Addiction Talk Episode 20: Greg Louganis

Joining “Addiction Talk” is five-time Olympic medalist Greg Louganis. Prior to becoming who many consider the greatest American diver, Louganis turned to alcohol and drugs in his early years for a number of reasons: his feeling of not fitting in due to being adopted at nine months, having a darker complexion due to his Samoan heritage and, when on the U.S. National Team, bullied for being gay. His addiction to pills and alcohol in addition to depression led to multiple suicide attempts, including one after winning the silver medal in the 1976 Olympic Games. After realizing drinking and smoking began to interfere with his diving, he attended rehab and therapy and stopped drinking entirely in 1983, one year before the 1984 Olympics where he became the third man in the history of the sport to win gold medals in both springboard and platform. On this episode, Louganis will discuss his journey and post-Olympic life in recovery