The price of glory
The French writer Honoré de Balzac wrote: “glory is a poison, good to be taken in small doses”. The line between good and evil is so thin that this poison enters our system, sometimes little by little; in others, suddenly, but always to the point of taking us to the deepest abyss.
It is known to all that an undefined percentage of boxers suffer from some addiction to drugs or alcohol at some point in their career, and we just imagine that many of them come from a life full of privations, from days in which there were they had to endure hunger and go out to work before the first rays of the sun at until dawn.
Hundreds of boxers go through the gyms with a small and very simple suitcase that only carries a couple of bandages and a rustic equipment to train; However, in that simple suitcase, something more valuable is kept, namely the dreams and determination of a young people, who barely haave enough to eat, but who dream of a better life.
The humble origin from which the vast majority of fighters come is a factor, which in many cases, added to the intense and sudden popularity that provides them with everything they didn`t possess.
Suddenly that little boy or girl who had nothing, has everything. From one moment to the other, the green bills, the parties, the “friends”, the companions, the fame, the glory appear and among all these, elements, the enemy that lurks in stealth, waiting for the moment when the boxer feels invincible: alcohol and drugs.
Now, the inaccessible becomes accessible and readily available. Everything you never imagined is now at your feet … and it is here, when the taste of glory also comes with that fine line, the moment to discern between good and wrong, between balancing your environment and returning to the origins or losing yourself living on the edge, only to risk losing everything.
In general, drug consumption begins for various reasons, the majority being that almost all of these types of substances produce intense sensations of pleasure. This initial high of euphoria. It`s followed by others, which vary depending on the type of drug used.
For example, with stimulants such as cocaine, dangerously elicit the feeling of euphoria, accompanied by feelings of power, self-confidence, and increased energy. In contrast, the euphoria caused by opiates like heroin is followed by feelings of relaxation and satisfaction.
Some others who suffer from anxiety or stress-related disorders and depression so people may start to abuse drugs in an attempt to lessen feelings of distress.
And of course, in some cases to perform better, chemically increasing their cognitive abilities or their physical performance.
Well-known cases such as that of the great Julio César Chávez, Carlos Zárate, Mike Tyson, Wilfredo Gómez, Alfonso Zamora, and other stark examples of stars who reached the top and for various reasons and were erroneously influenced, getting a false happiness.
Different cases and reasons with a common factor, “hell” and that is that all those who have walked through this dark passage of addictions agree. It like walking into the abyss, losing all sense of identity and dignity.
Fortunately, many boxers have rectified this, regained the path, and they have used all of their willpower to fight one of the most important battles where a championship or being considered the best is not at stake, but life itself!
