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End Notes by Wade Keller
By Wade Keller, Torch editor
Original Headline: No Easy Solutions to Drug Problems
Originally Published: January 29, 2000
Torch Newsletter #586
Bobby Duncum Jr. is dead, and preliminary indications are it was a result of abusing drugs. Bobby Duncum Jr. didn't die because he had a grueling road schedule and needed pills to bring himself up in the morning and down at night. Duncum didn't die because he took pain pills to blunt the pain he suffered from the outlandish bumps he took to try to keep up with the modern hardcore wrestling style. Duncum Jr. didn't die because he felt he had to take pills to keep up with other wrestlers who were ahead of him on the roster.
The frustrating part of pill-related deaths is that there is no easy solution. There is nothing that can be objectively pointed to as being the cause. There is no solution that could clear up the problem if someone were smart enough or cared enough to enact changes. The problem is one of individuals not realizing they are pushing their bodies too hard, or individuals who aren't able to deal with the withdrawl and depression that goes along with getting off the pills.
Pillman died while he was on the road for the WWF. Spicolli died at home partying with friends when he was between WCW dates. Rude wasn't an active wrestler when he died. Art Barr died while at home between tours of Mexico. Duncum died while on an extended leave from WCW due to a shoulder injury. There is no common set of circumstances that links their deaths.
Today there are wrestlers in the WWF, WCW, ECW, and the indy circuit who are taking their drug of choice in pill form, injectibles, or through snorting. Be it Nubain, cocaine, GHB, or prescription pills, there are wrestlers abusing them.
Most of the problem drugs cannot be tested for. There always seems to be a doctor who is willing to prescribe pills to a wrestler who has a supposedly valid reason for taking the drugs. When his tolerance gets built up, he either gets prescribed more or finds several doctors to keep him stocked.
Some argue that promoters should send wrestlers home - get them away from the atmosphere that encourages drug use. Get them to stop taking bumps, get them away from their drug-using friends (and suppliers), get them away from the party atmosphere. Sending them home doesn't help. Sending them to treatment can help.
Wrestlers from the Big Three are checking into treatment regularly. It doesn't always get publicity, nor should it. Wrestlers should be able to deal with their problems privately. There are several recent examples in the WWF of wrestlers policing themselves. When a wrestler gets in really bad shape, his colleagues will "turn him in" to Vince McMahon. McMahon gives the wrestler an ultimatum - check into treatment and get help, or you will be sent home and your contract will expire. One such situation happened just last week with a top name.
The system works pretty well, but it's not perfect. Some wrestlers reject treatment. One high profile wrestler from WCW last month didn't agree with his diagnosis as a manic-depressive, so he completely discarded the treatment and is back to his old ways.
Some wrestlers are more susceptible to drug abuse due to being depressed, or manic-depressive, or obsessive-compulsive, or some combination.
The only suggestion I have is for the promoters to bring in doctors once every three or six months to give a presentation to wrestlers. Educate them to warning signs in themselves and their friends. The promoters should establish a system that allows for anonymous tips of when somebody is in need of help. Perhaps hire ex-athletes who give professional speeches to talk to wrestlers about their experiences with drug problems.
There is a problem with drugs in wrestling today. Most wrestlers will end up controlling their use and won't end up needing treatment. Most won't die. But one death is one too many. One broken marriage or ruined career is one too many. WCW has a lot of problems right now, but they shouldn't let politics and bad ratings and booking changes get in the way of making sure they have a system in place that does everything possible to prevent more deaths.
No matter what is done to prevent or deal with drug problems, some wrestlers will still end up in trouble. Some will lose their spouses, some will lose their jobs, and probably some will lose their lives as a result of drug use. The goal of promoters and fellow wrestlers should be to do everything possible to deal with the situation honestly and aggressively.
It's not popular to say, but there are some drug problems that are the fault of the individual and nobody else. They make a bad decision to abuse drugs, they don't listen to their friends who tell them to get help, and they isolate themselves and indulge in the abuse. Those people might end up dead. The most frustrating part is there might not be anything more that can be done to stop it. Send feedback on this article to pwtorch@gmail.com and we'll regularly publish reader feedback in the "Torch Feedback" category on the Main Listing.
