A diagnosis of Sex Addiction would not give Tiger a pass. In fact, contrary to the article above, true recovery requires a tremendous awareness of personal responsibility. My hope is that Tiger will come to realize the trail of devestation he’s left behind and how his actions affect others. Additionally, I hope he is able to work through his personal hurts and know that his hurts are just as painful as the average Joe. This is not an all or nothing deal. Tiger hurt many people in profound ways that couldn’t possibly be measured, but at the same time he is sick and obviously challenged by deep personal pain. Elin should pause before any major decisions. Society tells us that she should leave Tiger. She would certainly be within her legal and God given rights, however, depending on the choices Tiger makes going forward ought to have greater impact on life altering decisions. A marriage that can come through this would bring much hope to a society that wanders at the first sight of problems. We all have selfish issues. Elin, I pray that your husband desires to work through his issues, for your sake, your child’s sake and your marriage’s sake. Be patient and in time you will know whether to stay or go. Make the decision with patience and with your head, not your heart.

Bobby

I think he is just another man privileged man that got his hand (finally) caught in the “cookie jar.”

I appreciate that once he dipped in a few times and didn’t get caught that it made the whole experience easier for him but hanging a sex addiction wrap on him when it is still most likely “boys being boys.”

Shouldn’t a basic sign of an addiction like these is that it is affecting your work performance? If not it should and as soon as he wins another competition, he will be back in the good graces of most…not all but most.

Sometimes men are only as faithful as their options. I’m thinking that’s the road Tiger has gone down.

The statement that makes me think he is a sex addict.. was when he sat there and said.. I’m not being the person I want to be… that spells classic addiction. I say that from a standpoint of knowing several sex addicts and being married to one.. it is not a pass… it is either get rid of the man or the man gets help if it has gone to other women there is no choice. I hope that his wife and family find the help they need and come to a place of strength before they determine what the right course of action is.. there is no way if I had reacted immediately that I would have reacted in any way that wasn’t out of anger.. smashing a window is definitely a reaction I’ve seen out of partners of sex addicts. If you truly want to understand this disease read Patrick Carnes Out of the Shadows.. if you truly want to understand his wife’s needs read An Affair of the Mind by Laurie Hall.. both excellent books that help people going through this very painful and real disease and I yes I do believe this is sex addiction not just because of the multiple affairs and I hope they both get counseling and whatever treatment is needed.

Asking what whether the public would give Woods is an irrelevant question. Tiger Woods’s marital status is absolutely none of the public’s business. Neither is it the business of the media, especially gossip columnists, who are trying to make it the public’s business.

The only people whose business it is, are Tiger, his wife Elin, and their family. It is hypocritical for the media to express concern for Elin and her daughters and at the same time exploit the situation in the 24 “news” cycle ad nauseum and capitalizing on the women who have come forth claiming to have affairs with Tiger Woods. Oh yeah, that’s concern and respect for Tiger’s wife.

My advice, take it or leave it: Stop obsessing about the details of the lives of celebrities and start living your own. You’ll be much happier. Really.

In rehab for alcohol addiction,I met people with other problems which required treatment – eating disorders, drug addiction, military PTSD,sex & love addiction.

My first thought was that Mr.Woods is most probably afflicted with the latter.

He & his family should be given privacy & peace to deal with it.This is very painful stuff.

It’s no-one else’s business.
Who on earth has the arrogance to sit in judgement & believe that it’s up to them to give him a “pass”?

No-one I know has a life that’s as pure as the driven snow.

This site is a place for people to get help, not to finger-point……..

Tiger has found himself in hot water and seems to truly be trying mend the situation, the hurt he’s caused his family (including him). Given time to work this out I can only hope and pray he’ll be successful in saving his family relationship. He’s taken hard steps but much time,effort and true love are required for full success.

Having a diagnosis does not give a person a “pass” from having to deal with the problem. I.e. if you’re diagnosed with diabetes, that doesn’t give you a “pass” — you still have to eat healthy food, exercise, take your insulin, etc. For the affected individual, an accurate diagnosis enables one to benefit from the experience of others similarly afflicted.

As to whether we, the members of the public, give Tiger Woods a “pass” — that will depend entirely on our own projections. For immediate evidence of this, simply look at the opinions expressed in various responses above; they are clearly the reflection of each individual’s personal views.

Lets face it, the recovery industry will leap on this. Larry King and the scads of other talk show host and many soon to be so-called experts will hit the air waves, lecture circut and bookshelves. Americans have a love for labels and illness which brings some sense of Self or Identity.

The tragedy is how others will manufacture on the suffering of this family. Should he be given a pass? Of course not. Should we as Americans restore some integrity; a society that doesn’t need to pathologize everything that is extreme and simply see it for what is?

Let us hope they find a way to deal with their suffering. Our task is not to give in to pathologizing.

@Don DeLong:

Yes, I’ve seen some of that information about regarding working class men thinking what a stud Tiger was in the media. I tend to think that is independent of one’s moral and religious beliefs or education. I’ve been in Elin’s shoes. Trust me. This is no stud behavior. It was covert, secretive, and very harmful. From what I’ve learned post-divorce, there are many deep problems that are becoming apparent that Tiger is dealing with. Militaristic father, probably no real childhood (think Michael Jackson here), may have been rebelling against an image he was paid to uphold and the image of himself he has inside. It’s not a simple subject. And because he is a public figure whose life and image does touch upon and affects many, many people beginning with his wife and children, there is going to be fallout and difficult times for quite awhile for Tiger. (My prediction only.) I think it is good he has stepped away from golf for a bit. He needs the time to recover, probably apologize and make amends for many things, and re-build his marriage and family (if that is indeed what he and Elin agree to do). That’s a tall order indeed, and that work should be out of the media’s influence or eye.

I like what Bobby wrote, a sex addiction does not give you a pass. Personal responsibility is a choice regardless of an addiction of any kind. Any addictions counselor will tell you that. You make a choice to abuse or not, every single day. Until Tiger can face his demons he will continue to do what he is doing. Unfortunately, givin his “status” and money, he has MANY enablers around him. And as long as there are women (I use the term loosely) willing to sleep with a married there isnt much hope of him ever recovering if he indeed has such an addiction. Not only should Tiger be ashamed of himself, so should the women he has slept with. All involved seem to be simply lacking morals and integrity.

Christine Stapleton posted Diagnosing Mental Illness with a Remote in One Hand and a Tabloid in the Other this morning, and while it doesn’t really deal with the issue of whether the public would offer Tiger a sort of “pass,” it does offer some opinions on the diagnosis of a sex addiction itself – and from whom that diagnosis comes.