Thread: Con-gressman Jesse Jackson Jr. Absent From Congress For Over A Month, In Rehab For Alcoholism

“Democratic Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. has been gone for a month and nobody knows where he is or what's wrong with him. Last week, the Chicago lawmaker's office issued a vague statement saying he's dealing with "physical and emotional ailments" and is "undergoing further evaluation and treatment at an in-patient medical facility." Now, members of Congress, including Illinois Democrat Sen. Dick Durbin, are calling on him to be more forthright with his constituents in Chicago's South Side. "As a public official, there comes a point when you have a responsibility to tell the public what's going on," Durbin told Crain’s Chicago Business Monday. Jackson "will soon have to make a report on the physical condition he's struggling with." In a normal job, asking for a few sick days doesn't invite much scrutiny, but when you represent voters and you've been AWOL since June 10, you're asking for a flurry of speculation. Here's what's buzzing in Chicago's rumor mill:

http://www.theatlanticwire.com/poli...t-jesse-jackson-jrs-mysterious-absence/54404/

Well, apparently he has been found. He went on a drinking binge.

Andrea Mitchell reported that sources told her the 2nd District Congressman reportedly has been In Arizona receiving treatment for alcoholism.

Jackson Jr. went on hiatus from congress a month ago, on June 10, and his office released a statement nearly two weeks after that saying he was being treated at an undisclosed location for exhaustion.

Following the NBC News report, Jackson Jr. spokesman Rick Bryant said the information was not 100% correct.

Bryant said he was not being treated for substance abuse, but didn't dispute other specifics of the report.

NBC News Report: Jesse Jackson Jr Is Found | NBC Chicago

Not even Ted Kennedy was that bad!

Splitting hairs.....Or telling lies to save face? I find it extremely insulting when politicos get a free pass and for their indiscretions and openly lie to cover it up, add to that there are no repercussions for telling said lies.

And they wonder why there is dissent among the masses with regards towards the operation of government, and they carry on as if the dissent is unwarranted.

Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcoholism

Substance abuse, also known as drug abuse, is a maladaptive patterned use of a substance (drug) in which the user consumes the substance in amounts or with methods not condoned by medical professionals. Substance abuse/drug abuse is not limited to mood-altering or psycho-active drugs. Activity is also considered substance abuse when inappropriately used (as in steroids for performance enhancement in sports). Therefore, mood-altering and psychoactive substances are not the only drugs of abuse. Substance abuse often includes problems with impulse control and impulsivity.
The term "drug abuse" does not exclude dependency, but is otherwise used in a similar manner in nonmedical contexts. The terms have a huge range of definitions related to taking a psychoactive drug or performance enhancing drug for a non-therapeutic or non-medical effect. All of these definitions imply a negative judgment of the drug use in question (compare with the term responsible drug use for alternative views). Some of the drugs most often associated with this term include alcohol, amphetamines, barbiturates, benzodiazepines (particularly temazepam, nimetazepam, and flunitrazepam), cocaine, methaqualone, and opioids.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Substance_abuse