Post by The Ultimate Nullifier on Mar 29, 2018 21:54:08 GMT -6
www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/wrestling/os-wrestling-justin-credible-pj-polaco-20180328-story.html
Justin Credible chronicles struggles with opioid, alcohol addiction
P.J. Polaco never knows where the next temptation will come from.
It could be the stadium vendor at a ballgame yelling, “Cold beer here!” It might be a TV commercial where someone proposes a toast with a glass of wine.
And that’s when Polaco, best known as former ECW superstar Justin Credible, remembers the risks when one drink becomes two… or three… or public embarrassment… or worse.
Polaco, now 44, is a recovering opioid user and alcoholic who said he has been sober for 93 days, as of Wednesday. His battle with the bottle is the subject of a documentary called “Credible,” now in production with a planned release in late 2018 or early 2019.
“It’s the true story of the ups and downs of an addict,” Polaco told the Sentinel this week. “[The filmmakers] have shown the ugliness that can go with it and how hard it can be to try to get out of it.”
Polaco, who retired from wrestling full-time in 2015, will also make an appearance at WrestleCon in New Orleans during WrestleMania weekend in the Masters of Ring Entertainment booth.
He described every day he doesn’t drink as a “daily reprieve,” and though he committed to sobriety last summer, he has relapsed on occasion, including one very public incident when he interrupted an independent show in Connecticut with a slurring, profane rant in December.
After that incident, WWE Hall of Famer Diamond Dallas Page approached Polaco with the idea of the documentary. Page and Polaco agreed that the presence of cameras would help keep Polaco accountable for his actions and hopefully lead to a happy ending for the story.
“Accountability? Absolutely,” said Polaco, who lives in Connecticut with his wife and three children. “[Documentary cameras] are with me everywhere I go. I’m not a famous guy around here – not as famous as when I was on TV, anyway – so it does help. But even beyond that, I’ve never been more serious about getting sober.”
Polaco said he developed an addiction to opioids, especially painkillers, during his 20-year career that included an ECW world-title reign, the formation of the Impact Players tag team with Lance Storm and several Hardcore championships in WWE. He said he’s been clean of those drugs for five years -- but three years ago, alcohol was his gateway back into addiction.
“I started to think it was socially OK to have a glass of wine or two or a beer,” Polaco said. “But anything mind-altering can be addictive; a drug is a drug. In a short time, I snowballed into really bad alcoholism.”
Desperate for a way out, Polaco called WWE last July. For several years, the company has paid for drug rehab for all current and former employees, no questions asked. WWE officials sent him to a facility in Tampa for a month and, he said, changed his life.
“I know this sounds super-dramatic, but I don’t think I’d be alive today without WWE,” Polaco said. “A year ago, I was 300 pounds and literally drinking myself to death. Today, I weigh 230 -- pretty healthy, in my opinion. I’ve been doing yoga, getting ready for this big appearance at WrestleCon. I hate to sound cliché, but when you’re sober, good things start happening.”
Polaco said in his own experience, staying clean isn’t just the result of will power, it’s about building a support system of those who love you, will be honest with you and will always have your back. For him, that begins with his wife of 22 years, Jill; and his three children, ages 11 to 18.
“Anyone who says ‘I’m not going to have a drink’ can white-knuckle it for a long period of time, but soon you realize you need support,” Polaco said. “For me, that meant my therapist, my comrades, my family and my loved ones. My kids aren’t wrestling fans, but they’re the biggest supporters I’ve ever had, and my wife is the rock in this whole story – she’s the one who binds us all together.”
A key to Polaco’s recovery, he said, has been a weekly conference call conducted by WWE, a sort of virtual Alcoholics Anonymous meeting open to all within the rehab program. He said the specific focus on wrestlers makes that a special gathering.
“Our journey is unique,” Polaco said. “There are so few of us in general, and so many have had issues with abuse and addiction. We’re away from our families, in physical pain, in mental pain. And we’re scattered, so it’s hard to get us all into a room together. A lot of those Wednesday-night calls save me.”
And so Polaco makes it through Wednesday, then Thursday, then Friday. One day at a time. Now that he’s working on his sobriety again, with the movie project and WrestleCon appearance on the horizon, he has plenty to look forward to.
“It’s given me a second life, almost. A new breath of life,” Polaco said. “And it’s going to be awesome.”
For more information on “Credible,” which will include interviews with Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, Shane Douglas and more, visit CredibleDocumentary.com or follow P.J. on Twitter @pjpolaco. For more on his WrestleCon appearance, visit MastersofRingEntertainment.com.
Reach Jay at jreddick@orlandosentinel.com or on Twitter @runninjay. For more wrestling news from The Suplex blog, visit orlandosentinel.com/prowrestling.
Justin Credible chronicles struggles with opioid, alcohol addiction
P.J. Polaco never knows where the next temptation will come from.
It could be the stadium vendor at a ballgame yelling, “Cold beer here!” It might be a TV commercial where someone proposes a toast with a glass of wine.
And that’s when Polaco, best known as former ECW superstar Justin Credible, remembers the risks when one drink becomes two… or three… or public embarrassment… or worse.
Polaco, now 44, is a recovering opioid user and alcoholic who said he has been sober for 93 days, as of Wednesday. His battle with the bottle is the subject of a documentary called “Credible,” now in production with a planned release in late 2018 or early 2019.
“It’s the true story of the ups and downs of an addict,” Polaco told the Sentinel this week. “[The filmmakers] have shown the ugliness that can go with it and how hard it can be to try to get out of it.”
Polaco, who retired from wrestling full-time in 2015, will also make an appearance at WrestleCon in New Orleans during WrestleMania weekend in the Masters of Ring Entertainment booth.
He described every day he doesn’t drink as a “daily reprieve,” and though he committed to sobriety last summer, he has relapsed on occasion, including one very public incident when he interrupted an independent show in Connecticut with a slurring, profane rant in December.
After that incident, WWE Hall of Famer Diamond Dallas Page approached Polaco with the idea of the documentary. Page and Polaco agreed that the presence of cameras would help keep Polaco accountable for his actions and hopefully lead to a happy ending for the story.
“Accountability? Absolutely,” said Polaco, who lives in Connecticut with his wife and three children. “[Documentary cameras] are with me everywhere I go. I’m not a famous guy around here – not as famous as when I was on TV, anyway – so it does help. But even beyond that, I’ve never been more serious about getting sober.”
Polaco said he developed an addiction to opioids, especially painkillers, during his 20-year career that included an ECW world-title reign, the formation of the Impact Players tag team with Lance Storm and several Hardcore championships in WWE. He said he’s been clean of those drugs for five years -- but three years ago, alcohol was his gateway back into addiction.
“I started to think it was socially OK to have a glass of wine or two or a beer,” Polaco said. “But anything mind-altering can be addictive; a drug is a drug. In a short time, I snowballed into really bad alcoholism.”
Desperate for a way out, Polaco called WWE last July. For several years, the company has paid for drug rehab for all current and former employees, no questions asked. WWE officials sent him to a facility in Tampa for a month and, he said, changed his life.
“I know this sounds super-dramatic, but I don’t think I’d be alive today without WWE,” Polaco said. “A year ago, I was 300 pounds and literally drinking myself to death. Today, I weigh 230 -- pretty healthy, in my opinion. I’ve been doing yoga, getting ready for this big appearance at WrestleCon. I hate to sound cliché, but when you’re sober, good things start happening.”
Polaco said in his own experience, staying clean isn’t just the result of will power, it’s about building a support system of those who love you, will be honest with you and will always have your back. For him, that begins with his wife of 22 years, Jill; and his three children, ages 11 to 18.
“Anyone who says ‘I’m not going to have a drink’ can white-knuckle it for a long period of time, but soon you realize you need support,” Polaco said. “For me, that meant my therapist, my comrades, my family and my loved ones. My kids aren’t wrestling fans, but they’re the biggest supporters I’ve ever had, and my wife is the rock in this whole story – she’s the one who binds us all together.”
A key to Polaco’s recovery, he said, has been a weekly conference call conducted by WWE, a sort of virtual Alcoholics Anonymous meeting open to all within the rehab program. He said the specific focus on wrestlers makes that a special gathering.
“Our journey is unique,” Polaco said. “There are so few of us in general, and so many have had issues with abuse and addiction. We’re away from our families, in physical pain, in mental pain. And we’re scattered, so it’s hard to get us all into a room together. A lot of those Wednesday-night calls save me.”
And so Polaco makes it through Wednesday, then Thursday, then Friday. One day at a time. Now that he’s working on his sobriety again, with the movie project and WrestleCon appearance on the horizon, he has plenty to look forward to.
“It’s given me a second life, almost. A new breath of life,” Polaco said. “And it’s going to be awesome.”
For more information on “Credible,” which will include interviews with Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, Shane Douglas and more, visit CredibleDocumentary.com or follow P.J. on Twitter @pjpolaco. For more on his WrestleCon appearance, visit MastersofRingEntertainment.com.
Reach Jay at jreddick@orlandosentinel.com or on Twitter @runninjay. For more wrestling news from The Suplex blog, visit orlandosentinel.com/prowrestling.