The spectre of drug abuse has haunted the world of professional wrestling for decades. In the boom of the eighties, with little to no regulation or intervention, drug use spiraled out of control; in the upswing of the Monday Night Wars and the Attitude Era, the problem became more severe than ever. There are three main areas with drug abuse that affect wrestlers: performance enhancement drugs like anabolic steroids; recreational drugs like alcohol, cocaine, crack and crystal meth; and the abuse of prescription painkillers. This last is probably the most pervasive throughout the industry, and has been for a very long time. Wrestlers work long, late hours with very few holidays, always work hurt, and often work injured its considered to be an occupational hazard. Managing chronic pain with drugs is the real hazard however, and tragically many wrestlers dont ever get well enough to move past the influence of drugs in their lives. The list of wrestlers dead before their time through drugs is terrifyingly long: Bam Bam Bigelow, Crash Holly, Brian Adams, Matt Borne, Johnny Grunge, Luna Vachon, Miss Elizabeth, Mr. Perfect, Test, Sensational Sherri thats not by any stretch a complete count, either. But this article is dedicated to the wrestlers who have made it: the stars of the squared circle who beat addiction and climbed back to the top to take control of their lives. Special mention here goes to Scott Hall, who recently relapsed again after seeming to have finally conquered his demons. Heres hoping we can amend this list with a number eleven in the months to come
Professional writer, punk werewolf and nesting place for starfish. Obsessed with squid, spirals and story. I publish short weird fiction online at desincarne.com, and tweet nonsense under the name Jack The Bodiless. You can follow me all you like, just don't touch my stuff.
