The Continuing Struggles of Pete Doherty in Thai Rehabs

It looks like Pete Doherty has developed something of an affinity for addiction rehabs in Thailand – although he does not seem to be having much luck with them. Back in 2004 he entered Thamkrabok Temple but fled because he claimed the treatment was too harsh, and he didn’t feel strong enough for it. This time he has been asked to leave a rehab facility in Chiang Mai because his behavior was deemed unacceptable.

I understand what it is like to be caught in the revolving door syndrome, and I do empathize with Pete, but it is difficult not to feel irritated by the games that addicts play. I sort of feel bad about it now but my first reaction to reading the news of his latest escapade was ‘you twat – why can’t you just man up and end your addiction ?’ He probably wouldn’t see things the same way as me though – I was once a sucker for self serving bullshit justifications as well. He has claimed in the past that he is not afraid of dying, and this is where he is heading, but it won’t only be him who will suffer.

Doherty at Thamkrabok

I didn’t even know who Doherty was until after I’d come back from Thamkrabok. I’d been living in Thailand for a few years by then, and I hadn’t kept up with the music scene back in Europe. If I had been living back in Ireland or the UK I’m sure that I’d have been a fan – he would have fit in well with the rest of my tragic heroes like Kurt Cobain, Nick Drake, and Brendan Behan.

Doherty’s departure from Thamkrabok probably harmed the temple’s reputation. To be fair, I’m not sure that it was completely his fault, but the Guardian ran a sensational story that suggested that Doherty had been badly treated at the temple. The reporting is full of inaccuracies so maybe they exaggerated what Pete had to say. The article claims that the monks beat him with bamboo sticks and forced him to drink the temple medicine. At the time Pete did issue a statement saying:

“Thamkrabok Monastery have done everything they could to help me, but I am not strong enough for this treatment.”

Luckily I did not read the Guardian article before going to Thamkrabok. If I did it might have turned me off seeking help there. This would have been a shame for me because after two decades of seeking help it was the thing that finally allowed me to end my addiction. Bad news travels fast though, and this Guardian article is often used to discredit the temple. I’ve been in many online debates where I talk about how Thamkrabok temple helped me, but skeptics will regularly use the alleged abuse of Doherty to prove that I’m wrong. It gives ammunition to those who dislike the idea of a spiritual cure for addiction. I suspect there are also those in the recovery profession that dislike the fact that Thamkrabok offers their services for free.

Get Well Soon Pete

I’m not sure what happened in Chiang Mai, but I suspect that Pete was no angel in the affair. My favorite monk Phra Hans once described him as being “unwilling or unable to let go of his dark side”. I truly hope that Pete can reach a point soon where he can let go of this shit. There really can be a magical life away from addiction and all he has to do is to allow it to happen. If rehab doesn’t suit him then he should find something that does.