Facts: Wrestling superstar Matt Hardy has been arrested three times this month in three separate alcohol and drug related incidents.  In late August, Mr. Hardy drove his car into a tree.  The cops were able to determine that Mr. Hardy had been drinking that night, and he was charged with driving under the influence.

Three weeks later, the police were called to the road because a driver, later determined to be Mr. Hardy, was swerving and almost collided with other cars.  The cops then observed him strike a curb before they were able to finally stop his car.  He was again charged with driving under the influence. Finally, just this week, Mr. Hardy’s residence was raided by police.  The police discovered a number of different painkillers, anabolic steroids, and ecstasy.  

Law:  In North Carolina, a one year license suspension is imposed for the first time a person is caught driving under the influence, and another violation carries a four year license suspension.  If convicted on both counts of driving while intoxicated, Mr. Hardy can face up to two years in prison and up to $4,000 in fines.  

The penalty for ecstasy for a first time offender is 4-5 months in jail.  For steroids, the maximum jail time is 45 days.  The penalty is the same for unauthorized prescription drugs.  These penalties can obviously be affected by the number of pills Mr. Hardy was arrested with.

Analysis:  I’ve previously discussed how unbelievably dangerous it is to drink and drive.  To recap:  The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced that 33,808 people died in automobile accidents in 2009.  Of those deaths, 10,839 were from alcohol-related accidents.  I also mentioned how drinking and driving homicides are now being tried as murder in some jurisdictions.  The point is: do not drink and drive.

Unfortunately, Mr. Hardy was mixed up in drugs more dangerous than alcohol.  Prescription drugs can cause deep addiction.  Pain killers affect how people perceive pleasure, and some people become heavily dependent on the pills for happiness.  It can quickly spiral out of control.  The body and mind will then need more pain killers to achieve a sensation of happiness. Ultimately, the user begins to need pills almost every day and might eventually overdose.  In fact, it happens a lot more than you would think.  One study found that in 2000, approximately 43% of emergency drug overdose admissions into hospitals were due to prescription drugs.  It’s incredibly dangerous to misuse prescription drugs. When taken recreationally, the danger grows dramatically.  

As it concerns ecstasy, according to one study, 43% of users become addicted and 60% experience withdrawal symptoms.  Ecstasy, or MDMA, can kill the user with one pill.  With that in mind, it would be extremely stupid to ever use ecstasy.

The fantastic part of this story is that Mr. Hardy’s girlfriend supposedly called the police to alert them to Mr. Hardy’s drug problems.  I do want to note that this report has not been verified to date, but I would like to hope that it is true.  As I’ve previously discussed, many users quickly spiral out of control.  They end up in automobile accidents, they hit their spouses, they overdose, and they engage in other dangerous and violent activities.  Many struggle to break the cycle of addiction because they fear going through withdrawal.  It’s understandable because physical addiction is scary and dangerous for users.  Typically, the only way to break the addiction is through medical help.  In this case, Mr. Hardy has already checked into a three-month rehabilitation program.  The treatment is going to be difficult for Mr. Hardy, as an addiction to alcohol and drugs does not immediately go away.

If Mr. Hardy had not been caught by the cops this week with these drugs, there is no doubt that he would still be using.  Fortunately, it sounds like his girlfriend called the police and allowed them to take the drugs away from Mr. Hardy.  Thankfully, this month-long series of drug-induced behavior has come to an end.  He almost injured drivers one day and was destroying his own body everyday.  Now he will spend 90 days learning how to live without alcohol and drugs.  

Hopefully, Mr. Hardy will be able to kick the habits for the rest of his life.  The odds are not on his side at this point. That’s the risk he took when he first chose to drink and use drugs.  The only thing you can do to avoid this nightmare of addiction is to never start using.