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To me, as a human being, he’s pretty disgusting. As a musician, he’s brilliant. Now he’s just old, disgusting, and brilliant.
Sunjamr Steve
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After posting the short video of Eric Clapton acknowledging how wrong he had done John Mayall, I came across the video that I’ve posted here which outlines various stages of his life and the times of addictions that Clapton dealt with.
This hit home for me as EC’s life history is the truly the story of an addict – plain & simple. This is not any kind of slam against Eric in any way but as I mentioned, it hit home with me because I have a family member who is an addict that is working thru the 12 Step programs for two different areas of his life. Out of respect for him, I won’t divulge any further info about this.
I say that this hit close to home because this is someone who is a very close family member – enough said about that.I’ve been involved very closely with this person in their journey to sobriety and freedom from their addictions. I’m so glad that they have chosen to get sober and and I’m especially glad that this person didn’t die from during their times of abuse over the years – which was a very distinct possibility due to what they were involved in.
I’ve seen the fits of anger & rage, I’ve seen the deep remorse & deep regret of their actions, I’ve seen this person look at themselves squarely in the mirror of their life, look at themselves for what they’ve been, look at themselves for what they’ve done and I’m so proud of the accomplishments that’s been made in this person’s life in the past 20 months.This brings me to the point of the responsibility of those that have been hurt by another person’s addictions; addicts, no matter what the addiction that a person deals with – they hurt people in their actions.
I’ve been very deeply hurt by this person’s actions and at times, I still have things said and done to me by this person due to their addiction in this stage of their recovery. It’s not easy to deal withIn the language of the blues, I along with anyone who is dealing with & helping someone working thru their addictions, I stand at the crossroads.
I have the decision to make each & every day – and sometimes every hour and sometimes minute by minute: do I allow myself to be offended by that person or will I choose to forgive them? If I allow myself to be offended, I put up a wall between myself and themBy forgiving them, I’m not saying what they’ve done is OK and/or acceptable – No, I make the conscious decision to not hold it against them but at the same time, I hold them accountable for what they’ve done and fully expect them to do better AND I refuse to allow that wall to be built that keeps us apart.
Those who have never been in the position of dealing with someone that you love dearly to be dealing with addiction may take the “tough guy” approach and say that they will never forgive someone for the wrong that they’ve done.
For me, the person that I’m dealing – they happen to be very much worth saving and they happen to be worth forgiving. This person is someone that is truly working thru the 12 Steps and we are seeing great improvement in their lives
When I look back at things that I did in my earlier life, things that I was involved in – I have to say, If not for the Grace of God, I could have easily been in this person’s shoes or even worse.
When I see myself from this vantage point, I see the vulnerability of humanity in a different light and I extend my hand to this family member yet again and let them know that together, we will get through thisAre you dealing with a close friend or a family member that is struggling with an addiction?
Put yourself in their shoes and ask how would you want someone to treat or help you if you were dealing with an addiction that you want to overcome.Many won’t understand this post, some may totally dismiss it – and that’s OK. I’m not looking for sympathy in any way by posting this but I am encouraging anyone dealing with addictions to seek help.
And if you have a loved one who is dealing with addictions, do not give up on them even in the toughest of times -
GnLguy,
I’ve seen those videos and they’re great ones. Thanks for commenting. My drummer in LA went to a Beverly Hills AA meeting and Eric was there. We were doing a Cream, Hendrix and SRV tribute at the Roxy just down Sunset Blvd. The interesting thing is that was he was telling Eric all my thoughts on Cream, specific songs and our power trio. Eric was more than gracious. Humor and wisdom as they held hands and did the AA service together. At the end of the meeting Eric gave permission to my friend specifically to share the private conversation with me, by name.
Thank you for sharing such a beautiful series of introspective thoughts and self-analysis.
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Riff Digger
As I watched the 2 videos with EC that I posted, I had the idea to share what I did as an encouragement to anyone who might be dealing with addiction or with someone close to them that is dealing with addictions.Addictions is such a reality in today’s society that any family in any part of society can find themselves dealing with the situation. Its no longer a problem that is only for street people
I live in Southern Ohio, which is on the northern edge of Appalachia; everyone has heard the jokes about the Appalachian hillbillies with their moonshine stills. Those still exist but the use of methamphetamine & opioids has wrecked the lives of so many in this area. The small town close to where I live had such an issue with overprescibing of opioids that the DEA set up a field office in a town of 20,000
I could take you to many small towns that 40 yrs ago, they were nice places to live. Today? Some aren’t safe to be in during broad daylight due to the violent crime & prostitution that has came with the drug abuse.
Meth is so readily available and is actually easy to make – once the “recipe” is known, it doesn’t take a scientist to make it** Due to destruction caused by meth and crack cocaine, there are countless signs this area wanting foster families for children because their parents are either in jail due to drugs, they had been deemed unfit as parents due to drugs or they are dead due to drugs
Nurses in ne0-natal units tell the story of holding newborn addicted to drugs screaming because at just a few hours old they are experiencing withdrawl symptoms. That’s heartbreaking
** 25+ yrs ago, a man told me of being so strung out that he would be in one room doing his services as a male prostitute while his wife was in the next room, prostituting herself so that collectively, they would have the money of the drugs they wanted
** A nurse practitioner that has his own family practice told me of a patient who came in with the worst sinuses that he’d ever seen. Just raw & bloody. When he finally got her to admit what she’d done, she had been crushing Vicoden and snorting them.
She wasn’t a street person, no, she came from a very well to do upper middle class family yet here she was – being a drug abuser.I share all of that because 15 years ago, I would have never dreamed that my family member would have been dealing with addictions and in the condition that they find themselves in today
It happens everyday and can happen to anyone and I just wanted to offer a message of hope to anyone who may find themselves in this situation –
THERE IS HOPE AND THERE IS HELP!!I appreciate you sharing the story about Clapton at the AA meeting.
Some would consider EC to be the epitome of an enigma but if you view him as an addict instead of a mega-star, you can begin to understand his actions. His world was rocked at a young age due to finding out the truth about his mother and grandparents. While that is no excuse for what he’s done over the years, emotional trauma like that typically leads to destructive and addictive behaviors later in life.One story that stands out in his life – he admits that during his marriage that he literally raped Patti Boyd
I doubt that Eric Clapton the person would have ever done such a thing but… Eric Clapton the addict – that is a totally different matterWhen we look at actions like this from EC, I can say they are terrible and that we want nothing to do with people like that. Yes, what he did was terrible and Patti Boyd is likely scarred for life from his actions
But what if it was a son or a daughter that had done that? A brother or even a parent?
Trust me, I found that my attitude had to be different when I realized that a family member was dealing not only with addiction but was involved in very dangerous actions & associations in life that could have left them with a bullet between the eyes. Your attitude changes quickly when you find yourself dealing with that reality.So anyone reading this – if you have someone in your family that is dealing with addictions, its nothing to be ashamed of. It happens. It’s very common in today’s society.
Your loved one needs help and you may be the key to not only their recovery but also their actual survival in life
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