Schaub discusses past addiction to Oxycontin
Brendan Schaub: “I was probably doing it hardcore for like four months. Then my best friend Joe Klopfenstein came over and took them from me.”
Painkiller addiction is a serious problem in the United States, with the CDC citing 22,767 deaths in 2013. A large number of professional wrestlers have died from painkiller abuse, and two mixed martial artists that I know personally.
UFC heavyweight Brendan Schaub appeared recently on Joe Rogan’s ‘Fight Companion’ podcast, and bravely revealed that he became addicted to Oxycontin following his fight with Mirko Cro Cop in 2011. Schaub suffered a broken nose in defeating Filipovic.
Anton Tabuena and Mookie Alexander have the story for BE.
Brendan Schaub: “When I fought Cro-Cop I think it was 10/10. And after that fight I had to have re-constructive nose surgery.”
Joe Rogan: “You had to get your nose fixed?”
BS: “Reconstructive nose surgery after Cro-Cop.”
JR: “What happened?”
BS: “He hit me with an elbow and it shattered my nose, like, completely shattered everything in my nose. Second round, too. I was like ‘Why the f— am I so tired? I’m in great shape!’, and I couldn’t breathe out of my nose and it was just all blood just going, gushing down my throat.”
JR: “How did they fix it? What did they have to do?”
BS: “Uh they went in and put like some mesh thing in it, because all the bones were so fractured, and like, tiny fractures … put some mesh thing in it. I was trying to get a legit nose job, I was like ‘Yo doc, take a little of the tip.'”
But then they put these brackets up there, stitched them in, so when it moved I had to chill like that for six weeks. It was the most pain I’ve ever been in. Popping painkillers everyday. Got addicted to them. Got addicted to them.”
JR: “Really? No s—?!”
BS: “Because I had a doctor who was like ‘Oh I’m cool, I’m hip, here’s 200 Oxycontin.’ and I was like ‘Hell yeah!’. Got the things taken out, next thing I know I’m still filling in the prescription, popping every single day, didn’t even notice. Finally a buddy had to come to the house and take ’em from me. It was some intervention s—.”
JR: “Whoa. How many were you taking a day?”
BS: “Probably six.”
“This was right after I fought Cro-Cop. I had like, a 10-11 month layoff because of it. And then I fought Nogueira after that.”
JR: “So you had a 10-11 month layoff because of Oxycontin addiction?”
BS: “No because I had a nosejob.”
JR: “Okay, but how long did the Oxycontin addiction kick in?”
BS: “I was probably doing it hardcore for like four months. Then my best friend Joe Klopfenstein came over and took them from me.”
Eddie Bravo: “What kind of stupid s— were you doing on it, where they had to intervene?”
BS: “They just knew I was taking it non-stop.”
EB: “How were you acting? They must have been– because if you were just normal like this, people wouldn’t even notice.”
“Were you late everywhere? Were you sleeping all day?”
BS: “I think I was just out of it all the time. Like, out of it. You know I’m a guy who talks a lot, I think I was just kind of like this f—-‘ asshole who just, like, chills. Low-beat. I was super depressed.”
Justin Milos: “How was it coming off of them? How did it feel?”
BS: “Horrible! Super itchy I was real irritable all the time. And then I got a fight with Nogueira. Perfect timing.”
(1:35:50 mark)
For more information on OxyContin addiction, please visit Recovery.org