The other day I said I was done with the forum & some of the "people" in it but once again compassion has compelled me to speak up.
Lamar, I care.
I met Tony when he was a 15 yr old fresh faced, clean & sober kid. There IS a good person behind the drugs. If no one in the world cared about all the people out there that have gotten themselves mixed in that stuff, the sidewalks would literally be littered with them and none would be recovering today. Luckily for them and us, most addicts have someone in their lives that care & try to help. Until the US Open, I had not seen Tony since he was maybe 17. I was away from pool for quite a few yrs and when I started coming back around pool, I heard the stories. I cared. Seeing him at the open was heartbreaking. He's younger than I am but he looks so much older. He's tried to clean up but he doesn't have a support group behind him to help him. People would rather help him find a pill so that he can play pool so they can bet on him. No one wants to help him through withdrawals or help him find a place that can help him.
Every drug addict was sober at one time and somewhere there is someone that cares about the person that is now a drug addict. I know Tony's parents. His mother is a sweet lady... I bet she cares. I bet his kids care. Lamar, maybe you only know the Tony of today....try to remember that there is a Tony of yesterday too and that some people do care.