WWE Hall of Famer Jake “The Snake” Roberts recently spoke with the Toronto Sun to promote his one-man show at The Second City in Toronto this Sunday. During the interview, Roberts commented on his battle with alcohol and drug abuse. Roberts admitted that there were several times that he was basically trying to die because he was not happy with his life and the person that he had become due to his addiction.
“There were several times that I was basically trying to die. I remember cursing God and cursing the devil because neither of them had the balls left to take me. It was just the way that I felt, because I was just so disgusted with my life, and so ashamed at what I had become, and angry about blowing marriages and screwing my kids over. They were my children, and I was a lousy father. That’s the bottom line.”
Roberts explained that at his lowest points he was taking in one-eighth of an ounce of cocaine a day (better known as an eight-ball).
“I was doing an eight-ball every day. And some days, it was two eight-balls. I went through a ton of money doing drugs. My drug dealer lives very well in a nice house, and he’s doing pretty well for himself, I guess. But it’s not him, man. It was me – I made that choice.”
With the help of Diamond Dallas Page, Roberts put an end to his addiction, which was chronicled in the 2015 documentary “The Resurrection of Jake the Snake.” Roberts said that he is having the greatest time of his life now.
“I’m having the greatest time of my life right now,” he days. “Better than being in WrestleMania. I enjoy myself, and I’m happy with myself. I can look in the mirror and say, ‘That’s a cool dude right there; I like that guy.’ That’s something that I was never able to do until a couple years ago.”
Roberts knows if someone didn’t reach out to him to help him with his addiction he wouldn’t be here anymore so now he feels obligated to help someone else who is battling with their addiction.
“If it hadn’t been for somebody reaching out and helping me, I wouldn’t be here today,” he says. “So, it’s my duty and my pleasure to reach out and help somebody else. It’s an amazing feeling, man, when some kid tells you, ‘Hey, thanks for getting my daddy back.’ That’s pretty cool.”
You can read the entire interview here.
