Luke Loughlin in club football for The Downs against Sean Kelly of St Loman’s, Mullingar.
Fri 07/29/2022, 2:25 p.m
Fri 07/29/2022, 2:27 p.m
Every Westmeath hurler and footballer who has ever donned the maroon jersey has always been my hero. You represent me because I’m a better man than I’ve ever been.
Our Tailteann Cup soccer winners are a case in point. Blessed with a wealth of natural ability coupled with a tremendous determination to succeed, every single member of this team has done their county proud. What perfect role models they are for the youth of our district.
When one of these players speaks, people listen; and what two of those players talked about is what concerns us today.
My two Westmeath Special Award All-Stars have to be Ray Connellan and Luke Loughlin. The entire team brought us joy well beyond “it’s just a game,” but Ray and Luke may have saved lives. Is there a greater calling than this?
Last week Luke Loughlin spoke honestly and bravely about his battle with drug and alcohol addiction. (Of course, alcohol is a drug, too.) Luke said he hopes to help other similarly affected young people by speaking out.
I think it’s been about a year since Ray Connellan appeared on The Late Late Show and revealed how he was suffering from depression and suicidal thoughts. Again, the honesty and humility of a wonderful sportsman we only knew as that majestic Nordic-style warrior in midfield. He emphasized that help is available – there is always someone to talk to – and I have no doubt his story has helped many people. The country embraced Ray Connellan for his contribution.
One of the main reasons I wrote If Ever a Man Suffered in 2005 was the hope that someone reading it would identify with my struggle with alcoholism and seek help. The feedback I received in this area showed that this part of the book worked, thank goodness.
One in 12 drinkers is an alcoholic. It’s a progressive disease that can manifest itself from the first drink, as it did for me, or it can take almost a lifetime to progress before the problem becomes critical. One certainty is that the condition will only get worse – never better.
Most people think of the alcoholic as the guy who sleeps in a doorway with a bottle of cheap wine clutched tightly in his hand. But this type makes up only 2 percent of alcoholics. The rest work, have homes and families, and appear to lead normal lives. Alcoholism is the third leading killer disease in the world. The hardest part of fighting is that we’re always worse than we think!
Reading this will make some people uncomfortable…or like I would have done, quickly move on to the next page! The first step is to recognize and then admit that you have a problem. ‘that your life has become uncontrollable’. From that point on, the payback begins with an overwhelming surge of relief. You are not bad or weak; you just have an illness – and fortunately one that you can change so much yourself. (But not alone.)
A doctor friend of mine was a little offended a few years ago when we were out in a group one evening. I said that there is no other disease where the sufferer can do so much for themselves and the medical profession so little. I was right…
Let’s reiterate: help is available – and it works! Today there are two million AA members in 180 countries around the world who are contentedly sober.
We Irish have a name for heavy drinking. It may surprise you that in a recent study we only rank seventh worldwide – Germany sixth. I think it’s because of how we drink it: or as I often say about myself: “I drank it all together!”.
I also wrote in an article I was asked to write for a Westmeath Senior Hurling Finals program a few years ago that one of the few regrets I have is that “I took a career break from my hurling to focus on my to focus on a drinking career!”. I played hurling with Luke Loughlin’s grandfather and how wonderful it is to see Luke playing again and hopefully gracing the fields with his silken skill for many years to come.
I hope Ray Connellan and Luke Loughlin fully appreciate the difference their brave decisions will continue to make for those affected and their families. Often the message does not get across immediately; but a line or something said by Ray or Luke sticks in the inner consciousness and will come out again the day it is needed the most!
Do not forget
A mistake that humiliates a man benefits him more than a good deed that puffs him up.
Fri 07/29/2022, 2:25 p.m
Fri 07/29/2022, 2:27 p.m
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