Posted on 10/23/2011 9:50:53 AM PDT by rickmichaels
Madonna's older brother is homeless, living under a bridge in remote northern Michigan.
Anthony Ciccone, 55, told the Michigan Messenger newspaper that he lost his job more than a year ago at his father Silvio's winery near Traverse City, a resort community of 14,000 on upper Lake Michigan, about 215 kilometers south of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.
Ciccone says he has been living on the street ever since.
"My family turned their back on me, basically, when I was having a hard time," Ciccone told the Messenger. "You think I haven't answered this kind of question a bazillion times — why my sister is a multibazillionaire, and I'm homeless on the street? Never say never. This could happen to anybody."
Ciccone said he eats evening meals at Traverse City churches, and his only source of income is scrounging bottles and cans to return for their deposit value, and odd jobs.
Madonna Ciccone, 53, was born and raised in southern Michigan, the third of six children to an Italian immigrant father and a mother of French-Canadian descent. Madonna left the Detroit area for New York City in 1977, at age 19, to seek fame and fortune. By 1983 she had found it. Forbes magazine this year estimated Madonna's earnings from 2007 to 2010 alone to be $280 million.
Ever participate in an "intervention" for a family member who is a substance abuser?
Do you know what the term "enabler" means when refering to someone who is a substance abuser?
The worst thing this family can do is provide Anthony with the means to continue his obvious path to destruction..........shelter included.
I would probably try to come up with a solution but its her money to do with as she pleases.
However it doesn’t sound like availability of money has done him much good in the past. Sounds to me like he needs to figure this out on his own.
I don’t think he was implying that - it was more the question of who he is and what is he doing there. If Madonna wasn’t his sister, you actually think they would interview him? LOL! He was merely saying the obvious - and what THEY were implying.
Would you ignore someone who had an addiction to eating and couldn’t get a job because of being abuse.
Would you be ok with them living in the streets in the cold?
Or do you have your preference of addictions - what’s a good one or bad one?
That's your biggest fallacy, you can't. Unless you've ever had a family member who was a hard core substance abuser, you don't know what your talking about........See post #101........
Nobody comes clean unless they want to. This site has many recovered substance abusers who can tell you that all you have cited above doesn't mean squat unless the abuser truly wants to quit their lifestyle. In many cases, the abuser never comes clean until they have hit absolute rock bottom, and in the rest of the cases, they never do and ultimately end up in the morgue.......
What substance abusers need is for them to realize what they are doing to themselves and not want to do that anymore. What this involves is "hitting bottom." What bottom is varies from person to person, but may involve living under a bridge. Once the abuser wants to change, it doesn't matter where the rehab facility is. If the abuser does not want to change, no facility will be successful.
Poor “abused substances”. Someone oughta help ‘em! Like maybe “intervene”. Or “enable” them. Poor us buying into pop psychology gibbberish that hasn’t helped anyone.
That's a ridiculous comparison, apples vs. oranges, and not even worthy of discussion.
You're way off base here if you're trying to compare someone who is a substance abuser to someone who eats too much..
And for the record, I've yet to see a morbidly obese individual living in the cold on the street or under a bridge............LOL!
After an initial intervention, yes.........
Or do you have your preference of addictions - what’s a good one or bad one?
Addictions are addictions and only the addicted can end their destructive behavior........there ain't no pill for that yet.
That is the larger point, isn't it? She certainly lectures the rest of us on being heartless. This story is rich with irony.
No one is saying they have to help themselves, that’s a given. And it doesn’t need to be said over and over as if it relieves someone of any sort of comfort for them.
This man could be trying to force relatives to somehow bank roll him. because of the adverse publicity. This in affecting his relatives, who may be seen as meanies.
I do congratulate many posters here in giving well thought examples of what could a be a "catch 22" situation. We, who do not have that kind of dilemma with a relative, can thank our lucky stars.
Obama’s Illegal Alien Aunt thinks she is entitled to our money. I guess Madonna, Multimillionaire and Liberal Obama lover is not helping out her Brother because she knows he can always go to the Government for help.
Reminds me of Sarah Jessica Parker, Multimillionaire, complaining that some of her Family members needed Government help that mean old George Bush and the Republicans weren't giving them.
If the guy has a substance abuse problem, why wouldn't Madonna treat him the way everyone in Hollywood treated poor misunderstood Junkie Robert Downey Jr.? Too bad her Brother isn't a famous actor, huh? LOL
He should head on down to Occupy Detroit.
Mikey’s from Torch Lake, but close enough.
While several posters here are blaming Madonna, they're completely ignoring the fact that Anthony has seven brothers and sisters and a father, all of whom have obviously washed their hands of him due to his problems and refusal to seek the help he needs......
Two conditons...
1.If I can help them....some people just don’t want to be helped
2.Drug addicts can be a danger
If those two conditions are not part of the deal...no deal
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