Roughly 10% of the American population consists of alcohol and other-drug addicts. Yet, most people might identify only three or four friends, associates and family members as likely addicts, even though they know several hundred people. Who are the several dozen hidden alcoholics and how do we identify them?
Doug Thorburn's work shows that addicts can be spotted by their behaviors long before the addiction becomes obvious. In particular, they engage in misbehaviors--unethical and criminal ones. No one--not even Thorburn—would have suspected
Tiger Woods of addiction, but serial adultery is just the sort of behavior he looks for. As he points out in
Alcoholism Myths and Realities: Removing the Stigma of Society's Most Destructive Disease, addiction is no impediment to extraordinary success. Below is the complete text of Doug Thorburn's article about the Tiger Woods controversy.
Tiger Woods Shows Behavioral Indications of Alcoholism © 2009 by Doug Thorburn
One of the great unheralded clues to alcohol and other-drug addiction detailed in my book,
How to Spot Hidden Alcoholics: Using Behavioral Clues to Recognize Addiction in its Early Stages, is sexual compulsion. It's often ignored as a sign of deeper underlying problems because it's viewed as a stand-alone disorder by most. Yet, because roughly 50% of the sexually compulsive are addicted to alcohol or other drugs, it's actually a clear indication of substance addiction.
Tiger Woods is, unfortunately, exhibiting this symptom. Worse, there are reports of throwing tantrums on the golf course. When added to an obvious sexual compulsion, rage and anger dramatically increase the odds of alcoholism, as do bizarre acts such as an automobile accident that has no rational explanation for its occurrence.
Many recovering addicts admit they committed serial adultery when they used. Very few non-addicts commit such acts. The rub in identifying addicts before outing themselves, however, lies in proof of use. The use of drugs to enhance sexual experience, while far more common among addicts, is probably fairly normal for non-addicts as well. And, as pointed out in my book, Drunks, Drugs & Debits: How to Recognize Addicts and Avoid Financial Abuse, we can only get up to 80% odds of addiction by behaviors alone.
We now seem to have some semblance of proof of use by Tiger Woods. Contrary to early reports, it is now said he may have been drinking alcohol before his accident. At least one of his mistresses reports that he liked having sex while using Ambien. In addition, he reportedly has a prescription for Vicodin. When taken alone and in normal doses, the use of each of these psychotropic drugs does not support the case for addiction, but when used in conjunction with each other the arithmetic changes. Due to potentiation, a single dose of two different drugs produces a far greater high than a double-dose of one drug.
Tiger Woods has brought in billions for his sponsors and various golf tours, which has encouraged handlers to enable misbehaviors for economic reasons. The carefully stage-managed image has come crashing down, with his dream of becoming the greatest and most admired golfer of all time falling victim to sexual desires and possible addictions. Even if he breaks all their records he has lost the opportunity to be as beloved by fans as Jack Nicklaus, Ben Hogan and Bobby Jones.
If he is simply a serial adulterer who throws tantrums and gets into an accident for which the best explanation is having had an argument with his wife at two in the morning, he may need to be treated therapeutically. On the other hand, if he has the disease of alcoholism the remedy is sobriety. The symptoms, especially the apparent serial adultery, indicate a high probability of alcoholism. If Tiger has alcoholism, these symptoms will dissipate once he's clean and sober. Only then will his fans will have the Tiger back who they know and love.
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Doug Thorburn, author of four books on addiction, is one of the foremost experts in identifying early-stage alcoholism based on behavior patterns. He provides continuing education for chemical dependency professionals, including members of the California Association for Alcohol and Drug Educators (CAADE), the California Association of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselors (CAADAC), and the California Association of Drinking Driver Treatment Programs (CADDTP).
TO COMMENT to the author, send your email via the website,
http://www.preventragedy.com or write to Doug Thorburn, P.O. Box 7777, Northridge, CA 91327-7777
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