Archive for August, 2009
Diane Schuler: A Tragic Case of Hidden Alcoholism
Diane Schuler’s husband, Daniel Schuler, told investigators that everything seemed fine when she left a Sullivan County, New York campground with her 2-year-old daughter, 5-year-old son and three young nieces at 9:30 a.m. on July 26. He was going fishing, while his wife was heading home. When he heard from police a few hours later that she was involved in a wrong-way head-on collision that killed everyone in both vehicles except for the 5-year-old, he—and the press—had no idea what could have possibly gone wrong. For days, cops and family members were “baffled” about what made her drive so recklessly.
Six other drivers called 911 before the collision, as she straddled two lanes, tailgated, ...
George Sodini proves, in a case of mass murder, that we cannot predict how destructive an alcoholic may become, or when
Runners-up for top story of the month:
Systems analyst and loner George Sodini, 48, who walked into a Pittsburgh gym, shooting and killing 3 women, wounding 9 women, terrifying dozens of others and then killing himself. In his personal blog, he recounted years of loneliness and rejection, along with his plans for committing mass murder, which he delayed twice. He knew that liquid courage was required for him to pull it off. He wrote on May 5: “To pull the exit plan [i.e., murder-suicide] off, it popped into my mind to just use some booze….I stopped at Shop N Save and got a fifth of vodka and a small bottle of Jack Daniels. I haven't had a drink since September 1, ...
Former centerfielder Lenny Dykstra, bankrupt alcoholic and pro-football Hall of Famer Bruce Smith, charged with DUI–yet again.
Former New York Mets and, later, Philadelphia Phillies centerfielder Lenny Dykstra filing for bankruptcy the day before his mansion was to be auctioned in a foreclosure sale. Dykstra, who reported an estimated $58 million in net worth as recently as early 2008, listed less than $50,000 in assets against $10-$50 million in liabilities. His storied career includes a DUI after demolishing his Mercedes roadster in 1991 in a 1 a.m. spin-out with his BAL at .179 percent, an arrest for making sexual advances to a 17-year-old worker at his Simi Valley car wash in 1999 (for which he was later cleared), being the target of at least two dozen legal actions since 2007 and a business empire that appears to ...
Addict v. addict: Jesse James Hollywood convicted of murdering a likely addicted kid and American Idol contestant Alexis Cohen, addict, killed by Daniel Bark, addict. It’s more common than you think.
Jesse James Hollywood, runner-up in the June 2009 TAR, convicted of first-degree murder in the 2000 slaying of 15-year-old Nicholas Markowitz even though he didn’t pull the trigger. The jury found that “friends,” eager to clear the books of drug debts, followed his orders to kill by shooting Markowitz nine times. The gun, which was buried with Nicholas, belonged to Hollywood. One journalist reporting the conviction reminded readers that the case inspired the 2006 movie “Alpha Dog,” which “depicted a dark side of middle-class suburbia, a world of frequently stoned young people who were willing to take orders from a criminal mastermind.” Correct me if I’m wrong, but this seems to imply that this middle-class world consists of stoners taking ...
Second-in-command of the California prison system, Scott Kernan, and a police chief, David Baker, both prove that alcoholism explains any misbehaviors that close people may observe.
Scott Kernan, 47, appointed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in November 2008 as undersecretary for prison operations for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, suspended for six weeks without pay as punishment for driving his state-provided car while under the influence. Kernan, whose position places him as the second-ranking administrator of California’s prison system, says he is “deeply remorseful” and will plead guilty. But Mr. Kernan, will you seek sobriety? And will you begin to inspire those serving under you to do the same?
Alexandria, Virginia police chief David Baker, arrested on charges of DUI after crashing his unmarked city vehicle. Baker’s blood alcohol level was .19 percent, for which anyone Baker’s age, 58, is almost certain proof of alcoholism. Baker ...
We often can’t prove addiction in corrupt public figures. However, addiction is the best explanation for the behaviors of attorneyMarc Dreier, former Congressman William Jefferson, a bunch of rabbis and officials in New Jersey and New York, and a couple of Ponzi operators named Bravata and Trabulsy.
Under watch:
In an early 2009 piece on white collar crime, The Economis magazine mentioned something those who have read my books would predict: “Many [Club Fed and other white collar] prisoners suddenly discover, post-conviction, that they had a drinking problem….” I would add that those who don’t figure this out might benefit from greater introspection. In the spirit of The Economist’s discovery, a litany of recent cases follow for which the evidence of alcoholism is in the crime itself.
Disgraced lawyer Marc Dreier, sentenced to 20 years after admitting to selling $700 million in fake promissory notes and to stealing client funds. Dreier, who was featured in the January 2009 TAR “under watch” section, explained that his crimes “in part” grew ...
Lily Burk: possible victim of the War on Drugs, incompetence (and naivete)
Alcoholic victim of the month:
Lily Burk’s body was found in a car in downtown Los Angeles. Her neck had been slashed a bit over 12 hours earlier. Shortly after her murder, Charlie Samuel, 50, was apprehended for public intoxication and having a crack pipe in his pocket. Two days later, Samuel was charged with Burk’s murder after police matched his fingerprints with those found in the car. Samuel was a drug addict with a “colorful” criminal history, including convictions for assault with a deadly weapon, kidnapping and robbery. He was given early parole because California’s prisons are arguably filled with too many non-violent offenders and, while he should have been tried and convicted on a third strike under California’s “three ...
Sarah Palin’s resignation: the inexplicable explained by addiction in close people.
Co-dependent of the month:
Former Vice-Presidential candidate Sarah Palin, who announced she is resigning as Alaska’s governor without an explanation that makes sense. When something doesn’t make sense, addictionologists know that addiction likely lurks just beneath the surface. Evidence supporting the idea that Palin’s reaction is to alcoholism in those close includes: 1. Daughter Bristol has been reported to be a dope-smoking underage drinker and party girl. 2. Bristol’s estranged boyfriend, with whom she bore a son, appears to consume alcohol and other drugs addictively. 3. The boyfriend’s mother Sherry was arrested and charged with six felony drug charges late last year. Addiction sheds light on the behaviors of many politicians. The behaviors of many non-addicted politicians could be explained by ...
Woman sets fire to man’s nether parts. Well, it’s one way to disenable.
Disenabler of the month:
Marina Fanouraki of Crete, who turned herself in to police, asserting she acted in self-defense by setting fire to a 20-year-old Briton’s genitals after repeated advances were flouted. The intoxicated male, Stuart Feltham, had taken his pants down and was “waving” his genitals at women in a bar at the seaside resort of Malia, Greece, which boasts a tad over 6,000 permanent residents and 63 bars. Not surprisingly, Malia is notorious for attracting young people (especially Brits) looking for bacchanalia, but I digress. After he “forcefully fondled” the 26-year-old woman and asked her to take hold of his genitals, she responded by “soaking” them in liquor. Much to his later regret, she claims he persisted. She allegedly ...
Kid Rock admits to his alcoholism and Josh Hamilton tells the world he acts badly when he drinks.
Admission of the month:
Kid Rock, telling Q Magazine after being sentenced to anger management classes, “I think that the judge made a mistake when he sentenced me. I think he probably should have sent me to Alcoholics Anonymous because I do have a drinking problem….None of these fights would have ever occurred without drinking.”
Quote of the month:
Texas Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton, admitting to drinking at a bar where compromising pictures were taken last January, explained that if he thinks he can have one or two drinks it inevitably snowballs to 10 or 12. In the words of a fellow alcoholic: “I'm allergic to alcohol. Every time I drink it, I break out in orange jumpsuits and handcuffs.” Hamilton has otherwise ...
Sometimes, it takes an addict: Informercial king Billy Mays
Sometimes, it takes an addict:
TV infomercial king Billy Mays, dead from heart disease—with “cocaine use” listed as a contributing cause of death. Vicodin, Oxycodone, Xanax, Valium and alcohol were also found in Mays’ system. Mays, who was known for shouting in an abrasive manner while promoting OxiClean, Orange Glo and other household cleaning and maintenance products, had been in chronic pain for more than two years and was about to have his third hip surgery within 18 months. According to his (second) wife, Deborah Mays, prescription pain medications were at doctor-recommended usage levels. However, the labels on pains meds explicitly warn against the use of alcohol which, if ignored, is an excellent indicator of alcoholism. In addition, as explained in ...
Party girl’s mother could be an addict, too.
19-year-old addict
Dear Doug:
My 19-year-old cousin had a rough road through adolescence and a tough time in high school, but graduated. Her graduation party, however, was unpleasant.
She barely acknowledged any of her guests except for several friends she left with to “take a walk.” They returned after at least an hour, laughing, cursing and carrying on, inhaling all the food they could find. Oh, and their eyes were bloodshot and they reeked of dope and booze. Her mother, my aunt, joked about their absence and their having the “munchies.”
For my cousin’s graduation gift, I purchased tickets to an event with the intention of taking her. Now I don’t want to go with her. I’m wondering if I should just give her ...
Can I believe a party animal with a 5-month old? Dear Annie fails to identify the obvious–again.
Dear Doug
Worthless bastard
Dear Doug,
I recently married my boyfriend, Danny, with whom I have a 5-month-old baby. Danny has promised to end his ways of partying with friends and to spend more time at home, but nothing has changed despite his many promises.
Danny sleeps until noon and doesn’t help with the household chores. We argue almost every day. I’m trying to keep things together for the sake of the baby, but I think a man who keeps breaking his promises is a liar. Would it be best for the baby if we leave him?
Signed,
Struggling newlywed
Dear Codependent,
Incredibly, other columnists might ask if Danny has a job and is helping to support the family. We know he’s spending any income he might earn ...
40,000 Russians die yearly of alcohol poisoning. With myths like this, it’s no wonder.
“Russian man survives drinking 8 bottles of vodka.”
So read the headline about a Russian man who “miraculously” survived drinking eight bottles of vodka, in which it was reported that the percentage of alcohol in his blood was at least twice the lethal dose. Sorry, I thought, but eight bottles is far more than twice a lethal dose. Then I read, “The man’s blood tests showed that he had drunk at least four liters, or eight bottles of vodka.” Ok I figured, at least they were small (roughly 16-ounce) bottles. Still, I surmised, 132 ounces is too much. Reading further, I learned that the “man’s bulk” saved him, since our alcoholic “hero” is “two meters’ tall and weighs over 100 kilos.” ...
The myths surrounding Heath Ledger: custody battle, exhaustion, flu–anything but poly-drug addiction.
“It was the custody battle ‘that really made Heath snap.”
So said actor Heath Ledger’s mentor, Terry Gilliam, in a Vanity Fair interview. Gilliam essentially claimed that the unraveling of a romance with Michelle Williams, resulting in a custody battle over their child, led to Ledger’s fatal overdose.
Yes, stress can lead to relapse or heavier-than-usual drug use by addicts. But any addict can overdose. It’s one of the risks associated with addictive use, especially poly-drug addiction, regardless of levels of stress.
The article also asserted that “chronic insomnia may have led to his death,” along with, according to vocal coach Gerry Grennell, who worked and lived with Ledger during the filming of “The Dark Knight,” “a combination of exhaustion, sleeping medication…and perhaps ...
Drunk officer-in-training stays on the school board. Great for kids.
Alcoholic Antic-of-the-Month
“ANOTHER FINE MESS HE'S GOTTEN HIMSELF INTO: A conservation officer from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources stopped a boater on the Geist Reservoir at 11:00 p.m. for failing to have working navigational lights. The boater ‘repeatedly’ told the DNR officer he was a police officer and demanded ‘professional courtesy,’ the DNR officer said, but he gave a citation to Adam Goldstein, 37, anyway. Allegedly angered, Goldstein went home, changed into his Lawrence Township police officer uniform -- he was in training as an unpaid reserve officer -- grabbed a squad car from the station, and drove it to the Geist Marina to confront the DNR officer. The officer arrested Goldstein for public intoxication. Prosecutors have added other charges, ...