Michael's Essay -- Rob Ford; politics and the challenge of substance abuse

This is a quote from a politician named Ford: "I liked alcohol. It made me feel warm. And I loved pills. They took away my tension and my pain."

Those words were written in 1987 by the former First Lady of the United States, Betty Ford.

It was a stunning admission at the time. Yet Americans came to respect, even love Mrs. Ford after she talked about her addictions. 

The Betty Ford Center in California has treated thousands of people, many of them celebrities, addicted to pills or alcohol or both. There isn't a family in this country, including my own, which hasn't been touched by the twin afflictions of either alcoholism or  drug addiction.

It has been estimated that nearly five per cent of the population suffers from alcohol abuse. Politics and journalism are two fields of endeavour where alcoholism is or was an occupational hazard. It used to be a matter of great celebration for newspaper reporters to haunt their press clubs and drink heavily into the small hours. 

In what seems to be following upon the apparent disintegration of the mayor of Toronto, a number of his most loyal supporters are urging him to seek some kind of  help to battle whatever demons may be driving him.

The mayor has resisted such appeals. You can understand why. To publicly admit to debilitating substance abuse must be one of life's most difficult challenges.

There's always the chance, slimmer by the hour, that addiction or substance abuse is not at the centre  - or at least a part of -  the Ford debacle. If that's the case, the situation is even more appalling - the fruit of high-drama pigheadedness and hubris. 

Incidentally, one of the least pleasant of human characteristics is our habit of taking delight in the pain of others. The Germans call it schadenfreude; we all do it. I've done it myself at certain points during the Toronto political horror show. In football, it's called piling on.

Gore Vidal liked to say, "It's not enough that I succeed; others must fail."

Addiction doesn't absolve a person, especially a public person, of responsibility for his or her actions. There comes a point when the public person has to listen to his or her advisers and relatives and look for help. To run, to hide, to prevaricate, to pass the blame to others, only serves to exacerbate both political and personal crises. 

The late and great governor of Texas Ann Richards, said that she drank to ease the pain of living. It didn't work.

She said: "When I was a practicing alcoholic, I didn't have full control over using and changing my mind. Sobriety has freed me to deal with failure and never give up."