Not exactly what I was hoping to hear. If he keeps getting these temptations, I'm afraid he'll give in. With Ronnie's inability to stay healthy, we need him. I was glad that he refused it but it still worries me that after all he's gone through, he's tempted by it.

 

if you quit, you most def get temptations and are VERY hard to ignore them...no matter what you go through you will always be tempted to. i give him a lot of props for not giving in because its harder than a lot of people think...

 

I gave up smoking 4 years ago after 15 years of smoking. I still get temptations. I don't do it, but people ask me do I still feel the urge and the answer is yes.

Now if I can only give up this crack habit ... :D

 

The fact he came out and admitted his temptation tells me he's honestly trying. Good on ricky for his honesty with his addiction. Not many people, let alone sports stars would openly discuss it.

 

the thing i love about ricky is the thing that has gotten him in trouble. he is so honest. there is none of those standard cliche lines that 99% of football players use when talking with reporters. he is so genuine as a human being, its really refreshing to see.

 

Are'nt some things better left unsaid, i find this to be ridiculous, if you cant resist pot for your career then you don't have a disease, your just a moron. What the hell man...

 

I'm sorry but this is funny as hell to me. Is he asking for a drug test? Why would you come out and say such a thing. Otherwise, my advice would be to tote it - just avoid being caught. I mean, seriously. Who cares. We're talking marijuana, not anything major like cigarettes.

Do you honestly believe that? :lol:

 

what are you talking about? he did resist it...no matter what you think almost everyone who quits gets tempations no matter their career..he fought the temptations, but you call him a moron?:dunno:

 

For an addict to speak openly about his cravings is a huge step for most recovery.

And DJ, if you ever had someone close to you who has had an addiction to a substance, you would know that people without an addiction, have no clue what their going through.

The problem is addiction takes out common sense, so things that seem logical like family, money, career, respect to most people, doesn't matter to addicts. In fact, i've learned that if a majority of addicts succumbed to their craving, they would take the substance of choice over air to breathe. Thats a perspective that they live and fight against, every moment of everyday.

Just what i learned from a close person to me who has had to battle an addiction, and it affected everyone around that person. And it may seem easier as time goes on, but one thing is certain, you'll always be battling it, it never goes away. It can resurface many many years later.

 

The above is very untrue if we're talking about marijuana.

Now if you're speaking on cocaine, heroin, or something like that, then OK.

 

Why is that?

 

To talk to the media about your urges for smoking pot is stupid, plain and simple, the fact that he did this interview makes me worry more then it makes me feel good.

If he does'nt do it while hes playing then fine he is not a moron, but to give leverage to the media was not smart.

Hes a grown man, i do not have sympathy for him because he can't smoke. and i do not wanna hear about your urges to smoke POT.

 

No one would argue that marijuana is as addictive as alcohol or cocaine. However, it's wrong to say that it is not at all addictive. More and more studies are finding that marijuana has addictive properties. Both animal and human studies show physical and psychological withdrawal symptoms from marijuana, including irritability, restlessness, insomnia, nausea and intense dreams. Tolerance to marijuana also builds up rapidly. Heavy users need 8 times higher doses to get the same effects as infrequent users.

For a small percentage of people who use it, marijuana can be highly addictive. It is estimated that 10% to 14% of users will become heavily dependent. More than 120,000 people in the US seek treatment for marijuana addiction every year. Because the consequences of marijuana use can be subtle and insidious, it is more difficult to recognize signs of addiction. Cultural and societal beliefs that marijuana cannot be addictive make it less likely for people to seek help or to get support for quitting.



Health Education-ATOD

 

AC, were talking about pot bro...iam sorry, i just don't put it in the same context as other substances hence this article bothering the heck out of me. AND by no means should you share this info with people who could care less about you, the media will run with the story, they wanna see you fail.

I have been very supportive of ricky but admitting your urges to the media is assinine, you have control of your mouth in what you say, please dont tell me its all part of the healing process.

 

Are AA groups worthless? talking about problems such as an addiction does help, its all part of the healing process.

 

was he asking for sympathy??? please show me where he did...it was probably not smart but he was obviously asked..i dont think the media is out to get ricky anymore.

when did i ever talk about myself?

 

it is not physically addictive. you do not start getting the shakes if you try quitting...it is psychologically addictive if you let it, and ricky did let it get to his head that he needed it.

 

It puzzles the hell out of me that marijuana is even considered an 'addiction'

 

Actually, there is a lot of research out there that says they are.

 

I don't care if he talks about it with the media.

Would I do that if I was him? Hell no.

Does it matter that he did as long as he doesn't smoke? Not at all.

I could care less what he says to the media as long as he's passing those drug tests and playing well. He could announce tomorrow that he's a scientologist and getting accupuncture on his nuts for all I care.

As long as he's staying out of trouble and producing on the field, who gives a **** ?

 

lets put it this way....ITS NONE OF OUR BUSINESS OR THE MEDIA'S BUSINESS THAT HE HAS URGES.

he should keep his mouth shut when it comes to HIS URGES and making them public.

 

lets just chalk it up to him being a free spirit and being honest with his feelings....iam also a free spirit and i also learned when to keep my mouth shut when i should a long time ago.

 

Well we all know that Williams is very open about his life,so why get bent over this.

 

Why is this such a big deal?

 

Uhhh, he retired because of it, he failed a test and got suspended, and failed one more time while suspended. Is it our business? Who knows, but stuff like this is always in the media.

I agree, I smoked herb for years but never felt dependent/addicted to it. You do it like you have sex, because you liked it. It was fun. It was rebellious. But certainly less addictive than a lot of other people make it out to be. I don't doubt there are people who get addicted to it. I know a guy that got addicted to Mountain Dew. His mechanics shop was littered with cans while he got skinnier and skinnier. True Story.

Doesn't elevate it to that upper echelon of more addictive substances. But I think I am one of those who easily gives up addictive stuff, I quit cigs after 15 years cold turkey, I drink on weekends but feel no urge whatsoever to do so on weekdays.

Ricky, is addicted to it because of his mental problems. Its the mental/psychological effects. He's using it as a crutch, an aid.

 

its not like he held a presser about wanting to smoke again. i'm sure the interviewer was prying and said "do you ever get the urge to smoke?" - i say this because in his quote the first words are "most definitely"- so its not like the guy said
"what did you do/think about this bye week?"
"oh well i thought about smoking."

if he had said no he never thinks about it, the same people criticizing him now would be saying "oh that's b.s. he probably still smokes all the time lolololz". trust me, i am still bitter about what ricky did, but something i can never fault him on his is brutal honesty. as was said, its refreshing to be frank. i'd rather him tell the truth and accept he has a problem than deny it. that'll just get him thinking about it more. he said himself it barely crossed his mind.

this shouldn't be a big issue. and as far as i can tell the media isn't making a big deal out of it, save mando, but what else would we expect from him?

 

i feel ya J, in life to me its about becoming a man and acting accordingly, i understand weakness and being vunerable {been there done it}, however expressing your inner thoughts in that forum about this particular subject considering your past is innapropriate IMO.

For such a wise introspective human being it seems rather childish thats all.

 

do you?

 

So in your eyes................ he'd be more of a man, if he would of lied or not address what was being asked, and he comes off as childish to you cuzz he didn't lie or put up some fake front?

Your name isn't Bryce J. by any chance is it?

 

Wow, Breaking News, A Pothead Thinks About Getting High. Thanks for the in dept insight. I know last week was a bye week, but come on, give me something with some substance. I would expect this dribble from the Herald during the offseason.

 

I wanna smoke with ricky soooo bad......

(after he retires)

 

Then I would submit that you need to take a long look at the world in which you, and I, and everyone else lives. There are millions of addicts of some sort out there for whom their personal choice of addiction, be it drugs, alcohol, illicit sex, money, power, fancy cars, etc., drives them to the brink of self destruction, or destruction of the family. Because one is illegal, and another is not means nothing to the addictive personality. They will do anything to satisfy that which drives their personality. Admitting that one has the problem, and facing it, and not hiding it is the classic way to come to grips with the issue - whatever it is. Ricky's admission to temptation is one thing that means he is growing in understanding. The typical alcoholic or drug addict or sex addict (yes, there really is a problem of that nature) cannot control their desires and also do not admit that there is a problem. Until a problem is identified, it cannot be rectified.

 

Then don't read it! Nobody's forcing you to. ;)

If we didn't know by now, Ricky Williams is a pretty honest and open person. If you ask him a question, he's usually going to answer it. He doesn't expect sympathy, he's said as much.

And it's not like he went up to them and opened up. THEY asked HIM, probably during a line of other questioning. And you know what else? If he says 'no comment' or 'I don't want to talk about that', the beat writers are going to write something to the effect of "When asked about the current state of his struggles with marijuana, Ricky Williams declined comment."

Now what does THAT infer?

There are different types of 'men'. Some are stoic. Some are open. Some are some place in the middle. But I don't see why being honest about something that's already (shameful) public knowledge makes you any less of a man. If anything, I'd say it takes balls to admit it and open yourself up to the backlash. Being comfortable in your own skin is generally a step towards maturity.

We had a player on our team who admitted to that and talked about overcoming it (James McKnight).

Like you said, there's all kinds of addictions and different underlying reasons for them.

 

Either way, someone just assured a visit from the pee police.

 

I used to partake in the less-liked pleasentries of life. My clearance doesn't afford me the luxury of endulging, but there are definiately always temptations.

 

I agree, he sounds like a recovering addict (Which they never really recover from, its always in the back of your mind).

 

The first thing they tell addicts is to be open about it and speak about it. That takes balls. Keeping it inside is what gets them in trouble.:up:

 

PERFECT. PERFECT RESPONSE! I was about to responsd to some of this gibberish, but this is better than anything I could have posted. Beautifully said, Muck.

 

Dont really want to hear that. But wow at least he is staying off of it