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Join Date: 28-08-2007
Location: PA
Age: 21
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Bush Signs Substance Abuse Law, Reflects on Past Drinking Problem
Quote:
April 09, 2008 5:12 PM
ABC News' Jennifer Duck Reports: For the third time in recent months, President George W. Bush publicly reflected on his past drinking problem.
"I quit drinking -- and it wasn't because of a government program. It required a little more powerful force than a government program in my case," Bush said after signing the "Second Chance Act" -- a government program to aide recovered substance abusers -- into law.
The law is a prisoner re-entry program that helps convicted felons transition back into society and provides additional federal funding to reduce prison populations by creating job training programs, along with substance abuse and family stability support.
"Everybody matters," Bush said. "We believe that even those who have struggled with a dark past can find brighter days ahead. One way we act on that belief is by helping former prisoners who've paid for their crimes -- we help them build new lives as productive members of our society."
This isn't the first time Bush has discussed his past substance abuse -- a subject that was not often discussed earlier in his presidency or two elections.
In an interview with ABC News' Martha Raddatz in December 2007, Bush admitted, "I doubt that I would be standing here if I hadn't stopped drinking whiskey, beer, wine and so on."
The president told ABC News he quit drinking over 20 years ago -- cold turkey.
"I had too much to drink one night, and the next day I didn't have any," Bush said. "The next day I decided to quit and I haven't had a drink since 1986."
"And you did it just cold turkey?" asked Raddatz.
"I'm a better man for it," Bush said.
The president said his alcohol problem wasn't severe, but said he still had a hard time quitting.
"I wasn't a knee-walking drunk," Bush said. "It's a difficult thing to do, which is to kick an addiction."
In another, more recent event on January 29, 2008, Bush told reporters, "Addiction is hard to overcome," after meeting with two participants in the Jericho program, a faith-based outreach program. "As you might remember, I drank too much at one time in my life. I understand faith-based programs. I understand that sometimes you can find the inspiration from a higher power to solve an addiction problem."
President Bush has been showing a bit of emotion in this, his final year in office.
He openly wept on Tuesday when awarding the Medal of Honor posthumously to Navy SEAL Petty Officer Michael Monsoor, who was killed in Iraq in September of 2006 when he fell on a grenade to save comrades during fighting in Ramadi.
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http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalra...igns-subs.html
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