This is why a Sober Coach is Vital After Rehab……”Johnny, say it ain’t so…”
Well, I got “had”!
A few months ago, I posted a very positive blog about how great Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel was doing. He had played horribly during his rookie NFL season in 2014. He was missing meetings, curfews and really stinking it up on the field. Pictures, videos and player accounts showed that Johnny was spending more time drinking and partying than he was spending in the Cleveland Browns playbook. It almost seemed as if he thought he was still in a frat house at Texas A&M. It appeared that something clicked in Mr. Manziel’s head after the 2014 season and it was advertised that he checked himself into rehab. After a semi-lengthy stay in an anonymous rehab, Johnny came out a ‘different” man. Or so it seemed. Team mates and coaches claimed Johnny was a changed man. His play during training camp, preseason and the first few games of the 2015 season all seemed to support this claim. Rehab, and only rehab, seemed to have worked. Until this week!
Two nights ago, Avon, Ohio police pulled Mr. Manziel over after receiving a call that two people were fighting as driving down the road. Once the officer made contact with the vehicle he noticed an odor of alcohol and observed markings on the female passenger who turned out to be Manziel’s girlfriend from Texas Christian University. Now in Manziel’s “defense” the officer agreed that her injuries happened as Manziel tried keep her from jumping out of a moving car!
Now this doesn’t explain the drinking, especially while operating a vehicle. This doesn’t explain being intoxicated on a weekday night while trying to help keep your team in a playoff hunt. As NFL quarterbacks are dropping like flies this year, Johnny is one hit away from being “given the keys” to a NFL franchise again. No pun intended.
Is this beginning of another downward spiral? Can he function over a long period of time on his own? Or would his sobriety have a better shot if he had a sober coach with him for an extended period of time after rehab stints. Addicts think at times that ” I got this” and nothing could be further from the truth. After the “newness” and “excitement” of rehab wears off, an addict can easily revert back to harmful and counter productive habits. This appears to be Mr. Manziel’s present path choice. We can only hope that Johnny and the people around him realize that he needs positive reinforcement after rehab. Manziel can find this at Top Rated Addiction Recovery and Sober Coaching Services and you can read more on this story at http://www.newsnet5.com/sports/police-report-johnny-manziel-pulled-over-during-domestic-argument-admits-to-drinking