A colleague asked me not to write again or be quoted on CNN about the mayor of Toronto.

"He is a convenient punching bag at this point, and I just dislike any mention of particular people in situations like this one. But that's just me," said my colleague. And he should know; he spent 15 years on Capitol Hill, the firing range for political marksmen fixated on one target and partisan bomb-throwers seeking nothing more than wanton carnage among the other party.

But here in this space again he is, Mayor Rob Ford. Not even Lindsay Lohan or Charlie Sheen earned mentions in successive weeks.

I can't resist, only because the mayor is unable to get out of the way of his own ego and the media spotlight long enough to take care of himself. Instead, day after day, he chooses to mount the stage for another act of his own tragic play. It would be comedy if the mayor were trying to be funny. But he is dead serious, so it is sad.

In the past seven days, he's gone from denying he ever smoked crack to admitting it but blaming it on a "drunken stupor." He went before the Toronto City Council to admit he's bought illegal drugs and been drunk more than once, including while on duty as mayor. His leadership scandal reached a new low when he made vulgar remarks in front of the media about sex, disparaging his own wife in the process.

Still, Ford refuses to admit he is an addict. He seems to think his shenanigans don't quite stoop to the nadir of what addicts and alcoholics do when they fall under the influence. My hunch is he's the only one who believes what he says. His self-immolation is a reminder that denial is an accelerant that fuels the conflagration of substance use. Whether he goes down in flames or up in smoke, Ford is cooked unless he gets help and gets it now. It may be too late for his political career. But that's not what matters when it comes to life and death.

His illness is so bad that even when the City Council voted 37-5 to recommend he take a leave of absence, he rejected the gift of an opportunity to keep his job even while getting help for what ails him. What a shame. I know hundreds of addicts and alcoholics who would jump at a similar chance to take a break from work to get treatment. Instead, usually they get fired first. In the councilors' case, they can't remove the mayor. And even after they voted Friday to strip him of some of his executive powers, Ford remains defiant.

I can't help but compare and contrast his situation with that of two other "public figures" in the spotlight with similar issues.

One is Jerome Simpson, a wide receiver for the Minnesota Vikings. He was already on probation for a major drug conviction when he was charged with drunken driving this week. Now he could be out of football and in prison for years, losing his freedom and millions of dollars in salary.

But here is what he said immediately after his arrest: "I apologize for the attention that I've brought with my team and myself." For people with alcohol and drug issues, an apology is usually the first step toward accountability.

And then there's Martin Walsh, who said this while running for mayor of Boston: "My drinking went from good to bad to ugly. I was thrown out of a Bruins game, passed out at a bar. There was just guilt and shame and constant disappointment."

His transparency was a little different because he was talking about the time in his life before he stopped drinking, 18-plus years ago. How much of a factor was his honesty with the voters, who elected him a few weeks ago as the city's next leader? They know; I don't. But one thing is certain: None of us overcomes our problem until we first honestly admit we have it. That's the start of doing something about it.

William Moyers is the vice president of public affairs and community relations for the Hazelden Foundation and the author of "Broken," his best-selling memoirs. His book "Now What? An Insider's Guide to Addiction and Recovery" was published last year. Please send your questions to William Moyers at wmoyers@hazelden.org. To find out more about William Moyers and read his past columns, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.