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Kevin Doyle, Ed.D., LPC, LSATP

Gus Gerard

9/17/2010

 
Background:

Name: Gus Gerard, College: University of Virginia, Professional: ABA/NBA

Gus Gerard played professional basketball in the American Basketball Association (ABA) and the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1974-1981 finishing his career with 3765 points and 1811 rebounds. He was named to the All-Rookie team in the ABA in 1974-75 and was an ABA All-Star in 1975-76. He was an All-ACC performer at the University of Virginia, finishing his college career with averages of 17.9 points and 9.3 rebounds.

Recovery:

A certified addiction counselor in Houston, Gus now has over 15 years in recovery and frequently shares his story as a way of “giving back.” Gus shared his thoughts recently on addiction and recovery as it relates to athletes,

KD:  Gus, thanks for sharing your insights. How was your addiction affected by being an elite-level athlete?

GG: They were very related. I had a really high competitive nature. I wanted to be the best at everything. When it came to partying and drug and alcohol use, it was no different. I had to be the first one at every party and the last to leave. I never missed or was late to a practice in college or the pros, and I never was late to a flight.

KD: How about your recovery—how was that affected?

GG: I believe that being an athlete made it harder for me to recover, because I was trained to never give up. I always thought that if I tried harder, I could control my use, I could keep it in check. I was trained that if you were down 10 points with a minute to go, you could still win—and this worked against me, ironically, in addressing my addiction. It was only when I realized that I had to surrender that I was able to stop using and being my recovery.

KD: How did that come about?

GG: Well, I tried to kill myself by running my car in the garage with the door closed, but the car ran out of gas! I was ready for help and reached out to my friend John Lucas, who was running a treatment center at the time, and I went to treatment. I’ve been fortunate to have stayed clean and sober since that day, and I went back to school to get the training I needed to become a counselor myself.

KD: How are things for you today?

GG: Things are great. I work in the field, trying to help others. I am re-married, but after many years have re-established a positive relationship with my first wife and my kids, and I have a great relationship with them now. Life is good.

KD: What would you say to an athlete whose drug use is getting out of control?

GG: I would say that you need to surrender. It is not a sign of weakness to ask for help. Help is out there.

KD: Thanks for sharing, Gus.

GG: My pleasure.

© 2010

 

Athletes in Recovery blog

9/17/2010

 
Greetings--and welcome to my blog. It has been a great privilege of mine to be "along for the journey" with hundreds of people as they make the changes necessary to recover from a substance use disorder. One particular group of recovering people that seems under-represented in the professional and popular literature is athletes. We hear and read of athletes in trouble with alcohol and/or other drugs, but there is a dearth of information about the positive stories of those who successfully access the help they need and enter recovery. My first post will be about one of my personal favorites, former ABA/NBA player Gus Gerard. Welcomen and read on! Kevin Doyle 9/16/10  

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    Kevin Doyle, Ed.D., LPC, LSATP. Addiction counselor, teacher, and trainer.

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