Tyson opens up about drug and alcohol issues.

Following his promotional debut in New York, Mike Tyson opened up to the press about his battle with alcoholism and drug use.

Tyson's 'Iron Mike Productions' presented a show headlined by Argenis Mendez's IBF super featherweight defence against Arash Usmanee.

Speaking at the post-fight press conference Tyson said, "I want to change my life. I want to live a different life now. I want to live my sober life, I don't want to die. I'm on the verge of dying because I'm a vicious alcoholic."

He also revealed that he has been attending alcoholics anonymous meetings as part of his battle to beat his addictions.

"I haven't had a drink or took drugs for 6 days, and for me that's a miracle. I've been lying to everybody else who thinks I'm sober but I'm not. This is my sixth day and I'm never going to use again."

Really hope he can get past this.

It's managing his down days that will be the problem......

Addicts live in a vicious circle and it's all about breaking it............

Drunk too much you get depressed - Depression leads to self hate - Drinking alleviates the self hate for a while - When you come around you get depressed......because you've been drinking

extremely difficult for him..........but people do succeed..

Mikes addicted to everything.

Drugs, booze, woman.

but it s a hard road to take if you decide to give up everything at once. Better to control your addictions. Especially in western society. Booze is a drug and readily available. Instead of it controling you turn the tables and be in control. I used to drink a bit but now I don't even keep drink in my house and I don't miss it or crave it but if I am out I am equaly not afraid to have a drink but I am in control.

You are clueless..

TRUSSMAN66 wrote:You are clueless..

What do you know about it?

Cold turkey might work for some but the majority struggle. Addiction is a mental thing. AA meetings don't offer booze they offer ways to overcome addiction by being strong mentally. You can tell yourself you are going to quit whatever addiction you have at once but time has a way of letting things creep back into your life. You have to be in control.

I know a damn sight more than you about it Sonny........Trivialising addiction by making it sound so easy for people to control it....

You're clueless in the extreme....Now keep off subjects like these because your ignorance can insult the intelligence..

TRUSSMAN66 wrote:I know a damn sight more than you about it Sonny........Trivialising addiction by making it sound so easy for people to control it....

You're clueless in the extreme....Now keep off subjects like these because your ignorance can insult the intelligence..

You know NOTHING if that is you're attitude.

Where have I trivilised anything on the subject?

Its clear I have not but you like to inturprit things in you're own confussed way just to make an argument.

Its obvious you think you know about this common problem but you have not seen it up close and personal like I have. As I have said people with addiction problems seem to relapse when going cold turkey. going cold turkey does not mean the problem just goes away. If you are not in a strong state of mind then it is always easy to relapse. Some addicts give up for years but in their minds they still want a drink and that is the real problem. You have to be strong enough to be in control of you're habbits untill its out of you're system and most importantly you're mind.

TRUSS you should NOT argue on such a serious subject. Not everyone is as lucky as you to have such a perfect life that makes you the cynic that you are today.

At the risk of sounding like a would-be diplomat, I'd say that it's just another extension of the fact that we're all individuals. There isn't a blueprint out there that works for everybody.

Reading Paul McGrath's book a few years ago, it was quite apparent to me that he was somebody who just had to try and avoid alcohol altogether. There was no "just a couple of quick pints" with him as there was an underlying and ingrained self-control and self-respect issue that would never completely go away.

In the classic 'addict' situation I would lean towards the view that total abstinence is the way to go.

Then you have the more borderline situation where a person is not so much an addict, but has allowed usage to escalate as a way of dealing with personal issues or whatever. I have myself used alcohol as a way to self-medicate when depressed and yes it's a pretty dumb thing to do, but Truss's explanation of the spiral was pretty good, something I can relate to.

However, if an individual is strong enough to identify why the escalation occurred, and it's clear that they are not addicted, then some moderate drinking further down the line is far from impossible.

Which category does Tyson fall into? No idea, although I'd be surprised if he was a bona fide alcoholic in the Paul McGrath mould. Only he truly knows the answer.

Last thought for now on this - it's become very fashionable to label over-indulgence as addiction, when they tend to be driven by very different dynamics. It's important we maintain the distinction between someone who drinks a bit more than is medically safe, and a bona fide alcoholic IMO.

I've always found recovered addicts as incredibly boring. They are generally the most sanctimonious people in society.

I like people who drink and take drugs but who can handle it. William Burroughs took heroin for decades and didn't feel the need to turn into an insufferable bore.

Strongback wrote:I've always found recovered addicts  as incredibly boring. They are generally the most sanctimonious people in society.

I like people who drink and take drugs but who can handle it. William Burroughs took heroin for decades and didn't feel the need to turn into an insufferable bore.

Of course, this manifests itself most with ex-smokers. The preaching style is a defence mechanism for their own benefit more than anything, a reminder to themselves as to why relapse is a bad idea. You're just the involuntary therapist in that situation...

Another question here is whether or not the user can afford to fund their habit. Being broke can bring on some pretty unforseen bouts of self-awareness.

Cast a Shadow wrote:At the risk of sounding like a would-be diplomat, I'd say that it's just another extension of the fact that we're all individuals. There isn't a blueprint out there that works for everybody.

Reading Paul McGrath's book a few years ago, it was quite apparent to me that he was somebody who just had to try and avoid alcohol altogether. There was no "just a couple of quick pints" with him as there was an underlying and ingrained self-control and self-respect issue that would never completely go away.

In the classic 'addict' situation I would lean towards the view that total abstinence is the way to go.

Then you have the more borderline situation where a person is not so much an addict, but has allowed usage to escalate as a way of dealing with personal issues or whatever. I have myself used alcohol as a way to self-medicate when depressed and yes it's a pretty dumb thing to do, but Truss's explanation of the spiral was pretty good, something I can relate to.

However, if an individual is strong enough to identify why the escalation occurred, and it's clear that they are not addicted, then some moderate drinking further down the line is far from impossible.

Which category does Tyson fall into? No idea, although I'd be surprised if he was a bona fide alcoholic in the Paul McGrath mould. Only he truly knows the answer.

Last thought for now on this - it's become very fashionable to label over-indulgence as addiction, when they tend to be driven by very different dynamics. It's important we maintain the distinction between someone who drinks a bit more than is medically safe, and a bona fide alcoholic IMO.

Paul McGrath suffered from the Irish disease as Brendan Behan described it:


"One drink is too many for me and a thousand not enough."

Brendan Behan

Strongback wrote:

Cast a Shadow wrote:At the risk of sounding like a would-be diplomat, I'd say that it's just another extension of the fact that we're all individuals. There isn't a blueprint out there that works for everybody.

Reading Paul McGrath's book a few years ago, it was quite apparent to me that he was somebody who just had to try and avoid alcohol altogether. There was no "just a couple of quick pints" with him as there was an underlying and ingrained self-control and self-respect issue that would never completely go away.

In the classic 'addict' situation I would lean towards the view that total abstinence is the way to go.

Then you have the more borderline situation where a person is not so much an addict, but has allowed usage to escalate as a way of dealing with personal issues or whatever. I have myself used alcohol as a way to self-medicate when depressed and yes it's a pretty dumb thing to do, but Truss's explanation of the spiral was pretty good, something I can relate to.

However, if an individual is strong enough to identify why the escalation occurred, and it's clear that they are not addicted, then some moderate drinking further down the line is far from impossible.

Which category does Tyson fall into? No idea, although I'd be surprised if he was a bona fide alcoholic in the Paul McGrath mould. Only he truly knows the answer.

Last thought for now on this - it's become very fashionable to label over-indulgence as addiction, when they tend to be driven by very different dynamics. It's important we maintain the distinction between someone who drinks a bit more than is medically safe, and a bona fide alcoholic IMO.

Paul McGrath suffered from the Irish disease as Brendan Behan described it:


"One drink is too many for me and a thousand not enough."

Brendan Behan

Think you should probably have a read of his book, particularly the bit where he talks about drinking domestos...

I'm an ex smoker, I decided to stop so I stopped. I don't feel the need to tell everybody about it. Addiction is not a disease, it is simply a weakness of character.

Fair play Union - you'll know that many ex-smokers do not share that view of things.

Agree that chemical addiction (quite rare) and an addictive personality are not the same thing.

Cast a Shadow wrote:

Strongback wrote:

Cast a Shadow wrote:At the risk of sounding like a would-be diplomat, I'd say that it's just another extension of the fact that we're all individuals. There isn't a blueprint out there that works for everybody.

Reading Paul McGrath's book a few years ago, it was quite apparent to me that he was somebody who just had to try and avoid alcohol altogether. There was no "just a couple of quick pints" with him as there was an underlying and ingrained self-control and self-respect issue that would never completely go away.

In the classic 'addict' situation I would lean towards the view that total abstinence is the way to go.

Then you have the more borderline situation where a person is not so much an addict, but has allowed usage to escalate as a way of dealing with personal issues or whatever. I have myself used alcohol as a way to self-medicate when depressed and yes it's a pretty dumb thing to do, but Truss's explanation of the spiral was pretty good, something I can relate to.

However, if an individual is strong enough to identify why the escalation occurred, and it's clear that they are not addicted, then some moderate drinking further down the line is far from impossible.

Which category does Tyson fall into? No idea, although I'd be surprised if he was a bona fide alcoholic in the Paul McGrath mould. Only he truly knows the answer.

Last thought for now on this - it's become very fashionable to label over-indulgence as addiction, when they tend to be driven by very different dynamics. It's important we maintain the distinction between someone who drinks a bit more than is medically safe, and a bona fide alcoholic IMO.

Paul McGrath suffered from the Irish disease as Brendan Behan described it:


"One drink is too many for me and a thousand not enough."

Brendan Behan

Think you should probably have a read of his book, particularly the bit where he talks about drinking domestos...

I've read McGrath's book. As an Irish alcoholic he's a long way behind Brendan Behan in terms of infamy. Behan was a genius who drank himself to death by the age of 41.


BTW I used to live close to McGrath and would see him quite regularly. A tall guy but very svelte, he doesn't naturally carry weight and walks like a jaguar. He exudes sporting excellence. He was incredibly nice and gentle when people spoke to him.

McGrath was IMO one of the top five Irish footballers ever, and a phenomenal natural athlete.

Not surprised he was very easy to talk to - one of the few footballers who could probably have done with being a bit more full of himself. Quite apparent from his book he suffered from a lack of basic confidence.

Mental note to self - get the book, and your shades back from the same guy who has both...

Poor Mike, It just seems like greatness comes with a heavy price, no matter what. Even Mandela was a serial cheat.

Saying that, Mike Tyson just seems to a fundamentally flawed human being. Its sad to watch. From personal experience a friend of mine lost his brother a year ago, and he nearly self-distructed om drugs, it was incredibly difficult to watch, he lost 25kgs on the "Jenny Crack diet", stole my sweat pants and kitchen utensils, when I allowed him to live with me for a few weeks. The fact is, addiction is a very difficult nemesis to conquer, and I wish Tyson well

Great post Kingy...Only those of us who've been through the mill with addictive family or friends know the true scope..........

My sister died years ago before I had a family and a near grown up-Son...but the wounds never heal and it feels like only yesterday I found her body..........

I still dream about her........

Addiction is a terrible thing but trivial it seems to those who don't go through it..

TRUSSMAN66 wrote:Great post Kingy...Only those of us who've been through the mill with addictive family or friends know the true scope..........

My sister died years ago before I had a family and a near grown up-Son...but the wounds never heal and it feels like only yesterday I found her body..........

I still dream about her........

Addiction is a terrible thing but trivial it seems to those who don't go through it..

Seems like someone wants exclusive rights to personal suffering.

When other people try to offer their view on the subject he shoots them down because in his mind only he deserves to understand the subject of alcohol abuse.

Any help or advice in the battle against alcohol addiction should be appreciated.

ONETWOFOREVER wrote:

TRUSSMAN66 wrote:You are clueless..

What do you know about it?

Cold turkey might work for some but the majority struggle. Addiction is a mental thing. AA meetings don't offer booze they offer ways to overcome addiction by being strong mentally. You can tell yourself you are going to quit whatever addiction you have at once but time has a way of letting things creep back into your life. You have to be in control.

I've been to plenty of these meetings.......Maybe you should go to ONE...

Or maybe not.......