Although his real name is Terry Gene Bollea, everyone knows him by his nickname, Hulk Hogan, with which he became one of the most famous professional wrestlers in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).
During his 35-year career, during which the former wrestler became a twelve-time world champion, Hogan also fought in a very different ring: that of addictions.
In an interview with Muscle and Health magazine, Hogan admitted that for many years he felt “like a dog chasing a bone.” A bone that, in his case, was shaped like a pill.
As a result of his profession, the 70-year-old wrestler was constantly dealing with serious injuries that required medication to relieve the pain. “I was on strong pain pills because I had endured 25 procedures, including ten on my back, facial operations from kicks, knee and hip replacements, and abdominal and shoulder surgeries,” he said.
Yet, even though 2012 was the last year the 70-year-old wrestler ever stepped into the ring, he continued to turn to the product. “It got to the point where I was recovering from my 10th back surgery and the pharmacy would call me and say, ‘Your prescription is ready,’ and like a dog chasing a bone, I would go and pick it up,” he said. So, little by little, “prescription after prescription,” he found himself “in a vicious cycle.”
But it wasn’t just painkillers that brought him close to the abyss, he also suffered from other addictions, such as alcohol. “I’ve been doing a lot of drinking because I was fighting for about 40 years, so those guys have a beer every now and then.”
Hulk Hogan’s new peaceful life
However, the father of two has been sober for more than seven months. “I was at a New Year’s Eve party and I saw a lot of things that I didn’t approve of or like. I saw myself in this environment and I was like, ‘You know what? I don’t know how I got here, but I’m done,” he confessed.
A radical change in his lifestyle that was not well received by everyone around him. “Certain fighters looked me in the face and said: ‘If you don’t have a drink with me, you’re not my friend'”. Well, I said to them: ‘Well, I’m your friend, but I’m not going to drink with you. What are you going to do about it?'”
Since making this decision, Hulk Hogan – whose name also brought him legal problems with Marvel – feels like a completely new man. His controversial dismissal from WWE for racism or his criticism for being homophobic following a sex tape is a thing of the past.
At 70, the former wrestler does charity work for the community and is happy with his new love, Sky Daily, 44. “I asked Sky to marry me and she was crazy enough to say yes!” said Hogan, who has already been married twice.
Now, the wrestling star is going through his sweetest stage as a peaceful man, finally far from addictions. “70 years old, young and happier than I’ve ever been!” Hogan wrote on his social networks, showing that he has grown tired of fighting and is now a peaceful man.