The fallout of Gavin’s Bad Week has taken another turn, much to SFist's already bored chagrin, in that he just announced today that he's going to seek counseling for boozing. Now that "the Sopranos" is over, maybe that could be the sequel-- Dr. Melfi takes on as her new patient a handsome but troubled Mayor who breaks down everytime he sees snowy plovers by a pool. Newsom apparently told all of his Department Heads today what's up and to let them know that it won't entail him going into rehab so he'll be around to be Mayor. There goes our fantasy of him hanging with Lindsey Lohan and Mike Tyson in rehab. We also wonder if he'll do AA like Ruby did and so have to confess to everyone who he has wronged. Imagine that press conference.
Now granted, there have been rumors about Gavin boozing it up for a long time. And there have been all sorts of stories about him doing Mayoral type things while being a little incapacitated. But still, the whole "seeking counseling" thing is such a cliché-- it's always the second thing PR people tell people who've screwed up to do, right after apologizing. It's what everybody is doing whenever they get in trouble because it's a way of pretending be responsible without actually being responsible. Unless, of course, he really needs it.
Whatever-- we wish Gavin good luck anyways.
add to digg
add to stumble upon
add to reddit
email this
add to facebook
add to del.icio.us
Rehab is the new black.
-
Gav, give a call when you get here...Just to talk, of course. Just to talk...
"Unless, of course, he really needs it."
Well, he might actually need it - that's not for us to judge - but the timing peeves me. Every time a celebrity or politician gets his/her hand caught in the cookie jar, they go to rehab. It's equal parts "curing my addiction" and "saving face and keeping my job."
Rehab means never having to say you're sorry!
"Unless, of course, he really needs it."
Well, he might actually need it - that's not for us to judge - but the timing peeves me. Every time a celebrity or politician gets his/her hand stuck in the cookie jar, they go to rehab. It's equal parts "curing my addiction" and "saving face to keep my job."
Rehab means never having to say you're sorry!
After rehab, Question Time will again be pre-empted, by a New TV show called My Name is Gavin.
Delancey Street is probably one of the best community non-profits in The City, and has turned around the lives of thousands. I hope that Gavin gives it a chance.
Okay, jokes aside and Jon you are VERY FUNNY!!!
Seriously, have anyone you know or loved gone thru alcohol rehab. It is a very hard process because a lot of alcohol is in everyday things from cough syrup to that filet mignon w/fancy sauce.
Where alcohol addiction has been debilitating for Gavin it would be prudent not to make it a daily thing to watch for. There will be events where is alcohol being served don't punish him for seeking help...
Equally, the Delancy Foundation has a really good program...
Jon,
Are you blocking my posts? I don't mind, but at least tell me so's I can stop wasting my time. And, report it elsewhere.
h.
The Delancy St program requires you to live there, start from the bottom scrubbing the floors. He is not going to do any of that, this is a scam. He is a fraud.
Dan Noyes is reporting that Sup. Jake McGoldrick is calling for Newsom to resign and that the City Attorney will investigate whether or not Newsom is violating any campaign finance laws by keeping Alex Tourk on the campaign payroll.
http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=i_team&id=5006226
An anonymous source has told Fog City Journal that Senator Dianne Feinstein will ask the mayor to resign...
http://www.fogcityjournal.com/news_in_brief/newsom_rehab_070205.shtml
Geez, it's getting hard to keep track of all of these controversies. GavinWatch is trying to keep tabs of all the coverage of Gavin Newsom's drinking problem and hush-money problem.
Barbara Taylor says: "We've all seen him on numerous occasions especially late in the evening in what appears to be an intoxicated state."
Gavin tells Dan Noyes "I think I've said everything I was going to say and I think you heard I said everything I was going to say, so I respect your desire not to respect my opinions and respect my right to say everything I just said."
Meanwhile, the City Attorney is investigating if Gavin is violating campaign finance laws by paying off Alex Tourk using campaign funds.
Hey T.E. Lawrence: jinx, buy me a coke!
he be plumbjack
I'd love to hear more details about what kind of "rehab" he intends to use. It doesn't seem to require much time or committment. I think most people in the substance abuse field will be skeptical.
shall we next expect a tearful recount of abuse suffered at the hands of the local priest to explain the other poor choices?
really Gav, the timing is really bad on this announcement. the media are the only ones still banging this drum, the rest of us are just feeling a bit ill at the ever more likely prospect of your public persona splattered all over the pavement.
what does dr. pablo say from the old haight ashbury clinic about newsom's co out
God these comments are cynical. He admitted he had a problem and is seeking counseling for it he also admitted of sleeping with Alex Tourke's wife. There is alot to be said coming out and admitting you have a problem. It had to be had to come to the realization. Give him a break.
AND if you think about it .. if he didnt come out and say that he was going to rehab someone would of found out anyway
REPOST: God these comments are cynical. He admitted he had a problem and is seeking counseling for it he also admitted of sleeping with Alex Tourke's wife. There is alot to be said coming out and admitting you have a problem. It had to be hard to come to the realization. Give him a break.
'Barbara Taylor says: "We've all seen him on numerous occasions especially late in the evening in what appears to be an intoxicated state."'
Yes, Barbara, but Gavin is no longer drunk and you still resemble a collie.
All that money invested in Newsom and it is going to end up being for nothing.
In AA people dont HAVE to confess everything they have done wrong. They make amends, and when making amends , it is suggested that if doing so would harm or hurt someone that you dont do do. Instead it is suggested that people make living amends and dont repeat or practise the harmful behavior. I have seen no reference that Ruby is AA, only that her recovery program told her to tell her husband the truth. Since it seems to have affected San Francisco at large, I can only think it is not the AA program she is practising.
Alcoholism is a disease, not a joke. It impairs peoples judgement and allows for many things a person would not ordinarily do such as yell at their children, cheat on a spouse, or worse.
The amount of stigma attached once a person publically admits having a problem with alcohol is huge. It is not some joke, or excuse or anything other then a huge surrender, admitance and positive effort to make a change for wrong behaviors.
It is a beautiful thing that a public personna can say they are going to seek help in this day and age. It is monumental that we as a society understand the nature of this disease, alcohol abuse and are willing to foster people seeking help.
It is monumental. Alcoholism is a disease that effect many people. Anyone who publically says they have a problem with alcohol and is willing to seek help is putting alot on the line. It is bold not weak.
HA! Suzqzee you beat me to it.
I'm waiting for him to kneel, sobbing, in the rotunda, crying "I have sinned against you!"
And on another note, where the hell does Feinstein get off telling him to resign? She should stick to doing what she does best, kissing the ass of the right wing.
Is the Fog City Journal pulling our legs like they did with Leno? So far, their accuracy record is poor. They have an overt political agenda. Same stuff in Beyond Chron, the Guardian, or GavinWatch. Notice FCJ already sent H Brown here to threaten SFist. Just saying.
"Anyone who publically says they have a problem with alcohol and is willing to seek help is putting alot on the line. It is bold not weak."
balderdash.
Any political fool can come out and throw themselves on the mercy of their addictions.
This does not mean that many people don't sincerely do what Newsom is doing.
But Newsom's actions have personified disingenuity. He has not had to work for much in his charmed life. I don't anticipate him working very hard on this either. He does not know how to.
Rainah - I agree that the guy needs to be cut some slack, I'm really sick of hearing about this already - and I totally blame the media for hopping on it.
I think that we've all seen a few too many of the admission-to-wrong-doing-and-subsequent- announcement-of-seeking-treatment-for-alcohol-dependencies already these past few months. The timing is bad and thus the announcement seems cynical in and of itself.
I like the Gavster - I think there's more to the story than can be conveniently explained in the snippets we're allowed, but I also think that it should never have been reported.
Much like the right-wing nutties that still can't bring themselves to detach their lips from Bush's ass and admit Bush is an idiot and Iraq a clusterfuck, the Gavinites are still busy twisting themselves into pretzels to continually excuse this complete and utter waste of a Mayor.
Only in SF would anyone think a party-boy empty suit like Newsom deserves to be Mayor of one of the most important cities in the country. Pa. The. Tic.
My whole point was Alcohol Abuse is no laughing matter because in all reality we all know someone through someone else or may be the exact person who went through rehab and is not drinking or doing drugs anymore and is reading this. I personally am angry that SFist is going overboard making it into a laughing matter calling it "Rehab for Quitters" making a mochary out of Gavin's admission.
The same people who are behind this site made a mochary when someone was buried alived by sand with the title "Enter Sandman" Hasnt it gone a little far?
I said what I said because I am personally pissed that SFist has made this story into a laughing matter titling it "Rehab For Quitters" which is insensitive to its readers who might be recovering addicts themselves. We all know someone who went through rehab through a friend of a friend or a close friend of ours.
Hell SFist even made it into a laughing matter naming the story "Enter Sandman" when a homeless person was buried to death at Ocean Beach. Where are all those people now that were outraged by the name of that story?
Gavin admitted he has an alcohol abuse problem and he is doing the right thing going to rehab for it just like the "affair" last week. When you think about it Gavin IS a public figure. If it were kept hush hush then everyone would be like "Why didnt we know about this?"
Rainah- how long have you been reading SFist? Have you noticed that anytime it's remotely possible to joke about something, that's what SFist writers will do? This is not "60 Minutes" online. Take a chill pill. Gavin Newsom has had a problem for a while, has finally realized he needs to address it and will probably also eventually realize that it's been impairing his ability to govern. As all of these very serious developments slowly play out, how about remembering to smile when possible? The headline was clever and not at all insulting.
I feel sorry for those of you who are duped into thinking this is a man who seriously is seeking counseling. A person who admits to being an alcoholic seeks real profession help from a therapist. He does not make a political maneuver in seeking the Delancy street director to counsel him. She runs a center for drug addicted convicts not frat boys who drink themselves silly. I have heard of happy hour on Thursday and Friday nights but for Gavin every day is “Ruby Tuesday”. This guy is well known for his ways. Do you really want this person as your Mayor? If he were working for a company he would have been fired or put on administrative leave. But because he is perceived as a god by the half witted people who still support him he still has his job and will “drop by” delancy street for on going counseling. Let’s be real. The guy has done nothing substantive to make our life in sf more livable. He brought us shame and ridicule and will continue to disappoint. He ruined the professional career of a great young man in Alex and has devastated that family. I can’t imagine how folks think that’s forgivable. And Rainah, would you be holding his hand and anointing him with forgiveness if you just really stopped and thought about the impacts of his actions on the Tourk family? Genuine therapy is a start but something’s can’t be forgiven not even if you admit them.