This child star’s astounding addiction recovery is truly inspiring
This entire publication is about famous people finding sobriety and sharing their tips, and each story is special in its own way.
But I have to say this one makes me particularly happy.
As an elder Millennial, one of the bigger movies of my childhood was The Mighty Ducks.
Given I’m Canadian — and you know what lunatics we are for the sport of ice hockey — it was all the more special.
Hockey has always been the lesser of the four major North American sports.
It’s an afterthought on ESPN, left to grab at the scrap airtime at the end of SportsCenter once the anchors have been through all the football, basketball, and baseball news.
Disney and Mighty Ducks brought hockey back to the forefront, if only for a little bit.
Now my kids (both competitive hockey players) have had the opportunity to enjoy it too, as well as the sequels and spinoff show on Disney+.
‘Don’t worry Goldberg’
One of the more memorable members of that rag-tag group of skaters was the goaltender, Greg Goldberg.
Goldberg was played by actor Shaun Weiss, who also appeared on a handful of sitcoms as well as Freaks and Geeks.
He was really lovable and hilarious in the role, and that’s how I remembered Shaun Weiss until 2020 when I saw his booking photo.
He’d been arrested for burglary and being under the influence of methamphetamines.
To call this photo heartbreaking wouldn’t do justice to how jarring it was.
He is unrecognizable. Meth really is a hell of a drug.
That could have been the end for him. He could have disappeared into his own private hell.
But he didn’t. And a few weeks ago, this is what he posted on Instagram:
He writes in the caption:
3 Yrs ago, today, I was in jail. I asked the deputy if he would “please shoot me.” He urged me to “stay positive, Goldberg.” 🤪 Thanks, you guys for holding me down. Is that still a saying?? Photo by @tristanthemusician yoga by @sadhguru
OK, that’s a low-key sweet thing for the cop to say.
Here’s another pic of what Weiss looks like today, also from his Instagram account:
Never quit quitting
Maybe you’re in a place where you’re fighting addiction and you think you’ll never beat it.
Maybe you think you’ve reached a new low in your battle and that it’ll be impossible to climb back up.
Shaun Weiss shows nothing is impossible.
Three years ago he was in jail. Now he seems like a pretty happy guy who’s back to booking acting jobs and doing work for charity.
Never quit trying to quit.
There really is a better life on the other side!
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