Andrew Koppel Had "Many Substance Abuse Issues"

Andrew Koppel, his partner Ilona Lieberman and their daughter

Family and friends of Andrew Koppel are mourning the 40-year-old's death after an apparent drinking binge over the weekend. A family friend told the Post that he had "many substance-abuse issues," while another said, "What's really puzzling the family is why he ended up where he did. It was a Sunday and holiday weekend. Why was he drinking in Hell's Kitchen and why would he end up in Washington Heights?"

Koppel, a former attorney for the city's Housing Authority and the son of broadcast journalist Ted Koppel, had been living in the Rockaways with his girlfriend Ilona Lieberman and their daughter at Libermans' parents home (the Post also notes that Lieberman was "visibly pregnant" yesterday). On Saturday, Koppel befriended another drinker, Russell Wimberly, at Smith's Bar in Midtown. The pair ended up bar hopping all day, when, the Daily News reports they "ended up at the dingy apartment of Wimberly's friend Belinda Caban on 180th St. at Audubon Ave. Because Koppel could barely hold himself up, he was led to Caban's bed. He fell asleep quickly and snored loudly. Hours later, he was pale and silent" and not breathing. He was pronounced dead later.

The News details some of his past run-ins, ranging from DUI and assault of a senatorial aide. One man who saw Koppel drinking at a bar in the Rockaways last year told the Post, "He was out of his mind. He was drunk... He was drunk to the point where the owner and the bartender had to tell him, 'You're done. Leave the bike here,' but he wouldn't listen" and drunkenly drove off." And Caban believes that Koppel was on something else, "I think he did take [drugs] because he was too out of it... Tell his father I am very sorry. I apologize that this happened to him. I was just a person who was trying to help."

Koppel's parents issued a statement, "Our son, Andrew, was a brilliant, caring man, whose loss we will mourn for the rest of our lives," and are planning to bury him near their home in Maryland.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Jen Chung in News on June 2, 2010 11:03 AM

Comments [rss]

whoandthewhatnow

Completely self centered and selfish.

pharnold

I feel bad for the kid. What a selfish thing to do as a parent. It is a shame.

pharnold

I feel bad for the kid. What a selfish thing to do as a parent. It is a shame.

Humptydank

As a recovering addict and alcoholic myself, I can tell you that addiction has little to do with selfishness.

whitecastlerock

Addicts, recovering or not, are some of the most self centered and self absorbed individuals out there. It is a shame Koppel's issues brought about his untimely demise

Humptydank

Well whitecastlerock, my experience, both with myself and in knowing many people with the same condition, has been different.

Using drugs and alcohol, whether that person is an addict or not, can often bring out the worst in their personality. When people are not using, whether addicts or not, I haven't found any difference between the two except an inability to stop using despite negative consequences.

I'm sorry your experience has so clearly been different, but you might consider whether it was the particular individuals you have been exposed to with the character flaws, rather than all addicts or alcoholics.

whitecastlerock

Ummm well my experience knowing drunks and addicts in and out of recovery is different from yours. To categorically refute one's comment stating that Koppel's actions were selfish is misguided-based on your experiences of course...

Humptydank

I was simply making the point that I made, which is that addiction has little to do with selfishness. In a well-studied field, there is no medical evidence to that effect.

I'm sorry that your experience has been different, but what is certainly misguided is characterizing an entire population based solely on your experience.

All I hope is that you will keep your mind open in the future to the idea that people who are coping with this disease are not, in fact, necessarily more "self centered and self absorbed individuals" than anyone else.

whitecastlerock

Addictive behavior inherently is selfish-you sacrifice anything and everything for what you as an individual wants. I have been to enough funerals for those who took their wills back and relapsed–if that isn't selfish and self centered I have no idea what is. I have been on my own personal path of recovery for almost 18 years. I have seen it all-and my experience in going to rehabs, detoxes, and doing 12 Step work has clearly shown me that addicts are a selfish lot. The AA Program has even been labelled a selfish program for selfish people. Whether or not that was in jest is irrelevant-my arguing the merits of my experience against yours advances nothing. The poor guy succumbed to his addictions and is now dead-may he rest in peace. I hope his family can recover from their devastating loss...

Humptydank

If you are telling the truth about your 18 years clean, and the lesson that you came away from AA and rehab with is that addiction is a flaw in character, then you haven't been paying the slightest attention to either the psychology or the physiology of addiction.

If your conclusions are what it takes to keep you clean, then I leave you to them. All I would ask is that you spare the rest of the community your gospel that we are different in character from the general population.

To responsibly assert that something is different for a particular reason, the burden is on you to provide proof. I know the literature well, and there is no evidence of any pervasive personality disorders, narcissistic or otherwise, that have any correlation to addiction.

Again, if your particular myths keep you clean, then believe whatever you need to, but please don't make blanket statements about the rest of us.

whitecastlerock

Oh please get off your high horse-if you were on fire I wouldn't piss on you either. Now go hold someone's hand you fucking weasel

chlyn

FTW

Gertah

Please, don't ever assume that 'sleeping it off' is the answer when someone is so intoxicated as to become incoherent or incapable of holding their head up. If they do fall asleep, don't leave them alone for hours at a time. This kind of avoidable death is far too common among substance abusers (habitual or not) who take things too far, end up with strangers, and die in strange places. It happens all the time, and, on top of the personal loss, becomes a painful mystery for their loved ones, who will wonder for the rest of their lives. Police rarely invest the resources in arresting witnesses/companions in overdose cases- put your fear aside and call 911 BEFORE a person stops breathing and chokes to death on their own vomit in the next room.

ProcedureTurn

I bet he ate some pills like xanax or codene. sad. they dont mix well with alcohol.

kane

Koppel, a former attorney for the city's Housing Authority and the son of broadcast journalist Ted Koppel, had been living in the Rockaways with his girlfriend Ilona Lieberman and their daughter at Libermans' parents home; Lieberman was expect.

What?