For Brennan Ward, physically detoxing from opiates wasn’t the hardest part of getting clean. It was the battle with his mind.
An invitation from his daughter to play started an inner monologue in the middle of an addiction. It often ended in a prescription. Rehab was not the answer, at least until then. There was no way to get rid of the drug addiction.
“Many guys have run out of money or dope, so let’s detox,” Ward stated on The MMA Hour . “They call that doing a ‘spin dry.’ It’s the months after, the year after, where those chemicals in your brain are not back yet. You’re depressed, you’re anxious. I used to think I would have no energy to do anything without it.
” Your brain knows you are in need of it. “Get it, get it, you’ll feel good.” That was what I heard so many times. My daughter .”
would make me so happy.
He missed the first birthday of his daughter because he was at rehab. This is one of five trips to supervision. While he was still working 12-hours as a union weaver, it was a fitting fit for his Blue-Collar upbringing of Waterford, Conn. He also sparred in the cage to prepare. That was when promoters could get ahold of him. He claims he used 30 burner phone during his drug-related time.
Ward wanted to fight again and be a champion. The argument was too much for him to win.
” “It takes time. It takes so much time back to come back,” said he.
Ward, 34, will not declare himself out of his fight with addiction, even as he soaks in the reward of his second comeback win, a second-round stoppage of Sabah Homasi in the CBS-televised opener of Bellator 290. He’s now sober and present. His energy levels are back and he is seated on a bench while his daughter and wife walk away.
In December 2021, almost four years after a submission loss to Fernando Gonzalez left him 1-3 in the Bellator cage, Ward got clear enough to another shot at fulfilling his fighting dreams. Ward auditioned for the first time in the gym.
“If I don’t think I still have it, if I think that I’m losing a step, if I think that I can’t compete with these top guys, I’m not going for it,” he said. “I don’t need to. My job is great. I make a great living for my family. But I can do it.”
Bellator witnessed Ward’s grappling match against a local promoter. He was still wanted by the promotion 10 after he became a kamikaze fighter looking for a side hustle in college.
One year after stepping back in the Bellator cage, Ward has won three straight fights, all by finish. Ward is allergic to judges, and cuts highlights reels everywhere he goes.
Ward offers advice on how to overcome the downward spiral of addiction. Ward answers any questions or Instagram DMs from anyone looking to beat the most difficult opponent. He always has the same answer.
“It gets better,” he said. It will get better, I promise. – When people say that to me, I always tell them: “I hate it!” That was something I didn’t like. Like, easy for you to say, dude.’ But it does get better. It’s getting worse Your brain tells you that it doesn’t get better
Ward doesn’t mind if he fields questions from reporters and curious fans about his troubles. These questions are part of his past and remind him how far he has come.
Ward recommends that anyone in trouble send a DM at any moment to Ward. Although he might not be able to respond immediately after the network television debut, his phone was lit up with excitement, he will get his message back.
” This is going to always be a part who I am,” said he. “This helps to define a lot of things about me. People who feel the same disparity as I did want me to shine a light of hope. Therefore, I want to always be available to everyone. … I know that I am a strong enough fighter to allow others to go….
Source: https://www.mmafighting.com/2023/2/9/23588703/bellator-290s-brennan-ward-opens-up-on-when-he-hit-rock-bottom?rand=96749
