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After appearing on a two-part episode of Dr. Phil, Ted Williams has committed to "enter a private rehabilitation treatment facility for his alcohol and drug dependency," according to a show representative.

Apparently, over the course of the confrontation and intervention that Dr. Phil orchestrated, it became apparent that Williams' original claim of having been clean and sober for two years is categorically untrue. According to USA Today, Williams admitted to Dr. Phil that he has been drinking daily.

Williams, 53, has the full support of his ex-wife and nine children in his decision, and those of his kids who appeared on the show said they hoped rehab would better equip their father to handle his sudden fame (referring to events like the verbal altercation that got a ton of press earlier this week).

"If Ted is ever going to get better, he's got to be honest with himself and admit he's addicted to drugs and alcohol," Dr. Phil said. "I've told him it's not going to be easy and it's going to take a lot of hard work. It might be a long journey for him, but this is a big step in the right direction."

I'm inclined to agree.

Ted Williams has only been on our pop culture radar for ten days, but the ride has already been a bumpy one. In order for this story to have the fairy tale ending we'd all like it to, Ted's probably going to have to shape up quickly before the public loses interest in his story. Considering people like Octomom and Susan Boyle, watching an overnight celebrity struggle with their newfound fame is well-worn territory, and because Ted had such a quick rise to popularity, it wouldn't surprise me if his supporters are fickle with their enthusiasm in the coming weeks.

The bottom line is he can't cure his alcoholism over the weekend, and that's going to bore some people.

But that's the risk that we run with these human memes -- if we don't get the result we want immediately, it's on to the next one.