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Tag: athletes & addiction

  • Ryan Lochte Opens Up About Alcohol Rehab, Returning To Competition

    Ryan Lochte Opens Up About Alcohol Rehab, Returning To Competition

    The Olympic swimmer discussed his rehab stint, sobriety and his return to competitive swimming in a new interview. 

    Ryan Lochte spoke about spending six weeks in rehab for what he felt was problem drinking during a 14-month competitive swimming ban for an IV infusion of Vitamin B12 that exceeded the allowable amount. He claims he took the infusion prior to a meet in order to avoid an illness that had already sent his wife and young son to the hospital. 

    This followed a 10-month ban served for the incident at the 2016 Rio Olympics in which he and three other swimmers claimed to be robbed by armed men with police badges. This turned out to be a cover story for an alcohol-fueled night ending in property damage, which prompted a security guard to pull a gun on the athletes.

    Although neither of the suspensions were directly due to his alcohol use, Lochte made the decision to enter rehab after recognizing that something needed to change.

    “I think it was getting to a point in my life where I needed a change,’’ he told USA Today. “So, yes, I checked myself into rehab. I did the classes; I did everything.”

    After Rehab

    After finishing the program last year, Lochte has remained sober aside from having a single glass of wine to celebrate the birth of his daughter, Liv Rae. However, he says he no longer cares for alcohol.

    “I have bigger and better things going on. And I’m glad that I went to rehab and got checked out just because it helped me out.”

    Lochte was able to return to competitive swimming on Wednesday at the Phillips 66 National Championships. During his time trial, he swam the 200 IM in 1:57.88, just 3.88 seconds slower than his world record time. This qualified him for the U.S. trials to make the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.

    The world-renowned swimmer has already been to the Olympics four times and won 12 medals, making him the second-most decorated swimmer in Olympic history behind Michael Phelps. He holds multiple world records at age 34.

    Lochte credits his wife and kids for bringing joy back into his career.

    “I’m having fun swimming again,’’ he said. “And I haven’t had fun since the 2012 Olympics. So it’s been a long time where I can honestly say I’m stepping out on that pool deck with a big smile on my face, and I owe it all to my kids and my wife. They’ve been my backbone throughout this whole journey these past three years ago.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Olympian Ryan Lochte To Enter Treatment for Alcoholism

    Olympian Ryan Lochte To Enter Treatment for Alcoholism

    A pair of incidents with the law were the reported driving factors behind Lochte’s decision to enter treatment. 

    Twelve-time Olympic swimming medalist Ryan Lochte will seek treatment for alcohol addiction after a string of incidents culminating in a car crash on October 4.

    Lochte’s legal representative, Jeff Ostrow, stated that the 34-year-old “has been battling from [sic] alcohol addiction for many years, and unfortunately, it has become a destructive pattern.”

    Ostrow added that his client’s goals are to be “the best husband and father he can be” and to return to competitive swimming for his fifth Olympics in 2020.

    Lochte has amassed an impressive treasure chest of laurels in swimming, including six Olympic gold medals, but since 2016, has also generated headlines for his involvement in several swimming-related scandals.

    He was widely criticized for embellishing his account of a 2016 incident during the Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro in which he and three teammates were allegedly robbed at gunpoint.

    Lochte later apologized for his statement and for what he described as “immature behavior,” including damage to a gas station bathroom, which caused an altercation with security guards. 

    He was subsequently suspended from swimming for 10 months and banned from participating in a 2017 world championship event.

    In 2018, Lochte was suspended for a second time for reportedly receiving an intravenous infusion without a therapeutic use exemption.

    Though Lochte claimed that the injection only contained vitamins, he was handed down a 14-month suspension, which effectively halted his comeback after the 2016 incident.

    On October 4, 2018, police were called at approximately 3 a.m. to a hotel in Newport Beach, California where Lochte had kicked in the door to his room while allegedly under the influence of alcohol. No arrest was made, but according to TMZ, he was involved in a car accident in Gainesville, Florida, after flying in from California.

    Police were again summoned, and Lochte, who had reportedly failed to brake before striking the car ahead of him, was cited for “careless driving.” Alcohol was not mentioned in the police report, as TMZ noted.

    The pair of incidents was apparently enough for Lochte to seek assistance for his substance use issues.

    According to his lawyer, he “has acknowledged that he needs professional assistance to overcome his problem, and will be getting help immediately. Ryan knows that conquering this disease now is a must for him to avoid making poor decisions, to be the best husband and father he can be, and if he wants to achieve his goal to return to dominance in the pool in his fifth Olympics in Tokyo in 2020.”

    No word as to where Lochte will seek treatment has been given as of this writing.

    View the original article at thefix.com