Mike Ribeiro relapses into alcoholism; NHL future in doubt

[Viqsi]

Criminy. Hopefully he pulls through...

 

[Bjorn Le]

Some of the things people are saying in this thread are so offensive and so ridiculous it's hard to read. It takes a lot of balls to for all intents and purposes to wish death/harm on someone behind a computer screen...Absolutely sickening.

 

[belair]

Some of the things people are saying in this thread are so offensive and so ridiculous it's hard to read. It takes a lot of balls to for all intents and purposes to wish death/harm on someone behind a computer screen...Absolutely sickening.

Speaking of sickening....

https://www.ontheforecheck.com/2015/6/19/8812037/mike-ribeiro-sexual-assault-case-details-allegations

 

[Tofveve]

Is this a cry for help? If I were in Ribeiro's shoes right now, I wouldn't want my agent blabbing to the press about my personal life.

I've got to be honest, unless someone's problem is EXTREME (alcoholism, drugs, whatever), I think they're best denying it and keeping it to themselves.

I think society has gone from empathizing and wanting to help, to almost making that empathy tyranical so that a person's career opportunities are limited if not snuffed out completely. It's scary actually. Like the opposite side of the same coin of ostricizing and bullying that the person may have endured for an addiction in times way gone by.

 

[Jyrki Lumme]

Speaking of sickening....

https://www.ontheforecheck.com/2015/6/19/8812037/mike-ribeiro-sexual-assault-case-details-allegations

It's good that you're taking the moral high ground here.

 

[ColdSteel2]

Speaking of sickening....

https://www.ontheforecheck.com/2015/6/19/8812037/mike-ribeiro-sexual-assault-case-details-allegations

Disgusting. Shows how phony people are. You get this and hear next to nothing about it while Kane's "case" is treated far worse. Guess Ribeiro didn't score enough points for it to matter.

 

[Guido Sarducci]

I've got to be honest, unless someone's problem is EXTREME (alcoholism, drugs, whatever), I think they're best denying it and keeping it to themselves.

I think society has gone from empathizing and wanting to help, to almost making that empathy tyranical so that a person's career opportunities are limited if not snuffed out completely. It's scary actually. Like the opposite side of the same coin of ostricizing and bullying that the person may have endured for an addiction in times way gone by.

Good post, unfortunately. Mental illness same thing. I'm not saying don't get help. I'm saying don't get help through your work or tell any of your co workers you have a problem that needs help. 9 times out of 10 it's career suicide.

 

[Eyeseeing]

Criminy. Hopefully he pulls through...

I'll second this sentiment

 

[Tofveve]

Good post, unfortunately. Mental illness same thing. I'm not saying don't get help. I'm saying don't get help through your work or tell any of your co workers you have a problem that needs help. 9 times out of 10 it's career suicide.

Thanks, I'm glad someone "got" what I was trying to say.

I mean, I saw it happen to my favorite player in Theo Fleury to an extent. He actually did enter the NHL's program etc., and yet he was basically forced out of the league due to alcoholism and even though he ended up kicking it. And him doing that wasn't good enough for voters in the HOF.

And other cases, like Michael Ferland in Calgary. Who really knows outside of himself how extreme his relationship with alcohol was (not too sure if it was full-blown alcoholism or just drinking too much), but at such a young age, God forbid he ever feels like he can socially drink again, there'll always be a microsope on him - unfairly so.

Meanwhile, someone with a much stronger propensity to drink and binge and party it up can get away with it endlessly due to the fact that they can deny it and even keep it hidden well.

You see this with other things. I mean, I work in an extremely stressful industry (ranked top 3 in the world) and actually went on stress leave for about a year-and-a-half (fully funded by insurance). I never had a nervous breakdown or anything, but the job conditions were so bad and there were so many things related to the job that was awful, that I found it best to do what I did. Once I determined that things weren't going to change in the workplace, I cleared and decided to quit and move on. BUT, I NEVER tell anyone that I took a stress leave and the fact is, insurers can and do ask about it and even deny insurance based on things like that. The media downplays cover-up, but ultimately mental illness is mental illness and if you think society will indeed live up to their "no judgement" side of the purported bargain (don't feel ashamed, talk about it etc.) you're wrong. Again, I'd advise keeping things to yourself unless the circumstances are very extreme.

*edit- Add in one more wildcard in Ribeiro's case, a mother-in-law who due to his past, will obviously hate Mike's guts and very well may use knowledge of an addiction against him. That is not outside of the of reality by any stretch. My good friend's mother-in-law is psycho and hates him and has even prodded me about him, if he has an anger problem or other mental issues. A very awkward conversation that was, and of course I protected my friend.

 

[void]

So according to the interview with Bob Perno, Ribeiro went to see his wife and kids right after the season ended and that was the last time anyone saw or heard from him. He's not answering anyone's calls (parents, wife, kids, agent, etc) and no one knows where he is.

Very scary. I really wish him the best and hope he gets help ASAP.

 

[aemoreira1981]

So according to the interview with Bob Perno, Ribeiro went to see his wife and kids right after the season ended and that was the last time anyone saw or heard from him. He's not answering anyone's calls (parents, wife, kids, agent, etc) and no one knows where he is.

Very scary. I really wish him the best and hope he gets help ASAP.

This is the scary part...not knowing where he is. It's one thing to be re-lapsed, but to not know where Mike Ribeiro is even...I hope that he can be tracked down and he can get help before it's too late and it's another Bryan Fogarty or Jacques Richard case. For those newer people to the sport, Fogarty was the #9 overall pick in 1987 by the Nordiques with the first of their two first-rounders (the other was Joe Sakic 6 picks later), but battled alcohol and never played a full professional season at any level, drinking himself to an early death at age 32. Jacques Richard's drinking problem was so bad that he was released by the Sabres in 1980. Richard would be a 1-year wonder with the Stastny brothers in 1980-1 but then regressed so badly after being taken off the line that he retired in 1983 and he turned to drug smuggling and spending 7 years in prison for that.

 

[Pens x]

Time to grow up, Mike. You have kids, be a man.

 

[rt]

Sucks for his kids. Mike is slime. His kids don't deserve that.

 

[ColdSteel2]

Sucks for his kids. Mike is slime. His kids don't deserve that.

Hate to admit it but this is far from uncommon, especially with younger people.

 

[Shmuffalo]

Wish his family the best.

 

[Filatov2Kovalev2Bonk]

Best of luck to Mike.
Could not bear him as a player but he needs help. Sadly the NHL (and most sports) is centered around alcohol consumption and party culture to the detriment of sobriety and healthy living. The NHL should do whatever it can to help the guy out before we lose him for good.

 

[1976len]

As a man without an addiction problem to drugs or alcohol, I cannot truly empathize with Ribeiro. I never the saw the "fun" in getting high or drunk, I'm sure he has lost the "fun" feeling also as addiction is something you do because you cannot control yourself.

Here's hoping he gets back on the right track and his family stays supportive of him.

 

[ColdSteel2]

This guy is probably thinking if he was sober, the Preds win the Cup. Not saying it's true, just in his mind it probably is. Who knows, he could have made an impact if his life was turned around and he was fully committed to hockey. He did let everyone down.

 

[Lays]

As a man without an addiction problem to drugs or alcohol, I cannot truly empathize with Ribeiro. I never the saw the "fun" in getting high or drunk, I'm sure he has lost the "fun" feeling also as addiction is something you do because you cannot control yourself.

Here's hoping he gets back on the right track and his family stays supportive of him.

I can say the opposite here, I did have a few problems earlier on in the year with some things (fine now but not the best situation to be in at 16 years old) and I was, admittedly an ******* to everyone as well. I don't like the guy but I can understand how he is, I would disappear for a while, come back, and disappear again. Family got scared and a whole bunch of other **** and I lost control and stopped caring about everything else. I really feel for the guy even though I dislike him because at one point I was just like him. Not a filthy rich family but we were doing solid and it seemed as if I had everything (good grades, great gf, good looking future) drugs/alcohol addiction is a serious addiction and even looking back at it now I was a ********. Hope he gets better, he was a great player at one point.

 

[Eyeseeing]

As a man without an addiction problem to drugs or alcohol, I cannot truly empathize with Ribeiro. I never the saw the "fun" in getting high or drunk, I'm sure he has lost the "fun" feeling also as addiction is something you do because you cannot control yourself.

Here's hoping he gets back on the right track and his family stays supportive of him.

Very kind post.
You come across as very gracious well done.
Some posts here are beyond ignorant.

 

[Bjornar Moxnes]

Hate to admit it but this is far from uncommon, especially with younger people.

Honestly this might come across as crazy but if your parents are abusive at least be glad they are on drugs or alcoholic, when you had to grow up with abusive parents because they were religious zealots and never drank or did drugs once in their lives it's far more scarier and mentally harming. Drugs and alcohol can be dealt with rehab, which isn't always the best system, but it has helped a lot of people. Religious zealots really can't be persuaded and it always gives you fear of the supernatural if you had to grow up in that type of household, and you also fear "What if they do drugs, just how much worse would they be?"

 

[IamNotADancer]

Honestly this might come across as crazy but if your parents are abusive at least be glad they are on drugs or alcoholic, when you had to grow up with abusive parents because they were religious zealots and never drank or did drugs once in their lives it's far more scarier and mentally harming. Drugs and alcohol can be dealt with rehab, which isn't always the best system, but it has helped a lot of people. Religious zealots really can't be persuaded and it always gives you fear of the supernatural if you had to grow up in that type of household, and you also fear "What if they do drugs, just how much worse would they be?"

I get where you are coming from but to abused people there are no "different levels of abuse".

If you are abused you aren't glad it isn't worse, you just want it to stop no matter what sort of abuse it is.

 

[Bjornar Moxnes]

I get where you are coming from but to abused people there are no "different levels of abuse".

If you are abused you aren't glad it isn't worse, you just want it to stop no matter what sort of abuse it is.

During the abuse I agree 100%, but sometimes I think about things like this (And it does hurt me unfortunately but my mind just has to do it sometimes...) and it's just what I've concluded.

But the point I truly want to make is because Ribeiro has the money and support and it's not him being a jerk when he's normal (Aka not drinking), I really hope he changes for the better for everyone's sake especially his children as I may not have been a victim of alcoholic and drug abuse parents but I can totally connect and understand kids who have been abused regardless.

I know getting rid of drug and alcohol addiction is super difficult and feels almost impossible to a lot of people, but I know there are ways to get rid of it and with Ribeiro's fortunate income and support he needs to help himself and be a better man. It's just much easier to change from an alcoholic and drug abuser than to change from a political or religious zealot, all my experiences and friends who were abused experiences point this way, even if both are very difficult.

 

[Ryuji Yamazaki]

He's a piece of **** who should be in prison.

 

[ArGarBarGar]

Disgusting. Shows how phony people are. You get this and hear next to nothing about it while Kane's "case" is treated far worse. Guess Ribeiro didn't score enough points for it to matter.

It was talked about at length on here.