Congratulations, Brad Johnson, you did the right thing:
Former Montana Secretary of State Brad Johnson, a Republican candidate for the Public Service Commission, pleaded guilty Tuesday to drunken driving and said he's checking himself into a monthlong alcohol treatment program.
"It's time for me to get help with a problem that I haven't been able to deal with myself," he said Tuesday.
Johnson also said he has suspended his campaign for public service commissioner in District 5, which covers six counties that include Helena, Kalispell, Polson and the Rocky Mountain Front....
"I made a huge error in judgment May 20th," Johnson said in a statement. "I decided to drive from Bozeman to Helena while I was under the influence of alcohol. ... This has truly been a life-changing experience for me. I will take any and all steps necessary to assure that I never place myself in this situation again."
Johnson's initial reaction to his arrest was to claim he had a "few sips" -- a kind of breezy dismissal of a DUI that seems to be common among the state's conservative politicos -- so it's good to see him man up, admit he's got a problem, and do something about it. I sincerely hope, for his sake and his family's, that treatment works out for him, and he successfully navigates his way through the long road to recovery.
Johnson's acknowledgment that he's an alcoholic and is checking himself into treatment made me think that these patterns of denial I've ascribed to Republican chutzpah may have other, more insidious roots. A quick Google search on "alcoholism denial" turned up this page, "Denial -- A Symptom of Alcholism?" with this passage:
As the disease progresses and his drinking begins to cause real problems in his life, remarkably the denial likewise increases. Even though his sprees have gotten him into some real trouble, he denies it has anything to do with his drinking. Some say this is purely a defense mechanism.
How is this possible? Usually by the time the disease has gotten to the crisis point, he has developed a support system of family and friends who unwittingly enable him to continue in his denial.
Because they love the affable, clever and witty alcoholic, they act to protect him by covering for him, doing the work that he doesn't get done, paying the bills that he doesn't pay, rescuing him from his scrapes with the law, and generally taking up the responsibilities he has abandoned.
Sound familiar? Remind you of anyone? |
