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Post by mosher on May 28, 2023 13:18:51 GMT 1
Stupidity? Apparently he has been diagnosed with a gambling addiction so it isnt just a case of him claiming to have one. Addiction is a strange beast. Plenty of people can have a beer with mates, know when they've had enough, and are perfectly fine... but for some it becomes a real problem and the only way for them to beat it is complete abstention. You'll hear people talk about "addictive personality", but there are many people who have a real problem with a specific substance or behaviour but can manage their gambling or drinking in a healthy manner. Speaking as someone currently going through recovery for substance use I have to say I'm skeptical of the "addictive personality" angle- for example I drink responsibly, and have strict self-imposed limits on my gambling (the biggest bet I've ever placed was a stake of £2, mostly I do 10p accumulators, and even then only occasionally), but there's one substance that became a habit that was difficult to break despite me recognising the negative impact it was having on myself and those around me until I sought help. Whilst those who don't have a problem with a substance or behaviour might say something like "just stop, you idiot", it isn't as simple as that. I'm not sure if calling Toney "stupid" is all that helpful, but at the same time I'm not sure that ignoring the agency of an addict is helpful either. Part of recovery is taking responsibility for your mistakes. Quite a lot of addiction treatment such as the "twelve steps" programme strips the person of agency or control, and this is something that I find very uncomfortable- in particular the " to a higher power" bit which simply wouldn't work for me, and which i find dehumanising. If Toney has a problem (and given how it's affected him he clearly does, even if it isn't an "addiction" in a clinical sense) then he needs help and support and I hope he gets it. However he also needs to take responsibility for his own decisions and actions. If the revelation that he bet against his own team is true (even if he was out on loan at the time) then he's going to have to rebuild trust with Brentford fans... though if he rips the league up once he returns from his suspension, those fans will probably find it easy to forgive his past transgressions. Speaking of which, I might have a look on "Down At The Griffin" to see what the consensus is among their fans. Excellent post and have to say I agree with most of what you say, especially regards addictive personality. I had a SERIOUS problem with speed (amphetamines to the uninitiated) at one point, but have never had a problem curtailing weed usage, alcohol consumption or gambling; I can give or take all them but if I have speed I have to have shedloads and once I have it one day I'm craving it for weeks on end and have to stop myself buying more. At one point I was HAVING to take it to get through a day of work. Thankfully I didn't get too many physical withdrawal symptoms and haven't had any for quite some time. I still sometimes slip, usually while at a gig or surrounded by others doing the same, or after a heavy party night with other substances.
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