Buff Bagwell has provided a stark look into his past struggles with addiction, revealing the extent of his substance use during his wrestling career. In an interview on Insight with Chris Van Vliet, Bagwell described a routine that kept him sedated for two decades.
Bagwell detailed the specific combination of pills he consumed daily, noting how his discipline as a bodybuilder translated into a structured addiction. “In the height of the best I ever looked, it was a case of beer a day, 20 Lortabs, without exaggeration, 15 to 20 Lortabs and 30 to 35 Somas every day of my life,” Bagwell admitted. “A bodybuilder makes a really good drug addict or a really bad one, however you want to look at that, but it’s very organized.”
He explained that his day would often begin with substance use due to pain and sleep issues. “I had severe sleep apnea, and I wouldn’t sleep good, so when I woke up in the morning, again, I don’t feel good. I deserve this. So I would have my first party. I would take five or 10 Lortabs… and eight to 10 Somas, party one. And I did that kind of party on an empty stomach three times a day.”
The former WCW star described the mental state that accompanied this routine. He believed he was functioning correctly because he avoided legal trouble. “I think we did it right for so long by just having logical parties and no DUIs and no arrests and God, look at me. I’m obviously doing this right.” However, he eventually realized the toll it took on his life. “I sedated myself, and I was under sedation for 20 consecutive years. There wasn’t a day that didn’t go by for 20 years that I wasn’t some percent sedated.”
Bagwell credited a severe car accident in 2020 as the turning point that forced him to confront his issues. “My rock bottom was the car wreck, is what I believe. I really believe that’s what really made me see that I should have been dead, or I should have been in the hospital, I should have been dead or in prison… when it didn’t happen, is what made me go, ‘Maybe I do need to get clean here.'”
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit Insight with Chris Van Vliet with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.
