Time for him to face the ant music.

expect a return to the charts soon

And to think he only nipped out to get his Saturday Night Takeaway

pushpinpussy wrote:PJ and Drunken

PJ was actually Ant, so unfortunately the joke doesn't quite work for me

One of my 'friends' just posted a MEME on facebook about this and considering her son has Autism, I reminded her of mental health issues/matters of the brain. Whichever way you want to paint it. It does weird things. Not condoning Ant at all but something has triggered this and rather than be ridiculed and lambasted, it can happen to anyone and money doesn't effect mental state. Hope the kiddy is ok, but clearly this guy needs help, not scrutiny.

Whether it is a millionaire drunk or a skid row drunk the underlying problem is the same and relates to brain chemistry. These guys and gals have a dreadful time due to their inability to control their drive to drink; for others it is gambling or eating or sex. It is down to those affected to address their demons but society might help by not blaming them for their problem. In relation to alcohol at least we, society have caused the increasing problem as we have unleashed booze on to the market like at no other time since WW1.
What cannot be pitied or excused due to their addictions is getting into the driving seat of a car after a drink of any alcohol.
The millionaire is more likely to "kick" the habit than the poor devil on skid row as the former has all to lose whilst the skid row person has lost everything.

I suspect the catalyst for all this is a painkiller addiction he picked up after knee surgery. Painkiller addiction is becoming a huge problem in Britain & USA. Very hard to withdraw from the very strong doses.

There's a video doing the rounds online and he looks completely wasted getting out of his car.

His agent will no doubt get him booked in somewhere pronto ,like he did last time when the press were gonna run a erm “ coco cola” story with accompanying vid .
He does look a wreck on news just now though ,car a right off ,bloody lucky really could have been horrific .

This guy certainly has issues and I am not going to knock him as I don’t understand mental health and drink addictions. However, his mother was in the car with him at the time of the crash. Surely she could have tried to stop him or arranged a cab knowing full well the state he was in?

He clearly needs help but must also be punished in line with the law. The leniency projected towards those that 'need help' is a prime reason we have so many repeat offenders laughing all the way to their community service tasks.

All in my opinion of course, and that of many people with common decency values.

He hasn't been charged yet as he? It's quite possible to fail a roadside breathaliser but be under the threshold on the testing apparatus in the nick. Surely he would've been charged, not bailed pending inquiries.

groove wrote:He hasn't been charged yet as he? It's quite possible to fail a roadside breathaliser but be under the threshold on the testing apparatus in the nick. Surely he would've been charged, not bailed pending inquiries.

He must have been drunk 'cause it says so in the red tops and we all know they only ever print the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth

If he was sober would he have already sought treatment ?
Shame joe public can’t immediately seek the finest private treatments when life gets sh1tty as it so often does . Ultimately he’s a hugely popular family entertainer and might just be the wake up call he needs to get his life back on track .

One thing is clear that those who say Celeb's and others in the spotlight are just using the issue of mental health as an excuse have never met or know anyone who has severe problems, such as depression or similar illnesses.

Sad to think that many probably thought Robin Williams just needed to get a grip!

AlargeClaret wrote:If he was sober would he have already sought treatment ?
Shame joe public can’t immediately seek the finest private treatments when life gets sh1tty as it so often does . Ultimately he’s a hugely popular family entertainer and might just be the wake up call he needs to get his life back on track .

Not sure what you first question means but he has already had treatment.

Joe Public cannot seek the finest private treatment you are correct - but their are plenty of free services for them out there which they can seek. Using your argument you could say that Ant has paid a lot more in taxes than the average man in the street and these taxes have helped pay for the government funded support services.

"Wake up call" sounds very much like the "pull yourself together" type comments. Being a hugely popular family entertainment and extremely rich has got absolutely nothing to do with what he may be going through. Mental illness does not discriminate based on bank balance - what he will be going through could be just as difficult as someone without a pot to pi-ss in who also has mental illness. Whether he gets his life back on track is also nothing to do with his success and money....the fact that he has a great job (or we perceive this as a great job) and gets paid millions will not define any recovery.

I haven't really followed this story, but am I not correct in saying that his mother was with him at the time?
What's her excuse??

Her excuse for what?

nil_desperandum wrote:What's her excuse??

She wasn't driving? It's a pretty watertight defence, to be fair.

Chobulous wrote:Her excuse for what?

For getting into a car with a young child and her son (the driver) who she presumably knew to be either ill or drunk or both.
There's absolutely no way that I would allow my son to drive me in that condition - assuming of course that he was as unfit as is being claimed.
He'd have to knock me down first.
I have every sympathy with the mental health side to this story, but surely his mother would be aware of his issues and would seek to protect him and the child.?

NottsClaret wrote:She wasn't driving? It's a pretty watertight defence, to be fair.

No one has accused her of driving have they?

Had they not been walking the dog?

He could have had a drink the night before or in the morning- how would she know?

Loyalclaret wrote:Had they not been walking the dog?

He could have had a drink the night before or in the morning- how would she know?

Maybe you didn't read my post fully;

"He'd have to knock me down first ............................. assuming of course that he was as unfit as is being claimed.
."

I suppose basically I'm saying that there are some curious aspects to this.
If he was as unfit as the press have claimed then she would surely have noticed, and would also be aware of his problems??

TVC15 wrote:Check out some of his previous posts on this board and you will quickly work out his views on mental health are not a big surprise.

There was a thread on the keirby hotel where he posted possibly the funniest post I have ever seen on this board - unfortunately it was not supposed to be funny. This guy makes Jim Davidson look like Mary Whitehouse.

Just looked that up. Fully agree that it destroys any last vestige of credibility to his posts
.

nil_desperandum wrote:For getting into a car with a young child and her son (the driver) who she presumably knew to be either ill or drunk or both.
There's absolutely no way that I would allow my son to drive me in that condition - assuming of course that he was as unfit as is being claimed.
He'd have to knock me down first.
I have every sympathy with the mental health side to this story, but surely his mother would be aware of his issues and would seek to protect him and the child.?

But the young child wasn't in his car??? Unless you know something I don't!

It will all become clear in court.

I'll bet there are more than a few who have driven far to soon following a good night out. I know I have, despite the information being in the public domain regarding the effects of residual alcohol.

If this isn't the case I would be surprised, then shocked.

John Thomson
Yesterday at 09:56 · Bristol, United Kingdom ·
I'm sick and tired of seeing ignorant and insensitive comments being made about a television presenter (who is clearly in serious trouble) across all forms of social media.

Addiction is an illness and it kills. Fact.

Ant McPartlin isn't just drunk in the picture below. He is seriously unwell.

I know in my heart that this is true. I can personally identify with what's happening to him in the picture below. And I'm not only referring to the car crash.

This young man looks broken and lost to the world - the result of a progressive and destructive condition which will take his life despite his wealth.

And that's what worries me. His money.

I've seen it before. Best. Gascoigne and many others. Celebrities with plenty of money battling this illness. And it's their financial affluence which contributes to their downfall.

Their successes are well deserved. Talented on the playing field and on the small screen. But for me - it's that very essence of their individual gifts which can spark this illness.

Sensitive.

In my own personal experience of recovering from alcoholism - there's been a very common connection between all of us who are addicts. We're very sensitive to how the world affects us.

I became aware of this during my five months in rehab in 2010.

This kind of sensitivity can be found a lot amongst talented and creative people. Throw in success and money and you can have deadly cocktail.

I don't know Ant McPartlin. I've never met him. But I don't need to know him to be able to analyze him.

He's quiet. The funny man act is just a mask. People laughing at him fulfills a self worth which is always running on empty.

He isolates himself when he's away from the camera because he doesn't feel as if he belongs anywhere and he doesn't feel worthy of his success.

The world around him hurts him. He sees what's going on and he can't cope. He feels lost and alone and the only way he can numb these awful feelings - is by drinking.

That's a simplified version. It's a lot more complicated than that and if you throw childhood trauma into the mix and shake it about - then the demon really starts to manifest itself.

Can you imagine how powerful addiction is? I know some of you can - but most can't.

The obsession to use whatever goes beyond overwhelming. And unless you've experienced it - then you have no right to mock or judge someone who is clearly locked into active addiction.

Was he wrong to drive? Yes he was. Should he be punished? Yes he should. He's still fully responsible for his actions. But he needs help and support and I'm afraid he has a far more difficult struggle ahead of him even with that help and support. And that's because he has financial wealth.

Money gives him a lot of security. It affords him the comfort of knowing he will always have a safe place to rest his head at night in a lovely home.

Security is contributing to his downfall. The best thing his family can do for him is to send him far away with nothing for a long time so that he has to find his own way back to a life without alcohol. But that's unlikely to happen.

It's a curse and it has nothing to do with a substance.

The bottle didn't jump up and pin me down and pour itself down my own throat. I chose to drink three bottles of vodka a day because I couldn't cope with life. And once I was helped to come to terms with the reasons behind that choice - then I started to get well.

Ant McPartlin has an illness and he has used alcohol to cope. He's unwell. And just because many can drink and stop - that doesn't give people the right to judge those who can't and who are in active addiction.

I wish him well and I hope the right person is sent to him to help him find his way back to a life with peace of mind.

The above is just my opinion. But it's an opinion founded on years in active addiction which included me hurting many people, homelessness, two suicide attempts and the hard work of facing myself in early recovery.

I'm no angel. I make mistakes all the time and I don't claim to know everything. But one thing I do know well is the truth of addiction and the mire of hopelessness which it inflicts on people.

Hope found me eight years ago and I hope it also finds Ant

Now been charged with drink driving.(BBC)
In court April 4th.

Have there been mental health issues quoted in his issues? Serious question as I've not followed his troubles that closely.

Is an addiction to painkillers and alcohol driven by a painful knee injury classed as mental health?

My company has a charity association to mental health and there's no doubt it can have a link but an addiction in isolation doesnt necessarily and in this instance I've not seen mental health referenced.

Agree with the opinions what the hell is he doing driving when drinking. Not an excuse for anyone that can't afford a taxi but someone of his wealth ordering a taxi when out drinking is something that shouldn't even need a debate amongst his friends or family that he's socialising with whether he has problems or not.

KeighleyClaret wrote:Just looked that up. Fully agree that it destroys any last vestige of credibility to his posts
.

Thanks for the heads KC old fruit,sorry if my posts offend you /don’t agree with your views/humour etc .It’s a forum after all with a huge range of diverse opinions .Quite why anyone would seek “ credibility” i’ve really no
Idea .It’s little more than light hearted banter .Though you’ll never find lies or deceit in my posts .
For a snapshot example of utter bullsh1t check out the Peter Kay thread ,where he’s either dead/in a hospice / perfectly well/ diedsome time ago/having chemo at The Christie all apparently facts.Have a good day.

Maybe as a society we should stop criticising all drink drivers, I'm sure there's a story behind each individual drink driver, it's only fair to them that we show them the same amount of empathy this millionaire has been receiving.
Thankfully the law provides a fair legal and clear position to all on these matters and he will receive due process and if found guilty he will be banned from driving for a period of time.

Fined £86,000 and banned for 20 months after pleading guilty to drink driving. (BBC)

Earns £130,000 a week.

how come nobody got to hide behind "mental health issues" in the past ?
I recall the common view of someone caught drunk behind the wheel was that they were selfish, self centred *******S, and they deserved to have the book thrown at them.
just takes a few multi millionaire celebs/ex footballers etc, to get nabbed and the saturday night takeaway mob of cretins and sun readers are willing to forgive anything. how about a bit of personal responsibility ?

Phookin hell,that fines ridiculous .. How much was Rooney fined when he was three times over the limit ?

He should have been given a few months community service to do the fine won't make a bit of difference to him..

Is the fine a certain percentage of your declared weekly earnings?

He is said to be worth £62 MIllion and is earning £130,000 per week so I don't think that £86,000 will break the bank.

10 years ago someone I know was caught drink driving, he foolishly decided to drive about 500yds to his home. He admitted the offence, what was surprising was that it was his first offence and he was jailed for 12 months (served 6). Today the jails are that full the Courts are under pressure to avoid a sentence, the majority get fines and suspended sentences, incidentally the suspended sentences are applied to a number of other offences today that years ago would have resulted in a jail term.

Sentences must changed beddie I believe the maximum prison sentence is 6 month. Your friend must have had a mega high reading and possibly more contributing factors.

Agree on sentencing and the actual charges that police decide on for offences- must be linked to prison numbers, politics and police budgets.