DKS
Circus in Toronto will continue if mayor doesn't get help
Posted on: 11/11/2013 08:31
I believe Mayor Rob Ford is an alcoholic. I’m not an addictions expert, but the words I am hearing from Mayor Ford cause me to draw that conclusion, based on my experience of alcoholism.
Over the last few years, the activities of Toronto Mayor Rob Ford have attracted the attention of local, national and now the global media.
After all, it’s not every day that the mayor of the largest city in Canada walks off a city hall elevator and says to the media. “Yes, I have smoked crack cocaine.”
Now the elephant in the living room has been named. What was alleged is now confirmed. And Mayor Ford wants to put it in the past and move on.
And no, he will not resign or step aside.
There is an old joke which says “Denial isn’t just a river in Egypt.” And this is denial. Simple alcoholic denial. It’s called stinking thinking in the language of AA.
In Mayor Ford’s own words, “Yes I have smoked crack cocaine. But no — do I? Am I an addict? — No. have I tried it? Probably in one of my drunken stupors, approximately about a year ago. I answered your question. You ask the question properly, I’ll answer it. Yes, I’ve made mistakes. All I can do now is apologize and move on.”
If Mayor Ford can’t remember what he has done when he has been drinking, that’s called an alcoholic blackout. And it’s another sign of serious addiction problem.
Mayor Ford’s words again. “All I can say is I’ve made mistakes, and you guys kept referring to alcohol. There was a couple isolated incidents.”
More denial. But the public record is littered with occasions when Mayor Ford was visibly, nastily intoxicated. There are videos, reports and witnesses. Then there are the apologies. “I will be forever sorry. There is only one person to blame for this, and that is myself.”
“To the residents of Toronto, I know I have let you down and I can’t do anything else but apologize and apologize, and I’m so sorry.”
“Again, I sincerely, sincerely, sincerely apologize.”
These words are hollow; empty. I am sure Mayor Ford feels some remorse. But he will drink again. He has admitted he will. On his radio show, with his brother Doug, who made excuses for Mayor Ford’s behaviour (this is called “enabling”, by the way), the mayor said he would continue drinking.
“No one’s saying: ‘Rob, don’t have a drink ever again.’ Curb the drinking, not out in public, you can stay in your basement, have a few pops. That’s it. You’re on call when you’re out there with the people of Toronto, you’re representing Toronto, that’s the way it’s going to be moving forward.”
Mayor Ford responded, “Absolutely, I’ve just gotta maybe slow down on my drinking. I don’t know what else I can say, I don’t know what else I can say.”
Until Mayor Ford admits that alcohol has control over him and his life, nothing will change.
Until Rob Ford admits he is powerless and needs help, including the help of a higher power, the circus in Toronto will continue.
But let’s not forget that none of us are innocent, either. A colleague of mine, The Reverend David Allen, said in social media this week, “The Rob Ford saga is incredibly sad on so many levels. When he said, ‘God bless the people of Toronto,’ people laughed, as did I, because of the absurdity of the statement. How did God suddenly get dragged into this mess?! But the situation is a direct challenge for us to pray for people in pain, people who can’t make good decisions, people who need help but are unable to ask for it. People like me, maybe people like us. He’s still a terrible mayor, but I can’t dismiss him as if he’s not part of who we are.”
For all that Rob Ford is, he is still one of us. And for that I offer my prayers for him, his family and the people of Toronto.
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