family member of yours to drive drunk, but if it does happen, you can use it as an opportunity to encourage them to go to treatment.
For example, you could say, “Look, even if you don’t want to go to treatment and don’t think you have a problem, we’re not going to pay your legal bills unless you go to treatment. You’re not going to get a lawyer to fight this DUI on our dime. If you’re not going to go to treatment, you’re on your own.”
Is Michael Phelps Still a Hero?
When celeb athletes fall and fail, the world watches with crossed fingers.
We can either renounce our support and publicly criticize them, or recognize that they’re a real person who is just as capable of making mistakes as we are.
I can only hope that Michael’s DUI will cause him to make better decisions, and I wish him all the best in treatment.
– See more at: /blog/dui-a-rock-bottom-for-michael-phelps#sthash.ARJqkDTL.dpuf