WWE legend Kurt Angle has bravely lifted the lid on his addiction to painkillers.
The Olympic gold medallist, 54, is one of wrestling’s biggest icons.
Kurt Angle has bravely talked about his addiction to painkillers
YouTube/PowerfulJREThe WWE legend lifted the lid on the Joe Rogan podcast[/caption]
Angle joined the WWE in 1998 and engaged in epic battles against rivals like Stone Cold Steve Austin and Triple H.
However, the American ace admits he ended up with a serious painkiller addiction after breaking his neck for a second time in 2003.
As his reliance on the substance spiralled, Angle ended up taking an eye-watering 65 pills a day.
He ended up leaving WWE in 2006 after refusing to go to rehab.
But things got worse when he signed up for Impact Wrestling, getting a taste for booze and other medicines.
Angle ended up checking into rehab after his wife threatened to leave him following four DUI’s in five years.
And he admits going through withdrawal was the hardest thing he’s ever done, telling the Joe Rogan podcast that he would “s**” himself and throw up while breaking his addiction cold-turkey.
Angle bravely revealed: “Throughout my career was there anything I would change?
“After I broke my neck the second time, the first time in WWE, I was introduced to painkillers.
“When I started taking them, I really liked it. It masked the pain, it kind of gave me an energetic feel, it didn’t make me feel nauseous.
“I started by taking one every four-to-six hours like I was told, but after a while you build a tolerance and one doesn’t work anymore.
“Then you take two, two led to four, four led to eight. This was extra-strength Vicodin. I was taking 65 of them a day.
“That’s how out of control I got. And I was hiding it from the company. I was in serious trouble.
“It kept me from going through withdrawals but there were times where I passed out.
Angle turned to painkillers after breaking his neck twice
Rex FeaturesThe Olympic gold medallist is a wrestling legend[/caption]
“The painkillers are the one thing I regret I did. I wish I was never introduced to them.”
Delving deeper in detail, Angle added: “There were times I needed to take them and there were times I didn’t, but I was so far deep into it I had to.
“I would go to sleep at night and have 15 pills sitting on the desk next to me for when I wake up because I knew I was going to have withdrawal.
“I’d wake up sweating, shaking, I’d grab those, throw them in my mouth, chew them up and swallow, 15 at a time.
“I took 20 one time when my sister died. I’ve been really lucky, I’ve been blessed. Honestly, I don’t think I should be here today.”
On his recovery, Angle said: “I left the WWE because they wanted me to go to rehab and I didn’t want to go. I ended up going to another company called Impact Wrestling.
WWEAngle admits rehab was the hardest thing he’s ever done[/caption]
The ace got clean for his wife and kids
“I got my painkiller addiction under control there (with morphine). Then I got anxiety over breaking my neck again so they put me on Xanax.
“Everybody at Impact drank so I started drinking alcohol, so I’m mixing and having these cocktails.
“I’m so out of control that I’m driving from town to town drinking a 12-pack of beer. I got four DUI’s in five years.
“I lost my reputation, everything I worked for, the lowest point of my life. I remember calling my wife from jail and she said ‘I can’t do this anymore. You go to rehab or I take the kids and I’m leaving’.
“So I went to rehab because I didn’t want to lose my wife and kids. I was scared in rehab, the withdrawal was the worst experience I’ve ever had.
“I’ll never go through that again because I’ll never take another painkiller. Or drink another drop of alcohol.
“They put you in a room and let you sleep and check on you, it took six days but felt like forever. It was really tough.
“You’re sweating because you’re hot and cold at the same time, you’re s*****g your pants, you’re throwing up, you can’t think straight, your body’s shaking, you feel like you have nothing inside of you.
“It’s just the craziest thing, it’s the most painful thing I’ve ever gone through. I’m sure people have been in a lot more pain but for me that was the worst.”