News Article: Austin Watson suspended indefinitely after alcohol-related relapse

[valeriammm]

Predators' Austin Watson suspended indefinitely after alcohol-related relapse

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[TitansVolsPreds615]

Damn, sorry to hear that. Hope he can get right for the sake of his family.

 

[Drake744]

f***. That's not good across the board.

 

[drwpreds]

This entire season is just cursed..........

 

[SouthNash]

Wow...didn't learn from that last mess??

 

[Drake744]

Is it a suspension because of a probation thing? Typically when this happens you aren't "suspended" I don't think.

 

[triggrman]

Wow...didn't learn from that last mess??

You think it’s just not learning?

He’s an addict.

 

[braindead]

Foremost, hate it for him and his family. Nobody voluntarily throws away the good things they have going like that and the pit he is in can be deep or bottomless— see Mike Ribero.

For the team, yes this season seems cursed and increasingly it feels like we risk slipping behind the pack with our current roster. Our core will keep us competitive for a long window but Poile has some work to do to maximize our chances and this just made it a little harder.

 

[bdub24]

Very sad for him and his family. Imagine being unable to stop yourself from running your life.

 

[Armourboy]

It's not easy for a lot of people to quit. At this point I'm not worried about his hockey career, he just needs to get his life back on track.

Makes me wonder what incident got him tossed. They didn't mention any kind of public incident.

 

[Roman Yoshi]

Wish him all the best. Substance abuse and mental health issues are real issues that destroy lives.

First and foremost, our thoughts should be that.

From a hockey perspective, you'd think it certainly changes our plans a bit for the deadline.

 

[Drake744]

It's not easy for a lot of people to quit. At this point I'm not worried about his hockey career, he just needs to get his life back on track.

Makes me wonder what incident got him tossed. They didn't mention any kind of public incident.

I've gotten a little better in a lot of ways but I've struggled with what would probably be called excessive drinking. I don't say that to get sympathy for it because it's a common problem for many people but everyone has issues. I think it's why I had a hard time viewing his domestic issue with a straight mind. I've never and will never put my hands on a woman but when I heard that alcohol was a problem for not just him but her as well I was like oh God who knows what the hell happened. It's extremely unfortunate. Some people aren't themselves when they abuse alcohol. I really hope it works out for him and he veers more towards Tootoo and Clune than Ribeiro. I'm actually kind of afraid to know where Ribeiro is right now.

 

[Armourboy]

I've gotten a little better in a lot of ways but I've struggled with what would probably be called excessive drinking. I don't say that to get sympathy for it because it's a common problem for many people but everyone has issues. I think it's why I had a hard time viewing his domestic issue with a straight mind. I've never and will never put my hands on a woman but when I heard that alcohol was a problem for not just him but her as well I was like oh God who knows what the hell happened. It's extremely unfortunate. Some people aren't themselves when they abuse alcohol.

It doesn't really matter what it is, lots of people are addicted to lots of things, and it's hard to quit even if you know its destroying you.

He may also have some other underlying issue that makes it worse, and some other things that need to be fixed. Alcohol for lots of people is a way to get those demons in your head to stop talking. It drove my drinking in college far more than " being cool " ever did, and no one but me knew it.

 

[JGeorge54]

Just saw the article. I hope hes able to get it together. Addiction is no joke

 

[Drake744]

It doesn't really matter what it is, lots of people are addicted to lots of things, and it's hard to quit even if you know its destroying you.

He may also have some other underlying issue that makes it worse, and some other things that need to be fixed. Alcohol for lots of people is a way to get those demons in your head to stop talking. It drove my drinking in college far more than " being cool " ever did, and no one but me knew it.

Yeah I feel you there. It's a weird thing. I don't know anything different as far as abusing stuff other than alcohol. I don't smoke cigs or weed despite living in two states where the latter is legal. I don't do drugs. I don't like taking pills, etc. It's hard to comprehend why it happens but it does. Like you said earlier it could easily be some mental demon that is pretty much a solely personal issue with him. Ten years ago I'd probably be like this guy is a letdown and good riddance. Now I just hope he's okay.

If I were to guess, alcoholism is more rampant in the hockey than other sports. There could be many reasons for that, but if you're a long time hockey fan you know many cases of it affecting too many players.

 

[LCPreds]

If you don't understand why this could happen then you have never really had to face addiction. I feel for the guy and his family and hope he is better able to manage his addiction one day.

 

[Drake744]

If you don't understand why this could happen then you have never really had to face addiction. I feel for the guy and his family and hope he is better able to manage his addiction one day.

I don't know if you're referring to my post but I didn't say I don't understand it. I just don't comprehend why it affects some people, like myself for example, more dangerously than most others. Or why certain substances are desired by some addicts whereas others aren't. It's just a weird thing.

 

[Armourboy]

Also gotta keep in mind he was playing on a broken foot for a while. Its entirely possible part of his history of dealing with pain is just to drink it away. Doesn't make it better or less of an issue, but certainly could be another trigger.

 

[PredsV82]

Wow...didn't learn from that last mess??

You obviously dont know much about alcoholism. Staying sober takes a lot more than "learning his lesson"

Gotta wonder if his GF relapsed too...

 

[maplepred]

Ah man.... not the news I wanted to read when I went online tonight...

Was really hoping he would have gotten better, damn.

I hope he can make it through this, probably never wears a preds jersey again I read. I always liked his game a lot.

Best of luck Austin. I wish you and your family the best. It was a good ride while it lasted.


On a side note, this all but guarantees that Ferland or simmonds is a pred in February.

 

[Softball99]

Not going into labels. I'm a reformed substance abuser. After 3 decades of experience I've learned addiction(all) most closely resembles diabetes medically. Some is genetic, some lifestyle caused. But can be effectively treated indefinitely with lifestyle choices. But, even the most dedicated people usually have had a cheat day. The difference is whether you can pull out of the unhealthy choices before they cause negative consequences. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is the cycle that makes the ability to remain or return to the healthy choice unlikely in addiction. Pain Meds for a broken foot would be a very slippery slope. Unless you think a diabetic eating sugar should be handled the same in the workplace or criminally you are a hypocrite. Do the research

 

[cynicalcitizen]

I've gotten a little better in a lot of ways but I've struggled with what would probably be called excessive drinking. I don't say that to get sympathy for it because it's a common problem for many people but everyone has issues. I think it's why I had a hard time viewing his domestic issue with a straight mind. I've never and will never put my hands on a woman but when I heard that alcohol was a problem for not just him but her as well I was like oh God who knows what the hell happened. It's extremely unfortunate. Some people aren't themselves when they abuse alcohol. I really hope it works out for him and he veers more towards Tootoo and Clune than Ribeiro. I'm actually kind of afraid to know where Ribeiro is right now.

Isn't Ribeiro a Junior hockey coach in Nashville?

 

[Drake744]

Isn't Ribeiro a Junior hockey coach in Nashville?

He was. But I haven't heard any more about that. I know he was drawn to Nashville in the first place because Dumont still lives here and they're friends.

 

[FossilFndr]

I was hoping that the long break would be good for the team. Maybe too much off time wasn't what Austin needed.

 

[Drake744]

I was hoping that the long break would be good for the team. Maybe too much off time wasn't what Austin needed.

The thing that sucks is a lot of players like to get after it and rip it up when they're off but unless they're a documented alcoholic no one seems to care. It's just the way it is. Subban literally just had a video on youtube for NBC where he ordered and talked about getting cocktails at a bar in Franklin (he may not have actually drank anything but NBC showed the ingredients to what he ordered). Drinking is just a part of culture to many people, especially in hockey. When someone has a problem like this it's a very hard thing to manage.