Celebrity Drug Rehab Profile: Ricco Rodriguez
The self-proclaimed first guy to be suspended from the UFC for cocaine use, Ricco Rodriguez made an appearance on this week’s episode of VH1’s Celebrity Rehab. He’s a heavyweight fighter by trade but in his introduction he places his motivation for undergoing treatment as getting his child back.
Rodriguez has a hard time fitting into the group and the first clue comes when he says something about you know that there’s really a problem when your child is taken away. Really?! No one swoops down out of nowhere and steals your kid for no reason. If you have your child taken away by Child Protective Services, there is a serious problem that has been going on for quite awhile.
The next clue comes when he tells a story in group about getting into a drunk driving accident with his girlfriend, in which they, in their car, spun off the road. He was driving and had a previous DUI, so, thinking she was dead, he dragged her into the driver’s seat and let the cops think that she had been driving. For some reason, he expected the reaction to be laughter and when people were understandably disgusted, he got defensive.
Clearly, Rodriguez does not really believe that he has a true problem, one to be taken seriously. He does not recognize that his behavior has already affected his child and will in the future or that his actions under the influence are reprehensible. It’s a strange reality that he has built for himself and it’s partly the addiction working to justify its continuance and also a protection mechanism.
It’s a common problem for those who become addicted to prescription painkillers through a doctor’s prescription: they don’t take their addiction or their actions under the influence as seriously as they should. Opiate drug addiction is life threatening. It is not only physically devastating to multiple organ systems in the body but also to those around you. It is impossible to care for small children as attentively as you should when you are loaded. It is impossible to drive a car safely with the same reflexes that you have when you are not under the influence. Taking pills has a starburst of effects that touch all aspects of your life. How attentive can you be to what is going on with your partner if you are taking pills all day long? Can you really expect yourself to be on time for appointments and keep up with work or school?
The answer is no. You have to get your addiction under control as soon as you recognize it as the problem that it is and get treatment before those problems get worse. The threat of losing a child or hurting a child should be enough. Don’t wait until your children are taken away from you. A Suboxone treatment will allow you to do that privately, but if you need more support, the doctors at Meditox can help you find local assistance. Call anytime, day or night.
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