In part 1 of the series, we spoke about how steroids are a real problem in the business of wrestling, even today. For those unfamiliar with the series. I am going over the Drug and Protection Policy WWE has instituted and added a lot to.
I will be going over certain drugs and why WWE is being so strict. We will dive into why these drugs are bad for you. And we will especially dive into the abuse of them and it’s affect on the human system.
As mentioned, we spoke about steroids in Part 1 of the series. However, it is not the only worry WWE and other wrestling companies have to get past. This brings us to Part 2 of the series, Pain Killers.
Minus steroids which help pain, the pain killers such as Propoxyphene, Codeine, Hydrocodone, Oxycodone, and the street drug/pain killer Heroin have been popular with wrestlers among other brands.
Heroin is actually used in hospitals by its medical name Diamorphine.
Morphine (a known hospital pain killer and anesthetic) is commonly used in Emergency Rooms and Hospitals in America. Diamorphine is not as commonly used, but it basically the same thing. Similar to antibiotics Penicillin and Amoxicillin.
The pair are both from the mold Penicillin, but both are formulated a bit different. Usually if one has a Penicillin allergy, they can have Amoxicillin. However, some feel that Amoxicillin can serve more purposes than Penicillin. But that’s another story for another time.
When he it comes to Diamorphine or Heroin, the reason it’s as vastly distributed is mainly due to what it can do. But, it’s commonly not full-fledged Heroin one gets on the street.
Pain pretty much disappears within 30 to 40 minutes upon injection, sometimes shorter or longer depending on the person. The problem with street drugs is that dealers aren’t worried about giving you a great product; rather, they are worried about making a buck. While they want you to keep staying in business with them, it’s never about you in the end.
So if it’s laced with a horrid chemical, oh well. Heroin is one of the hardest drugs to break away from. And one of the most commonly overdosed on. People commonly overdose on it for a few reasons.
The first is that is very good, so your addictive behavior toward it will continue to increase. You will feel you need more and more. Eventually your body won’t be able to keep up with what your brain says is cool to do. And at times, because you may not get real Heroin, it may be laced with other chemicals. Or you may get a higher dose of something.
So you may use a certain amount. But the first injection or two does not work. So you continue to put more in to get the same effect. Or, your normal dose you give yourself is too much for the stronger amount you just bought. So, you risk several issues with Heroin beyond the obvious issues it causes.
It like all its pain-killer friends causes heart related issues. But it’s not the only problem when it comes to these real brothers of destruction.
Like steroids, they make the liver and kidneys work overtime, so much so, both may begin to slowly shut down. Usually one can tell there is a liver issue if the eyes of someone are yellow. It’s a common problem for liver failure. For those with Heroin issues or long term pain killer problems, you will commonly see yellow in the eyes.
At times, the kidneys will randomly shut down. This will cause severe pains in the lower back, blood in the urine, and ultimately you will not live long without proper help. Usually Dialysis is the only thing one can do until a new kidney can be given. For addicts, it may take longer to get one. It’s the stigma of our nation.
Pain killers are killers to most of the body. Beyond the liver and kidneys, they will affect the GI system to the Heart, Lungs, and Brain.
Before we fully dive into it, understand there are differences between pain killers and pain relievers. Your average Tylenol or Aleve, while they can be abused, are not addictive as easily as Codeine for example. So they are what you should turn to with a headache or arthritis pain, not pain killers.
So understand I am not saying to never touch some Tylenol here.
Pain killers seem to be understood more and more. In most drug counseling centers, psychologists find that they can cause several psychological problems, which are the reasons many end up committing suicide when on drugs.
Many also do not know what to do when they don’t have them, so they will go nuts and convulse among other things at times. Some commit suicide due to the brain basically being fried.
You have something called functioning drug abusers. These people cannot be normal without their drugs. They may seem completely normal in fact. Without them, they look like an addict. Which is kind of interesting.
Someone like Jake Roberts and Scott Hall can relate to this. Both have had issues with drugs in the past due to similar reasons. At this point, Hall’s mind is so far gone that anything left to save in him would not be much over time. Hall at this point, maybe has 5 years at best due to his abuse problems. Roberts on the other hand may have longer. While he has had his issues, Jake has not reached Hall level. That is the example of worst case scenario.
People do not realize that when they do drugs they are risking long-term complications, not just short term. So the years of abuse for both men will be something their body will not recover from.
The heart seems to one of the most misunderstood when it comes to pain killers. What the PKs do is simply enlarge the heart over a period of time. All of this while affecting other organs. The blood going to the heart gets tainted in this time, mostly due to the drugs. Eventually things like the red blood cells cannot get through right, and oxygen starts to have issues properly getting through. At times, things like strokes and aneurysms (called aortic aneurysms for the heart) can happen.
Both link back to the brain and/or blood.
Despite being clean for years, Eddie Guerrero died of heart related problems. All of this, due to his pain killer past. With Benoit, it was found via his autopsy that he would have died within a year anyway, had he not killed himself. All of this again, due to drug issues he had in the past and at the current point.
The heart will not be able to take long-term pain killer usage. If this is combined with alcoholic drinks among other drugs, pain killers will ultimately destroy the human body. At times, it can be a sudden death.
A person like Reid Flair, a very young man with tons of potential, died due to his love of Heroin among other drugs. He didn’t die because he was small, or because he used it for too long. He couldn’t have enough. In addition to other pain killers, because apparently the Heroin wasn’t enough, he ultimately died far too young.
When a pain killer reaches the human body, the feel it gives cannot be compared. It’s like going numb and being able to live without feeling. The ultimate high that nothing can compare to. Heroin, among several other classic prescription pain killers, are the cause of several deaths in America every year.
Wrestlers are not the only victims here, but they get a lot of the flack for pain killers in the press. However WWE is being smart in what they are doing by offering full rehab to any and all that need it who were under contract with them at any point. It not only protects them, but the talent too.
They even offer current talent a chance to get clean and even return to the ring for them. But they are strict on not allowing talent to go down the road of talent like Eddie, Hennig, Benoit, and others. And who can blame them. I for one want talents from WWE to be around for another 50 years on this earth.
In the next article (Part 3), we will go over Alcohol and Marijuana. We will find out why WWE is cracking down on both. And also, why they are bad for the human body.
But before all of that, I’d like to know your thoughts on Pain Killers. Is WWE doing a good job with pain killer problems these days. Or can something better be done? Let me know your thoughts below in the comment section.
Follow me on Twitter: @JoeBurgett_WE
