Hindsight

February 27, 2020 8:05 AM

On August 9, 2008, you’ll be on top of the world. You’ll have just won the biggest ultimate game of your life on home soil in Vancouver. You’ll be surrounded by family, friends and teammates, with a world championship gold medal around your neck. But you’ll feel lost. On February 19, 2018, after almost 15 years of struggling with drugs and alcohol, you’ll enter uncharted waters. On this day, a new chapter will begin as you make the best decision of your life and check yourself into a treatment centre where your new roommate struggles with meth addiction and has five bullet holes in his chest. You’ll find common ground and become friends. What happened?
posted by Etrigan (5 comments total)

This jumped out at me:

In 2018, after two years of unsuccessfully meeting with a counselor who has never had a drink, you will find an addiction recovery coach who has been through a similar struggle, and for the first time in your life you will truly listen and speak your truth.

God bless the people who devote their lives to addiction counseling, truly, but there's a credibility gap (like marriage advice from celibate clergy?) when someone who's always been clean tells an addict how to change their life.

Even when they're 100% correct, it's still theoretical to them.
posted by wenestvedt at 8:57 AM on February 27, 2020 [11 favorites]

Meh, I'm not downplaying the value of peer counseling/support, but no one's life problems are theoretical. Figuring out how to deal with one's life problems without abusing alcohol or drugs in a society where they are widely available and, in some cases, a vital part of the entire social structure, is not a theoretical exercise for anyone.

(Also there's a problem in the industry, which is exploitative in a lot of ways, with semi-at-best-credentialed, otherwise unemployable people in recovery crowding into underpaid counselor roles that they aren't necessarily even ready for yet and which expose them to a lot of the temptations they're probably better off avoiding.)
posted by praemunire at 9:26 AM on February 27, 2020 [4 favorites]

I know this article isn't about Ultimate per se, but I love the sport and I recognize mike from those pretty famous clips. I hope he finds the proper balance in his life and is successful in his ongoing recovery.
posted by OHenryPacey at 9:47 AM on February 27, 2020

Sorry but it seems 2/27/2020, I just lost... The Game... because of your post. Thanks.
posted by symbioid at 10:26 AM on February 27, 2020

I have no idea what Ultimate is, but what jumped out at me is that he wrote the essay about himself in the third person - that's rather a red flag, it's what people do when they don't want to be aware of their feelings and their situation.

He also seems to be struggling with a need for external validation. It sounds like it would be really horrible to be inside his head. I hope he finds a way to feel better and accept and care for himself better.
posted by Jane the Brown at 6:59 AM on February 29, 2020