[projekktor id=’12764′]

(Update)

A veil of silence has fallen around Rob Ford. After admitting to having a drinking problem — the Toronto mayor was the butt of jokes again on American talk shows last night. We’ll have more that later. But tonight there’s no word on where he’s going for rehab — after reportedly flying to Chicago Thursday.

We can’t know what was in Rod Ford’s mind when he left home for rehab, but we can get a pretty good idea of what he’ll be going through.

“To crawl out of that hole is extremely difficult to do.”

John Vereecke went through rehab himself as a former financial adviser who developed an alcohol and cocaine addiction — and went on to set up the private Habitude Turning Point detox program in Hamilton, handling 60 to 70 clients a year. Watching the Rob Ford saga, Vereecke says he sees a man who was out of control: “For Rob Ford, Mayor Rob Ford, it was a slow demise but he thought he could control that, he thought he could actually maintain that facade.”

He says Ford now realizes his behaviour went too far and that he needs help — and now the recovery can begin.

So on his first day in rehab, counsellors would start by trying to get Ford to talk about what happened over the past year of alleged drug videos and tv shows to deal with his emotions.

John says: “Initially very difficult because it’s something you’ve never done in terms of not using any mind-altering substances, not using your old way of thinking, not using the vices you’ve always used as a way to cope and deal with life based on life’s terms.”

But he says Ford could come back stronger than ever: “If he decides that he wants recovery then he could be a major inspirational individual to all those that are still suffering. — and he could be someone who attains not only what he has attained in his life being a mayor of a major city in North America but he could aspire to be much greater than that.”

Doug Ford: “I’ll continue to stand by my brother….”

Vereecke says it’s up to Rob Ford with the support family around him whether he wants to make rehab work or not. What he calls a life or death decision.

We have heard the suggestion that Ford has set aside 30 days for rehab. Vereecke says that’s not going to work. Rehab is a long process that could take two or three months or more. But it’s up to Ford whether he wants to recover.