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PEOPLE sent us the following press release:
9/20/17 at 1:29PM EDT
PEOPLE Exclusive ā Wrestling LegendĀ Ric FlairĀ Fighting for His Life After Decades of Alcohol Abuse: Health Scare Tamed āNature Boyā
(NEW YORK)Ā āĀ Wrestling legendĀ Ric FlairĀ may have once commanded the ring ā but after the cameras turned off, things ājust got out of control.ā
Decades of āsocialā drinking finally caught up with the 16-time pro wrestling world champion this year, landing him in the hospital and near death last month.
āI crashed in an airplane and broke my back, Iāve been hit by lightning,ā Flair tells PEOPLE in this weekās issue. āBut this is totally different. Anything Iāve been through before is nothing like this.ā
OnĀ Aug. 11, the 68-year-old was rushed to the hospital with stomach pains. Within hours, Flair was in the early stages of kidney failure and on the verge of congestive heart failure ā the result of years of alcohol abuse.
Flairās family members were told he had only 20 percent odds of surviving, and he was placed in a medically induced coma while they ā including daughter, pro wrestlerĀ CharlotteĀ FlairĀ āĀ took to social media to asks fans for prayers.
Doctors subsequently removed part of Flairās bowel, and inserted a pacemaker. Now, in recovery at a convalescent center in Atlanta, Flair tells PEOPLE of the entire ordeal, āIt scared the sā out of me.ā
He adds, āBut Iām not out of the woods yet.ā
Now, the man once known as the āNature Boy,ā needs a nurse to help steady his shaking hands so he can sip water from a glass. He admits, āI didnāt think I was an alcoholic, but obviously I was.ā
Flairās problem with alcohol started while he worked to build a camaraderie with his fellow wrestlers during the early days of his career in 1972. It helped them ābond,ā he says, noting though, āI never drank when I was working.ā
āBut as soon as work was over, I went right to the mill,ā he says, adding that heās long struggled to ādo anything in moderation,ā and admitting to a failed rehab stint four years prior.
Alcohol also served as a tonic of sorts when it came to coping with his injuries and intense physical pain from his job. āIāve never taken a pain pill in my life,ā he explains. āIād just take a shower, flip my hair back and go to the best bar in town.ā
Now, the father of four says he is dedicated to doing better.
āIāll never drink again,ā says Flair. āI never want to go through this again.āClick Here to read the full interview.Ā
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