FAVRE FACES TOUGH FIGHT : QUICK FIX UNLIKELY FOR PAINKILLER DEPENDENCY.Byline: Arnie Stapleton Associated Press Associated Press: see news agency. Associated Press (AP) Cooperative news agency, the oldest and largest in the U.S. and long the largest in the world. Specialists who deal with drug dependency say Brett Favre will confront tremendous challenges when he returns to football following treatment for his addiction to pain medication. The Green Bay Packers' star quarterback and the NFL's Most Valuable Player says he is voluntarily entering a drug treatment center ``for however long it takes to get better.'' Favre, at a news conference Tuesday, attributed his addiction to his many operations but didn't say what medications he was taking. The NFL NFL abbr. National Football League NFL (US) n abbr (= National Football League) → Fußball-Nationalliga on Wednesday refused to confirm or deny reports the 26-year-old player also will be treated for alcohol abuse. Favre's father, Irvin, told the Green Bay Press-Gazette "Press-Gazette" redirects here. For the British media trade magazine, see Press Gazette. The Green Bay Press-Gazette is a newspaper that covers most of northeastern Wisconsin, including Green Bay. that his son is addicted to the painkiller Vicodin, a narcotic narcotic, any of a number of substances that have a depressant effect on the nervous system. The chief narcotic drugs are opium, its constituents morphine and codeine, and the morphine derivative heroin. See also drug addiction and drug abuse. with an effect similar to codeine codeine (kō`dēn), alkaloid found in opium. It is a narcotic whose effects, though less potent, resemble those of morphine. An effective cough suppressant, it is mainly used in cough medicines. Like other narcotics, codeine is addictive. . He also said his son will be evaluated for alcohol abuse and didn't plan to drink anymore. NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said the league wouldn't confirm or deny ESPN's Tuesday-night report, which cited unidentified sources, that Favre would also be treated for alcohol abuse. ``The confidentiality of the league's substance-abuse program prohibits us from getting into specifics,'' Aiello said. ``I don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. the exact nature of the problem and we can't comment on it.'' Favre has often joked about being a big beer drinker and he has never made a secret that he enjoys the nightlife. But neither he nor any of the team's executives or doctors would say whether his dependency included alcohol. The Packers hope Favre can be ready for training camp in late July. However, Ian Cummings, president of the Association of Emergency Physicians, said that might be wishful thinking wishful thinking Psychology Dereitic thought that a thing or event should have a specified outcome because most recovery programs take several months. ``It's a tough problem to overcome. It's not a quick fix,'' Cummings said. ``And I would caution that any quick fix that might be attempted might not be durable.'' Cummings, a specialist in substance abuse, said that from now on Favre will almost certainly have to be treated with non-narcotics for aches and pains. ``People who were addicted to narcotics narcotics n. 1) techinically, drugs which dull the senses. 2) a popular generic term for drugs which cannot be legally possessed, sold, or transported except for medicinal uses for which a physician or dentist's prescription is required. are always at risk of relapse,'' he said. The mental aspect of addiction might be even harder to handle, suggested Thomas Tutko, a psychologist at San Jose State University who has studied drugs in sports for three decades. ``The physical part you can fight. But how do you fight phantoms? How do you fight lining up and the guy across from you calls you a junkie junkie Popular health A popular term for a person, usually an IV narcotic abusing addict, whose life is disorganized vis-á-vis family and societal structure, whose existence revolves around obtaining–often through theft, prostitution or other illicit ?'' Tutko asked. ``Or people on your own team are wondering are you still involved in drugs? You have a poor performance, is that the reason for it? ``He's going to get hit again, he's going to get clobbered again. How is he going to deal with it? It isn't like, `OK, well I've decided to be in pain the rest of my life.' He's going to have to learn to be in control and know how to do it.'' CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: (color) Experts in the field say Brett Favre could h ave a difficult time fighting his addiction. The Packers need him ready by late July. Associated Press |
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