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Shaquille O’Neal goes honestly for his use of painkillers.
Appears on Monday, August 11 episode “Specialist of the Arm Chair with Dax Shepard”He questioned the former professional -trapper of painkillers despite his doctor’s concerns.
“So I have a question,” O’Neal, 53, responded after asking him if he was ever worried about addiction. “Is ‘bondage’ the chemical effect or are you just taking it? I was having a warm discussion with my doctors, like, ‘You were addicted,’ but I didn’t feel loud.”
Shepard, 50, although O’Neal may not have felt “high,” he may have “just felt the absence of pain.”
“Yes. I didn’t know that was addiction,” he replied.
The former NBA star He explained that he felt he “needed to play great” rather than just “good” which was one of the reasons behind him choosing to take painkillers so often.
“I don’t think I’m mentally suffering,” he said. “I think if I had a flaw, I would take it because I don’t want to feel that knack because we need this game.”
He added O’Neal, “You hear stories … ‘Oh, he was trapped.’ I wasn’t, but I had to get them – so is that bondage? ”
Shaquille O’Neal.
(Photo by Kennedy Pollard/Getty Images for RBC)The retired athlete has previously opened for his painkillers use as well as Other health woe During an interview with Gq Magazine in 2022.
“When you play, you go to the doctor for checking and physical, right? But I haven’t played in 11, years so if I’m not playing, what would I go to the doctor for it, right?” He told the outlet.
“So when I went back to the doctor there were some things I didn’t even know. They give you those specific words: ‘Hey man, you got sleep apnea. Sleep apnea can cause overbearing or stroke, you could die.’ I said, ‘What?’ ‘You could die.’ So now I have to sleep with a sleeping machine.
He added that the painkillers and their negative effects on his body had also arisen during the doctor’s appointment.
“Then, ‘All those painkillers you were taking, bro? Your kidneys are kind of weak. No more painkillers.'” He said. “I was dependent on painkillers – not trapped. Specific days when I couldn’t move, I popped one or two, just to get me going. But I’m off that now.”
If you or someone you know are struggling with substance mistrust, please contact the S.UBstance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helpline at 1-800-662-Help (4357).
