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USC assistant admits addiction

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In his small, sparsely furnished office in Heritage Hall, Dave Watson rises from his desk chair, reaches to the top of a cabinet and grasps a vintage Brett Favre bobblehead figurine. Favre's effort to overcome substance abuse inspired Watson. In 1996, the future Hall of Fame quarterback entered a drug treatment facility seeking help for a dependence on painkillers that was brought on by injuries and numerous surgeries. In June, in the aftermath of an arrest for suspicion of driving under the influence of prescription drugs, Watson did the same at the urging of Coach Pete Carroll. "The best thing I ever did was admit I have the disease of addiction," Watson said during a recent interview. Watson, who returned from a leave of absence in July, says he no longer is dependent on painkillers such as Vicodin or muscle relaxants such as Soma, which he had used to cope with the aftereffects of five surgeries and back and neck conditions that resulted mainly from playing football. Watson, 32, acknowledges that his recovery is ongoing. He agreed to be interviewed for this story, he said, because he hopes it might inspire others struggling with addictions to painkilling medications to seek help.

Los Angeles Times

Pete Carroll, AP Pete Carroll, AP

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September 7, 2008  10:03 AM ET
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Aaaah, another Favre rehash, and a Watson to boot. Hope it works out for him.

September 7, 2008  10:24 AM ET
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Seriously I hope Coach Watson's recovery goes well, some people never get to the point of admitting they have a problem.

September 7, 2008  12:57 PM ET
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Glad that he admitted his problem and is on the road to recovery, good luck

September 7, 2008  01:21 PM ET
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Er, no relation.

September 7, 2008  02:17 PM ET
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Funny George W. Watson....you came to mind when I read the article....thanks for clearing that up ......

September 7, 2008  03:31 PM ET
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Coach, can I have the painkillers that you have left , thanks, just doing it for you dude

September 7, 2008  04:20 PM ET
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He's not the only one getting help this summer for the same ****, its fun at first then either you stop or you keep going just to feel normal an not get sick the next 3or4 day's but you got to be stupid to drive around in L.A's traffic mixing Somas an Vic's.

September 7, 2008  05:47 PM ET
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Good to know he's being proactive about his addiction. Best of luck. For a sec it seemed like he was addicted to Brett Favre bobblehead dolls...
not that there's anything wrong with that

September 7, 2008  10:31 PM ET
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Glad he got help and hope he does well, but please don't call it a disease.

September 8, 2008  03:11 AM ET
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Ditto , not a disease

September 8, 2008  03:13 PM ET
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A real addiction changes the way your brain functions just as a disease changes the way your body functions. It's a choice at first, but eventually it can become a disease.

People definitely should not get a disability check or have affirmative action in place for having a substance abuse problem, but they still need help from doctors and counselors.

Being addicted to pain killers is one of the more understandable addictions b/c it served a purpose at first but got out of control b/c the pain killers like oxycontin are very very addictive.

September 8, 2008  05:15 PM ET
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man this is bad..is becoming addicted easy because im gettin my wisdom teeth pulled this wednesday and am going to need plenty of pain meds...im glad he's ok now

 
September 8, 2008  06:02 PM ET
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Your about to start where I was at those 6 years ago son, before I had my Wisdom Teeth out i'd have a Vic at a party or once a month i'd have like 2or3 for Mon Night Football but then you start to like it an find a person who gets those or other things at least once a month thats when it gets bad.
So enjoy what they give you for the weekend take between 1-4 at a time for pain but if you have a low tolerance just take 1 or whatever the bottle says but always have some food in your stomach, juts do what I did sit back suck on Jamba Juice an Ramen Noodles , play Maddn or NCAA & watch College an Pro Ball an sic DUVD'S all weekend then once your out DONT GO LOOKING FOR MORE, TRUST ME. Have a great weekend maybe miss school or work Mon but then thats it.

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