Joey Swoll opens up about his recent pain killer addiction, his rock bottom, and his recovery.
Over the past year, Joey Swoll made a public announcement online that shocked many of his fans. He had been quietly suffering from a pain killer addiction during the pandemic. Swoll made the post after he had put himself through recovery – but wanted his fans and followers to know the truth and hope to inspire those who are also suffering a way towards recovery. In our latest GI Exclusive interview, Joey Swoll goes into detail about how became addicted to pain killers, his rock bottom, and his journey towards recovery.
The last time we spoke to Joey Swoll, he described how he was not much of a drug user. He smokes marijuana but stays away from alcohol. All things considered, he was a very mild mannered person when it came to experimenting with drugs. So it makes it all the more shocking when he revealed that he was addicted to pain medication for about a year in 2020.
That’s why we decided to reconnect with Joey Swoll and discuss in more detail his addiction, how it started, and what he learned from the entire experience. Upon reconnecting with Swoll, he detailed how his pain killer addiction started. Like many cases, it was due to an original prescription to help treat an injury.
Joey Swoll explains at the same time as his injury, he was dealing with compounding stress putting weight on his shoulders. Of course, the pandemic was changing life as we knew it. He was also going through an emotional breakup and facing some serious business challenges. All of these added up to a level of stress and anxiety that he couldn’t handle. The pain medication he received for his injury suddenly made everything more manageable.
Check out our GI Exclusive segment with Joey Swoll above!
Like any addiction, it became a slippery slope. He kept increasing pill dosages as his tolerance grew. Suddenly, something that was making him feel happy was no longer bringing him relief. He felt trapped. His mood wildly swung from hour to hour. He felt depressed, out of control, and trapped.
Joey Swoll goes on to describe his rock bottom moment. He took so many pills that he believed he should just take even more to overdose and end his life. He wrote messages to close friends stating he would do as such. Ultimately, and luckily, this didn’t happen. He made it through the night. It was a wake up call that he needed help.
This was then compounded by Joey Swoll’s mother connecting with him. Knowing her son better than anyone, she could tell something was wrong. When she confronted him, he realized that if his mother noticed something was wrong – he definitely had a problem.
Joey Swoll’s social media post showcasing his bed covered in sweat due to withdrawals (above).
Joey Swoll didn’t receive professional help for recovery. Instead he did research, slowly weened himself off the pills, and eventually got to a point where he was completely free of using them. He did suffer withdrawals but now after going through recovery, Swoll feels stronger and able to avoid relapse and further addiction in his future.
Ultimately, Joey Swoll suffered silently during most of his addiction. Due to the pandemic, he was able to be easily isolated during the entire time. None of his friends knew about it as it was happening and the people he did reach out to – never returned his calls.
Despite this being a low point and struggle in Joey Swoll’s life, he looks at the experience as something that made him stronger. Luckily, this is due to him finding the ability to overcome the addiction. He went public with his experience in the hopes of inspiring others who are quietly suffering. They are not alone even if it feels that way.
You can watch Joey Swoll go into more detail about his pain killer addiction, his rock bottom, and his recovery in our latest GI Exclusive interview segment above.