what to do about a teammate with troubles

Priority is health first. Baseball comes in about 9457th place.

Also, What does a player do if he knows his teammates may not have an "addiction" but never-
the-less are still drinking and smoking(against school/team rules as well as laws) and refuse
to listen to his requests to refrain for the good of the team?

I would hope that it would not get to the addiction stage. If it has shame on everyone for not reporting it earlier. If a teammate, or for that matter any friend is "using" it should be reported. His life or any other life he may affect by his problem shoud be of utmost importance. Remember he may be driving one of those cars Tiger Paw Mom mentioned in an earlier post. It's all inter-related within the BIG picture.

Dibble- If the problem is as severe as "addiction" suggests, I would say that you have to go beyond the kid and talk to an adult. I know this may sound like you're "ratting out" a buddy, but I assure you that you'll kick yourself for the rest of your life if something happens to him and you kept quiet to make him "feel better". Speak up...he may be upset at you, but better to have him mad than dead.
If you are his friend, save him from himself...and worry about the rest later.

If it is a teammate, friend, etc., show that you care......go with him to an AA meeting or something. If he knows that you sincerely care about him more than you do about the team he may be willing to take a first step. If he doesn't want to, then talking to his parents, a school counselor, coach, or an adult that is a big part of his life whould help to intervene.

If he is your friend/teammate I would certainly hope you would try to help him, somehow.

I know you do not want to be a tattle - tail or snitch or whatever but if the guy is destroying himself through substance abuse, there is help, but he has got to want to help himself, until he is ready all you can do is offer support and suggestions, but above all don't give up on him.

If it gets to the point where you have to go to someone else to help you help him, you just have to do it and let the chips fall where they may (tough love).

I've been a cop for nearly 30 years and trust me I've seen plenty of cases over the years, some work out ok and others do not. The bottom line is the person needing the help has got to be ready to receive help and want to get cured.

Good luck.

CV

Dibble,

I don't want to pile on to you here and I don't want to sound like I'm preaching but you have received some very sound advice in this thread. You'll notice they all advise you to do something. I had two good childhood friends that went down the path with drugs. I watched them graduate from smoking pot to taking a little speed to snorting a little coke to shooting coke to shooting heroin to shooting heroin mixed with coke. Neither one of them made to their 22nd birthday. I'm not saying that everyone that starts with smoking a little pot will end up like them but I will say that I never heard of anyone that does heroin or other hard drugs that didn't start with pot. It can spiral out of control in a very short amount of time. I'll add my advice too...do something, soon.

Over the years on hsbaseballweb, I have always been amazed when this subject is brought up. From my perspective it is VERY simple.... do something about it!

But, often the parents of the young folks involved are the biggest deterent to doing something to get these young people help.

Just think of the first round HS draft selections who have had drug/alcohol issues in the past few years. Then imagine the # of not-so-high-profile HS players who are making these bad choices and not getting the needed help from their friends/teammates and ESPCIALLY from their own parents when the problem is brought to light.

My son just recently told me of the "stud" returning pitcher at his alma mater who was arrested this past fall and charged with distributing crack cocaine.... the kid never missed one off-season baseball session and will be disciplined by the school at the same level as a student who is caught using chew tobacco.

In my world of parenting, there would not be any more baseball to get in the way of getting help for a child with this problem. Get the help first and then see if the baseball priviledge can be earned back.

The real world of baseball(college or pro)does not need any more fledgling drug problems entering the sport that has still not addressed it's already existing substance abuse issues and these young people do not need the stress of baseball at higher levels to further drive their dependence/use of drugs/alcohol.

Now my blood pressure is up for the evening!

OPP

OPP

All too often the parents want to look the other way--like it isnt happening

Thus the kid keeps pushing the envelope until it might be too late--

There has to be support from many sides-- I recall a morning when my son was in HS when one of the town police officers ran into me in the coffee shop in the morning and told me to tell my son to stay away from one player on his team--he was a coke user--there was going to be a "sweep" on a certain day and those with him were going in as well as the coke user--- I explained it to my son and he told me he knew of the kids habit and as much as they talked to him he continued--the boy never played an inning in college but he did clean up his act

It aint easy being a youth today much less a parent

with cvsting

This hits real close to home with my sister who OD'd many years ago, leaving 4 young children. Please get him help! And do not believe a word he says!

The user must first admit to "his" problem before NA or AA will have any affect. And he must agree to long-term rehab.

If "friend" needs anonimity, & user is not a real close friend, go to school resource officer, asst. principals involved with these issues. They will handle it.
If friend is close to family, have your parents go with you to "users" parents.
If this doesn't work, or causes "rift", so be it. If they do nothing, call the drug enforcement dept. of police dept.

Intervention is not an option! It's a must!

There are some very good educational resources on drug addiction on the web. Learn all you can, observe all you need, then turn him in. It may save his life or someone elses if he's also pushing. PRAY alot!

I agree with those that suggest that you "do something"....

Parents, coaches, ministers, adult confidants....tell someone...anyone!!!!!

In all cases your first responsibility is to your own honesty and honor.

Let those words guide you further.

addicted to drugs or alcohol... family, friends and church is the immediate beginning to help this person in need.

Then... RUN and get Professional help NOW!! Alcoholism is a disease and Drugs will kill. Any person associated with either one, is ill and needs HELP "Right NOW". Either you intervene immediately or you arrange Professional Intervention ASAP!!

This is NOT a situation anymore where you can worry about "I don't want to rat him out, I'm not a snitch".

The clock is ticking for YOU to help save this person or "another innocent victim or victims" could meet in a tragic event. It happens every day in America.

Like cv said... we know this type of person and what's next in their lives if something is not done RIGHT NOW!!

JUST DO IT !!!