Ted Williams Leaves Rehab

It’s an inspirational story: A homeless man with a golden voice is plucked from the streets and whisked to New York and Hollywood where he fields dozens of life-changing job offers. He’s reunited with his family – including his mom and nine children – and appears on morning talk shows, late night TV and Dr. Phil.

Who doesn’t deserve a second chance, right?

Life is rarely that easy, though, and such radical changes can be hard to handle for the healthiest individual. It didn’t take long in the spotlight for the addiction issues of homeless former radio voice Ted Williams to surface.

Ted Williams in Treatment

A televised intervention by Dr. Phil led to Williams checking into treatment at no cost to him, but now, just two weeks later, Williams left treatment against the staff’s advice. It wasn’t clear where he was headed when he left Origins Recovery Center in South Padre Island, Texas.

"Ted was given the chance to voluntarily enter a drug rehabilitation facility in order to help him in dealing with his dependency on drugs and alcohol," Dr. Phil said in a statement. "In that it is voluntary, the decision to remain in treatment is Ted's to make."

The experts who were watching the Williams story weren’t surprised. Substance abuse is the single largest cause of homelessness for single adults, according to a July 2009 study published by the National Coalition for the Homeless. “Although obtaining an accurate, recent count is difficult, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) estimates, 38 percent of homeless people were dependent on alcohol and 26 percent abused other drugs,” according to the report.

Addiction is an Illness

While a high percentage of homeless people do struggle with substance abuse, the report insists that “addictions should be viewed as illnesses and require a great deal of treatment, counseling and support to overcome.” The report goes on to point out that substance abuse can be both a cause and a result of homelessness, just as likely to arise after people lose their housing.

The whirlwind began for Williams, 53, when a Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch reporter videotaped him panhandling on the side of the road. The video was posted online and quickly went viral. A flurry of opportunities and public appearances immediately followed. Prior to entering treatment, Williams told several different interviewers that he’d been sober for the past two years after years of addiction, a problem that separated him from his family and left him homeless.

Addiction Treatment

If you or someone you love is battling an addiction, call La Paloma at our toll-free number. Someone is there to take your call 24 hours a day and answer any questions you have about treatment, financing or insurance.