Bear Down Wildcats

From death bed to determined: Arizona Wildcats great Vance Johnson talks about recovery from alcohol addiction

Vance Johnson‘s story of recovery from depression and addiction to alcohol surfaced earlier this year at the Super Bowl in New York City when his former team, the Denver Broncos, participated.

Just like the joyful days of the Three Amigos, the Broncos returned to football’s grandest stage. Johnson, looking like he could still play the game at 50 then (he turned 51 in March), was vibrant again just like his former team.

Although Johnson’s inspiring story of his recovery from addiction became known, nobody except his close family and friends realized the severity of his ordeal until Wednesday. Johnson, a former Cholla High School and Arizona Wildcats star football player, published on his Facebook page a stomach-turning photo of him on a hospital bed in a coma with tubes coming out of his nose and spread over his abdomen.

http://allsportstucson.com/2014/07/16/f ... addiction/

The video posted shows the first play I ever saw as a Wildcat fan-Vance taking a kickoff to the house against Oregon St. in a game that featured a huge monsoon.

I hope Vance can get his life back together-looks like he is on the way. Still the only former UA Wildcat to score a TD in the Super Bowl I believe.

I saw that article - holy s***. Addiction is an absolute bastard to beat - no matter how hard you work to beat it, no matter how long you've been clean, it's always calling you back, and it only takes one slip to undo everything you worked so hard for.

azpenguin wrote:I saw that article - holy s***. Addiction is an absolute bastard to beat - no matter how hard you work to beat it, no matter how long you've been clean, it's always calling you back, and it only takes one slip to undo everything you worked so hard for.

No kidding. You always have to be on your guard.. I know how alcoholism works. You may not even be thinking about drinking and the urge can pop into your head out of nowhere. And then the obsession to drink begins. That is why a support system is so important.

Another reason why "The Shining" is probably my favorite Stephen King book. The ghosts, the hauntings, none of them have to actually exist--only the addictive personality, a weak family unit and months of isolation from the outside world. No suspension of disbelief involved.

Two of my grandfathers were alcoholics. I suspect my boss is as well. I'd never change the stigma of being a non-drinker at the U of A for those reasons, if any others were even necessary.

All the best to Vance.