Joe Rogan touched upon a sensitive subjective in the latest edition of The Joe Rogan Experience. The podcaster sat down with writer and speaker Michael Easter. Easter previously worked for Men’s Health magazine and has experience with the way things unfold when someone gets badly addicted.

Rogan has tons of experience when it comes to combat sports. He’s been a commentator with the UFC for ages now and is also a skilled martial artist himself who once competed at various levels. In the episode, Rogan spoke about how losing in their careers can make athletes look for terrible ways to cope.

Joe Rogan gets candid about addiction in fighters

The topic began when the two started speaking about the severe consequences of alcoholism. Easter went on to suggest that overcoming addiction can lead to channeling great life experiences. This is when Rogan pointed out how the opposite of the same was also possible.

“I see that in a lot of fighters and even in other athletes,” said Rogan. “They are addicted to success. They are like singleminded in their pursuit of excellence . . . And then they can’t do it anymore and that’s gone and they need something else.”

The point is well made. Once a fighter becomes addicted to winning, losing a match can do great damage to their morale. Making the distinction between the cage and real life can get difficult so many times. Countless fighters have gotten into trouble with the law after bouts with addiction.

“I knew a guy,” Rogan started. “Who was a top flight pool player, like a real world championship caliber pool player and I knew him very well. And he was clean and sober. Didn’t smoke cigarettes, didn’t do anything. And then he was in a car accident. And when he was in a car accident, he hurt his back, and when he hurt his back, he couldn’t play pool. And they started giving him pills. And the same thing that made him addicted to excellence in pool, now transferred over to pills . . . he just couldn’t stop taking ’em.”

Rogan told the story with deep thoughts reflecting in his eyes. It all just seemed to make perfect sense, especially in the backdrop of Israel Adesanya pleading guilty to the DUI charges. Now, fans are left to wonder if this is becoming a common theme in all their favorite athletes.

What else did Rogan and Easter speak about?

Rogan detailed how the pool athlete slowly spiraled into his downfall after getting addicted. Once the story was over, the conversation turned to how the thrill of fighting can overcome a fighter in so many ways. Undoubtedly, winning a match, let alone a title, can feel like the fighter is at the top of the world at the moment.

“The thrill of a fight is the craziest thrill . . . and either it’s the greatest experience of your life if you win, or it’s the worst feeling in the world if you lose.”

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The conversations flowed as casually as it always do. The two spoke at length about how the sport can give the athlete their own “meaning” and “identity”. It’s true; everything boils down to how a sportsperson performs in the field. For the fans and the players themselves, too. This episode became a bit more philosophical about how being terribly addicted to things could cause a downfall. The only thing missing was a thick Cuban cigar in Joe Rogan’s mouth.

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