You don’t recover from an addiction by stopping use. You recover by creating a new life where it is easier not to use.–AddictionsandRecovery.org
For the last couple of weeks, media has been abuzz about Ted Williams, the homeless man with the “golden voice†who was catapulted into the national spotlight when his resonant baritone was captured on video and showcased on YouTube. In less than a week, Williams went from living behind an abandoned Columbus-Ohio gas station and hawking his vocal gift as a panhandling gimmick (including the reference to God that is standard operating procedure) to doing a voiceover for a Kraft Macaroni & Cheese commercial at a major college bowl game. In addition, he’s been given a job and a house by the Cleveland Cavaliers, reunited with his 90-year-old mother and offered voiceover work and other job opportunities by everyone from NFL Films to Oprah Winfrey’s OWN. Along the way, he’s been getting more media exposure than a Hollywood starlet on the eve of a blockbuster movie premier, including appearances on The Today Show, CBS Evening News with Katie Couric, CNN, Good Morning America and both Leno and Letterman. Of course, he’s still a hot topic where it all started–in social media. In fact, in addition to more videos spreading over the Internet over the past several days, he’s established profiles on both Twitter (@TedWilliamsOhio) and Facebook.
The headlines sound less like news reports than Hollywood hype: “The Man with the Golden Voice! It’s the Feel Good Story of the Year!â€
Well, to be perfectly honest, unless Williams really gets the help he needs as a long-term homeless person and drug addict with multigenerational family dysfunction, I’m not so sure this story will have a happy ending. Don’t get me wrong: I’m thrilled when Williams or anyone else gets a great opportunity to overcome difficult circumstances. Particularly as a Christian, I have great faith in the power of redemption and the capacity of human beings to overcome any situation, including a lifetime of misfortune and poor decisions.
My problem is that the act of redemption and overcoming is not a magical stroke of luck or an instant event, but a process, and not an easy one. The danger here is the trivialization of addiction, of which homelessness and criminal behavior are byproducts. The hard truth is this: Ted Williams is going to need far more than job offers, a free house, television appearances and YouTube to make the transition from homelessness and addiction to a productive, responsible life in recovery. Even Williams’ renewed faith in God and his mother’s reliance on prayer alone are not enough. Indeed, faith without works is dead, as the Bible says. And it’s going to take a lot of work by Williams if the miracle of his recovery is to be truly manifested.
With rare exceptions, the fairytale of the Ted Williams story being promoted by national media has obscured some inconvenient truths:
We’re taking Williams’ word for it that he’s been clean for more than two years. How did he achieve this? And what does he mean by clean? With all due respect to Williams, drug counselors, active addicts, their family and friends and even those in recovery will tell you that addicts are not to be trusted, that lying (including sincere and insistent expressions of obedience to and faith in God) is so much a part of being an addict that even they believe what they are saying. Unless Williams has been regularly drug tested over the past two years, I don’t believe he is credible enough to be taken at his word.
Even if he is clean, then he’ll have to do a lot of work to guard against a relapse. What happens when he becomes frustrated with work or is confronted with the anger and resentment of his children? Or what happens when he gets the urge to relapse with a couple of hundred dollars, not just one or two bucks, in his pocket? Has Williams been equipped with the tools and support system he’ll need to avoid a devastating relapse–one sure to be reported on as aggressively as his phoenix-like rise from homelessness? According to some experts, an addict has to stay clean for at least five years before the chance of a relapse diminishes.
We’re assuming that, having been clean for two years, Williams is miraculously ready to live happily ever after as a productive citizen. If only it were that easy. Williams has the hard task ahead of him of rebuilding his life. That includes coming to terms with his family, including a former wife, at least nine children and more than a dozen grandchildren–and a mother who clearly has seen this movie before and is fearful that it will end badly, again.
My point is that people don’t just suddenly become different people after years of homelessness and addiction. Everyone has someone they know and love in their circle of family and close friends who is an addict who has blown opportunity after opportunity and repeatedly disappointed people who’ve tried to rescue them with money, job offers, prayer and other forms of support. Unless Williams gets help dealing with the root causes that led him to choose a life of addiction and homelessness after what seemed like a promising radio broadcasting career with an unmistakable vocal gift, all of the jobs, media attention and prayer in the world won’t prevent him from returning to that life.
So I’ve had enough of the YouTube “miracle†and the cascade of job offers for Williams. I want to hear the story of him being offered–and accepting–the help he really needs:
- Drug rehab and counseling, including active participation in Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous.
- Regular drug testing as a condition of employment.
- Counseling for him and his family.
- Help with basic life skills, including paying bills, managing money and establishing a budget.
- A commitment to learning the skills necessary to maintain long-term recovery and avoid a relapse.
Redemption is not about the myth of instant recovery. Redemption is about demonstrating the willingness to make the changes necessary to create a new life, which is about much more than a new job and a new house. Williams has been blessed with good fortune. But I believe God is blessing us all each and every day. Miracles come as a result of our response to and cooperation with those blessings. That Williams has been granted a unique opportunity by virtue of Internet video exposure is a mere stroke of good fortune, nothing more, despite all of the media hype. Whether a true miracle ultimately results depends on what Williams does from here.
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