I came across this interview on ESPN’s SportsCenter with writer Benoit Denizet-Lewis regarding Tiger Wood’s rehab stay–what it’s like in rehab for sexual addiction? A brief disclaimer: this interview speculates that Tiger Woods is in a particular clinic, and this should not be considered an endorsement of any kind. And I do want us to respect Tiger’s privacy.
For those of you who may unfamiliar with the process, I did think it was informative and sheds light on the process of “getting real” with it that an addict with a life dominating behavior goes through. Denizet-Lewis is himself a recovering sex addict.
If you’re a Christian struggling with sexual addiction, pornography or any besetting sexual sin, getting help from someone with the same values and worldview is critical. For information on counseling resources, check my husband’s site.
But for now, please tell me what you think about this interview. Do you agree with some of the opinions expressed? Why or why not?
Angel:
I agree with you on some of the points you raised. Like you, I wonder how many of the people who are commenting on Tiger’s failure are hiding some of thier own. We tend to criticize the most harshly in the areas we ourselves are having in trouble in. Classic projection, I guess, and perhaps it make those who do it feel a little better about themselves. I hope that we would all have compassion on him and his family, and keep them in our prayers. This is a terrible and difficult thing to go through, especially in the public eye.
And I agree that Tiger owes the apology to his wife, and not the rest of the world. But because he is a public figure and a role model to many, he was unfaithful in front of the world. And that has damaged not only his family privately, but his reputation and creditability publically. Of course, he’s golfer – not a pastor. But as a sports figure, he has traded on the concepts of discipline, hard work, integrity, etc. That was part of his bread and butter.
So I hope all of his apologies are sincere, and that he will earnestly take the steps he needs to regain his emotional health and the trust of his family. The public stuff is secondary–as Steven Covey says, “private victories preceed public victories”. How you handle the private temptations and what you do when no one is around is what shows true character. So if Tiger can achieve as much discipline in private as he has in his dedication to his sport, well then, good for him. Let’s hope for that, and not only for him, but for all of us. -R
I’ve heard a lot about Tiger wood. I am not saying that what he did was good but we have to stop condemning people with so much hatred and passion. We are asking Tiger Woods to remove the plank in his eye while we are carring a big of plank in our own eyes. He’s unfaithful to his wife and not to the whole world- because many of us do the same as he did, but we are saying so much about him now because he was caught. He owes his wife a lot of apologies and he should try by all means to regain the lost trust back.
And for his wife, there are a lot of girls out there who want your husband, by all means. Never you leave your husband for them if you know that you really love him so much. Men are like dogs, they always like to steal outside.Ii call it “steal” because they are doing it without our consent. Not that they dont love what they have but its in their blood.
To err is human, to forgive divine. Forgive him because if there is no sin there will be no forgiveness. He really offended you but you have to let go. I am a woman like you from Nigeria but I reside here in America. Ladies may want your husband but you must never give him up.
And to you Tiger, be faithful to your wife, love and cherish her. Adore her.
PLEASE I WILL LIKE TIGER AND HIS BEAUTIFUL WIFE TO READ THIS MESSAGE. THANKS
Some people probably think Tiger, and others who have done this can often just get over it, or just stop it. Sometimes people say, “That’s just what guys do”. But during this interview, I appreciated how Denizet-Lewis says he went through this kind of rehab and wished he had been talking about something else in the interview. He obviously didn’t think excessive sex was fun in the end–so it renegged on it’s promises, huh? And he said one of the determining factors is “does sex run your life, or do you run your sex life?” or something like that. I hope guys will get the message!
As a woman, I don’t always understand how hard it is for them, and I’m angry that they got themselves into this bondage in the first place. It’s like if you give the enemy a little “yes”, he’ll put a hook in your nose and you just go wherever the temptation leads you. This video explains that it takes a deliberate, painstaking process to get out of, but worth it. If a guys does that, okay, I can respect him, and he should be able to respect himself as well.