St. Petersburg, Florida - Former American League MVP and Tampa Bay Rays top prospect Josh Hamilton admitted Friday he had a relapse in his recovery from drug and alcohol abuse.
Hamilton says he had several drinks earlier this week at a Dallas area bar.
The story puts addiction back in the spotlight.
For 13 years, Charisse Strawberry had a front row seat to an athlete with an addiction.
Her ex-husband, Darryl, a former Tampa resident, is an 8-time baseball All-Star, who battled drug abuse throughout his career.
"For me it was tough to walk through it publicly," she explained, "people are not as understanding because they want them to be kind of perfect and not make any mistakes."
Rays P.R. man Rick Vaughn is a longtime friend of Hamilton.
"He's a great person and I just pray that whatever it was, was just a minor thing and it's a blip," Vaughn said.
Three years ago, Hamilton had another relapse, when he was spotted drinking in an Arizona bar.
Many had hoped his alcohol issues were behind him.
"It never goes away. You can put it in remission, which is what recovery is, but it's always there," said Dr. Lawrence Wilson, an addiction specialist with DACCO in Tampa.
Hamilton recently lost his "accountability partner," a coach with the Texas Rangers, who left for another team.
Dr. Wilson is concerned that may have played a role.
"He started to think I can do this, I can do that. No one is watching," he explained.
Strawberry says no matter how let down fans may feel, it's important to remember what Hamilton's family is going through.
"It's tough to watch somebody that you love or care about," she said.
That's something anyone affected by addiction knows very well.