WCW Wrestler Chase Tatum Found Dead; How the Story Hits Home for Me

Yet another wrestler has been found dead, apparently due to drug use, but this time with prescription drugs. Chase Tatum was found dead in his Atlanta home on Easter Sunday, March 23, from an apparent overdose of painkillers. Chase Tatum was a former wrestler for the World Champion Wrestler association better known as WCW.

Chase Tatum’s father Roy Tatum has said that his son had been dealing with a painkiller dependence for many years but had been making plans to enter into a rehabilitation center soon. Chase was recovering from a surgery on his back that was performed to repair a degenerative disc. Chase Tatum was only a pro-wrestler for about two and a half years but because of those years spent as a pro-wrestler he was left with sever back problems but did not have health insurance to be able to have medical treatment. The painkillers were Chase Tatum’s way of being able to deal with life on a daily basis.

I, too, lost a friend to painkiller dependency in May of 2007. My friend was in a car accident leaving her with such severe back and leg pain that she was unable to go about her daily activities without the use of painkillers. She had no insurance to be able to receive and maintain medical treatment for her ongoing issues. Painkillers where the only way for her to make it through each day and for her be able to maintain an income to support herself.

Kristy first received her painkiller prescription from the doctor at the hospital that treated her after the car accident. Once that prescription ran out Kristy was left with horrific pain and nothing to help control it. She began buying painkillers from a neighbor of hers that was able to obtain a prescription for them.

As many people know. over time, your body will develop an immunity to the amount of painkillers you are taking. Over time Kristy had to increase the amount of painkillers she would take daily to be able to deal with the pain. After a while she began making a toxic concoction, taking both painkillers and drinking on top of them. This was more than her small body could deal with and her sister found her dead on a sunny day in May in 2007.

If you or anyone you know is dealing with an addiction to painkillers please seek help of encourage your loved one to seek help. There are many places that will help treat your physical pain for a fraction of the cost that other doctors are charging. You may also be able to apply for temporary medical care through your welfare office. Whatever you do, don’t ignore the problems thinking they will go away. Painkillers do not fix anything, they only confuse the brain into thinking they are killing the pain. In reality they are only masking the issue, leading to large and more important issues. Sometimes as we have seen from the death of wrestler Chase Tatum and the death of my friend Kristy these issues can become fatal.