Posted on 08/14/2014 9:42:44 AM PDT by EveningStar
How Robin Williams 'fell off the wagon on set of recent TV series and demanded real alcohol instead of props' - as Broadway theaters dim their lights for one minute in his memory
Robin Williams fell off the wagon not long before his suicide when he demanded real alcohol during shooting of his failed TV series, insiders say.
According to Page Six, the 63-year-old funnyman asked for booze during a scene shot inside an LA restaurant in May 2013 as he begrudgingly returned to the small screen in The Crazy Ones.
As more of the details of the tragic actors final years, months and days are revealed, Williams' old pals on Broadway paid tribute to the legend by dimming their marquees for one minute.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
I’m surprised he lasted as long as he did.
Once I learned that Williams was drinking again, it didn’t surprise me that he committed suicide. Active alcoholics die ugly deaths. To me, Williams’ situation shows the tragedy of taking something as critical (to an alcoholic) as sobriety for granted after 20 years of sobriety. You don’t get sober and then everything is OK. You have to work at it year after year. But once you stop working at it, its easy to go back, with ugly results.
Which is the cause, and which is the effect? It’s not easy to tell.
People with mental health problems often self-medicate with alcohol, or street drugs. (Yes, that usually only makes things worse.)
Well you got right 99 and 9/10ths per cent friend which is more than most do.Good on you. You have to work at sobriety one day at a time because all anyone has, alcoholic or not is the 24 hours God gives us everyday. Williams was either unable or willing to that. The other dangerous fallacy is the ‘’relapse’’ bit. There is no such thing as a ‘’relapse’’. If I went out a drank right now after 24 years sober it’s because I’m still drinking and the previous 24 years was just me waiting to get the bartenders attention , as it were, or finding my car keys to drive to the liquor store.
And some people with mental illness don’t drink at all.
Assuming that he was indeed sober for 20 years. The thought of having to do all the work all over again just to get sober again, couldn’t have helped his state of mind.
34 years sober and still respect the power alcohol could have over me, if I allowed it back in my life.
I believe you are correct.
But, according to my (ex) Son-in-law, who is recovered and clean for at least 10 years and who is very, very active in AA, the success rate is only 5 to 10 percent. That seems very low and, if true, very sad.
What is your experience? What percentage would you quote for an AA "success rate"?
I thank God that the only things I’ve ever insisted on consuming in spite of knowing that they were bad for me are steak and chocolate.
Couldn’t quote you an exact figure friend. Not once in 24 years have I ever again picked up a drink. But it would all come to nothing if I picked up a drink today. I just keep going back like they told me to. Don’t drink, go to meetings that’s what I do. But yes you’re correct, many don’t make it. But most do if they have the capacity to be honest.
Amen to that. Alcohol. Cunning, baffling, insidious.
It seems like Robin Williams was very angry. Many times depression is anger turned inwards. He was angry that he had to do shows he didn’t want to do because of his money situation. He was angry that his show was cancelled. Sadly it seems he made a lot of bad choices in his personal life. Anger unchecked is very dangerous.
I was on a jury in a 1st degree murder trial. The killer met the victim at AA and they went drinking after the meeting. The shooting ensued afterwards.
Oh wow so you continue to go to meetings? Forgive my ignorance I thought there would be a point where you wouldn’t have to, especially after decades of sobriety.
AMEN to all that.
I’m a friend of Bill W. I found AA meetings and living the 12 steps better than “AL anon” for me so that’s where I went every Friday for many many years. It was also helpful and supportive for my brother who is an alcoholic.
There is nothing better than AA. And it is typically PRIDE that keeps someone away.
It’s when you stop going to meetings that the trouble starts. An alcoholic alone is in a bad neighborhood.
Not only for your own good...but for the good of others.
“alcoholism” or drug addiction is escapism from life circumstances someone is unhappy with, cannot see how to change, has trouble adjusting to, has ill feelings about the whole thing such that they want to drown the feelings in the escape into the effects of drugs or alcohol
what comes first is a set of life circumstances, not a drug or alcohol
what has to still be resolved even if/when the drug/alcohol can be kicked is the inability to cope that started it all
many people have and end with the same root problem without ever giving in to alcohol or drugs; they are no happier than the alcoholic or the drug addict, they just did not add that problem to their life’s issues
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