Answer Addiction

Tag: UFC

  • UFC Launches Opioid Awareness Campaign

    UFC Launches Opioid Awareness Campaign

    In the video, UFC president Dana White highlights statistics about the toll taken by the opioid crisis and offers resources for those in need of help. 

    The mixed martial arts organization Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) has joined in the fight against the national opioid crisis by launching its own public service campaign to heighten awareness about the impact of opioid dependency.

    The campaign, which kicked off in Las Vegas on March 2, 2019, featured UFC President Dana White, as well as the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services’ (SAMHSA) National Helpline.

    The campaign fulfills the UFC’s 2018 commitment to create a public service campaign as part of its relationship with the Trump Administration’s Initiative to Stop Opioid Abuse.

    In a press release, UFC stated that future announcements will feature UFC athletes and take advantage of the company’s sizable social media audience of 75 million followers and widely viewed live events to “spread the message of prevention, treatment, and recovery related to opioid addiction.”

    The video featuring White premiered before the UFC 235: Jones vs. Smith event on March 2.

    In October 2018, the UFC was among a group of lawmakers and representatives from more than 20 major stateside companies, including Amazon, Facebook and Blue Cross Blue Shield, to appear at a White House ceremony where President Trump signed into law the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act, which was intended to provide help for opioid treatment and recovery initiatives.

    White, who spoke at the Republican National Convention in support of Trump’s bid for the White House, pledged his company’s assistance in helping to combat the epidemic. 

    “Opioid addiction does not discriminate,” said White at the 2018 ceremony. Millions of Americans are impacted by this tragic crisis. UFC is committed to helping President Trump in the fight to end opioid abuse.” At the time of the ceremony, UFC announced that it would roll out its public service campaign before the end of 2018.

    In the video, White highlights statistics about the toll taken by the opioid crisis – drug overdoses are currently the leading cause of death among Americans under the age of 50, and two-thirds of drug overdose deaths are caused by opioids – which is followed by the National Helpline number and SAMHSA’s web address.

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • UFC’s Jon Jones Is Better But Not Ready For Sobriety

    UFC’s Jon Jones Is Better But Not Ready For Sobriety

    UFC fighter Jim Jones discussed addiction and striving for sobriety in a recent interview.

    Jones says he’s in a “healthy place” while still occasionally drinking and smoking pot.

    Jon Jones has had a controversial career tainted by drug abuse, at one time losing his title and facing an indefinite suspension over a drug-fueled hit-and-run that left a pregnant woman with a broken arm.

    After rehab and finding sobriety, the former champ’s career is slowly coming back to life. However, Jones says that while he’s committed to his health, he’s not staying completely clean. When asked if he considers himself sober, Jones answered no.

    “No, no, I still drink. Smoke pot too every once in awhile,” Jones told ESPN’s Ariel Helwani. “My coaches know I drink, I’m done trying to hide being . . . not like a crazy, crazy amount. Some weekends, mainly on the weekends.”

    But Jones’ moderate use isn’t exactly by choice. When asked if he wants to be completely sober, Jones had a surprising answer.

    “It was something that I was striving for, especially going to rehab this summer, I was striving for complete sobriety,” he told Helwani. “I’m not ready for it. It’s not who I was and not who I am in my life, in my career. And… I’m at a place where I can be honest with myself.”

    The former champ has been in and out of rehab and has faced multiple suspensions from the UFC over his drug use. One of the more public incidents involved a hit-and-run in New Mexico where Jones left a pregnant woman with a broken arm at the scene of the accident in 2015. The incident came a few months after Jones was forced to go to rehab after testing positive for benzoylecgonine, an indicator of cocaine use. Jones only stayed in rehab for one night.

    “I was a guy who loved to party. I was able to win my fights and I felt as though it really wasn’t affecting me that bad. I would go out on the weekend and then on Monday morning I’d be the first guy at practice, working harder than everybody else. So, I felt as though I could get away with that,” he told MMA Fighting in 2015.

    UFC fans will have to wait and see if this round of getting clean will be the time Jones will knock out his problem for good. On December 29, Jones will be fighting for the first time since receiving his 15-month suspension.

    View the original article at thefix.com