George Jones’ widow admits country music star had to face death to kick crippling cocaine, alcohol addiction

George Jones: A Journey to Sobriety

George Jones had to nearly lose his life to finally get sober after years of battling a crippling addiction.

The Accident and Recovery

It was 1999 and the country music singer was driving while talking to his stepdaughter on his phone in Nashville. He lost control of his vehicle and slammed head-on into a concrete bridge. The front of his car looked like “a scrunched accordion.”

Jones, who wasn’t wearing a seatbelt, flung forward under the steering wheel and the dashboard. It took more than two hours for a rescue crew to extract his battered body, which looked like “a grotesque caricature of himself.”

“They had to get him out with the jaws of life,” Jones’ fourth wife Nancy Jones told Fox News Digital. “He died twice in the helicopter on the way to the hospital. Oh, that was awful. I remember the doctor sat me down and said, ‘He’s not going to make it.’”

“But it was still not his time,” she added.

Jones survived and lived for another 14 years. He passed away in 2013 at age 81. Ten years after his passing, the star’s widow is looking back at their marriage in a new memoir, “Playin’ Possum,” which details his struggles before finding salvation in faith and sobriety.

The Struggles with Addiction

Jones had a punctured lung, blood in his chest, a ruptured liver and his legs were badly mangled. According to Nancy’s book, police later confirmed that an open container of vodka was found under the front seat. Nancy remained hopeful that her husband would live – it wasn’t the first time he tempted fate.

Jones tried many times to turn his life around. Nancy recalled how he would beg, “I can’t go on this way.”

“There were several times the media picked up that George had quit drinking,” she said. “Well, that was true to a certain extent. He’d quit drinking Jack Daniel’s. But that didn’t mean he’d quit drinking at all. He continued to drink after that.”

“He would have those little itty-bitty bottles of vodka everywhere – his boots, his coat pocket, all over the closet, in his car,” she continued. “It was a journey just to find them all. And there were times when I thought he had stopped drinking. But he still was. And when fans visited him, they would bring more alcohol to him.”

Nancy has been credited for helping Jones get sober. She said not giving up was essential.

The Road to Sobriety

“Could I have walked away? Sure, many times,” she said. “But I knew he wanted to get well, and he couldn’t do it alone. You’ve got to have somebody who believes in you no matter how hard it is, and still stand beside him. And that’s what I did. You can’t give up.”

Sobriety was “a blessing,” one that the couple always remained thankful for.

“He became a bit of a preacher,” she chuckled. “He would talk to people about how he turned his life around and encouraged them to quit drinking and smoking. He would say, ‘If I could do it, you can too.’… That spiritual side of George is my favorite memory of him… People gave him the nickname Velcro because he was always stuck with me. He never went anywhere without me. We were always together.”

Legacy and Hope

Nancy insisted she never found herself in the shadow of Tammy Wynette, Jones’ ex-wife and fellow country music star.

“I was never jealous of Tammy,” she said. “I thought she was a wonderful lady. I got along with her great.”

Today, Nancy is determined to keep her late husband’s legacy alive. On Oct. 17, there will be a screening of “Still Playin’ Possum,” an all-star tribute concert featuring Brad Paisley, Tanya Tucker, Dierks Bentley and Travis Tritt, among others.

Nancy hopes his struggles will continue to give people hope that it’s never too late to change.

“I want people to remember who George was, what he went through and how he overcame it all,” she said. “I’m trying my best, even though it hurts at times to tell the truth. But it was time.”

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being
• SDG 5: Gender Equality
• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities
• SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

• SDG 3.5: Strengthen the prevention and treatment of substance abuse, including narcotic drug abuse and harmful use of alcohol.
• SDG 5.2: Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres, including trafficking and sexual and other types of exploitation.
• SDG 10.2: By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic, and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status.
• SDG 16.3: Promote the rule of law at the national and international levels and ensure equal access to justice for all.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

• Indicator for SDG 3.5: Number of people receiving treatment for substance abuse disorders.
• Indicator for SDG 5.2: Number of reported cases of violence against women and girls.
• Indicator for SDG 10.2: Proportion of population reporting having personally felt discriminated against or harassed in the previous 12 months on the basis of a ground of discrimination prohibited under international human rights law.
• Indicator for SDG 16.3: Proportion of victims of violence in the previous 12 months who reported their victimization to competent authorities or other officially recognized mechanisms.

Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Behold! This splendid article springs forth from the wellspring of knowledge, shaped by a wondrous proprietary AI technology that delved into a vast ocean of data, illuminating the path towards the Sustainable Development Goals. Remember that all rights are reserved by SDG Investors LLC, empowering us to champion progress together.

Source: foxnews.com

Join us, as fellow seekers of change, on a transformative journey at https://sdgtalks.ai/welcome, where you can become a member and actively contribute to shaping a brighter future.