From professional skateboarding to living on the streets as a drug addict, Brandon Novak's rise to fame was filled with several ups and downs.
He made a living off doing the most bizarre stunts on Viva La Bam, the Jackass Series, CKY Crew, and more, all in the presence of some of his best friends. What could be better? In the end, the answer was a sober life.Brandon Novak’s rise to fame was made evident in his growing popularity as a professional skateboarder. While he surely made a name for himself, he did it under the influence of drugs. So how did this Baltimore native go from a skateboarding career to an avid drug user to a recovery advocate? What’s the connection between skateboarding and drugs?
The Connection Between Skateboarding and Drugs
Just like Brandon Novak, some other professional skateboarders have fallen into the trap of drugs. Brandon Novak’s best bud, Bam Margera, fellow professional skater and stuntman, has had his own bout with alcohol and drug addiction. Jason Acuna, better known as Wee Man, is also a fellow skateboarder with a history of drug use. But why is there this pattern of drugs in skateboard culture?
Professional skateboarders take risks most people never will experience and dedicate their life to a sport. Some users embrace the use of drugs and alcohol due to the people in their life. In the skateboarding lifestyle and culture, if the people you are hanging out with are partying and using drugs, it’s not uncommon to find yourself following in their footsteps. Some skateboarders use drugs like alcohol, heroin, cocaine, meth, and opioids as a coping mechanism, and others find themselves using drugs because their friends and other skaters are doing it.
When Brandon Novak’s drug problem started, he was hanging around a crowd of partiers who weren’t exactly the most sober crowd. Drugs love company. When a drug user is in a group, the group is most likely going to participate. Through heroin, cocaine, alcohol, and more, drugs and skateboarding are connected by the social, mental, and physical aspects of the individual and the people they surround themselves with.
But there comes the point where you, as a skateboarder, need to decide to go to rehab or leave your team behind. At seventeen, Brandon Novak left his professional skateboarding team, the Powell-Peralta team, to go to rehab and receive addiction treatment.
Find Help Today – It’s Time to Get Sober
Brandon Novak’s rise to fame and struggles with addiction is one of the many ex-drug addict success stories that motivate others who are battling addiction to get help. There is no need to live in an alternate state of mind. Brandon Novak and heroin are no more, and you can also choose the path of sobriety, just like he did. While it might’ve taken him a few years to get on the right track, Brandon Novak is now a recovery advocate. As a national Certified Intervention Professional, he is choosing to share his story in hopes of helping others to live a life of sobriety.
The only relationship between Brandon Novak and drugs now is his position as an intervention specialist, recovery advocate, and founder of Novak’s House, a sober living facility for men. Take control of your life today. Call Brandon Novak today at 610-314-6747 to talk about your addiction.
Related Reading:
History of Skateboarding
Best Places to Skateboard in the U.S.
