TNA Superstar Santana has learned a lot from his recovery, but nothing more important than one of the key tenets: selflessness.
“We learn in recovery that the way that we maintain our sobriety and what helps us is giving away the gift that was so freely given to us, and that’s one thing that I truly believe in, and I try to practice every day,” he told me on Foundation Radio earlier this week in anticipation of TNA’s sold out pay per view, “Emergence”.
“That was another reason why I decided to open up and tell my story, because I feel like if I could help just one person – me helping that one person is helping me.”
Santana has been vocal about his recovery since returning to TNA, something that he admits is new to him, but not something he takes for granted. While the statistics of recovery are harrowing, he’s using that as motivation to buck the trend.
“For anyone that’s gone through the rehab process, and who has been through that and is in recovery, you know that, at least from my observation of being in rehab for 30 days, they break you down and build you up. When I say break you down, they break you down, right? They build you up with this routine, and that routine is so important because that routine, when you leave there, is what’s going to allow you to maintain your sobriety. They’re so honest with you. They tell you, ‘Listen, in a room of 20, 30 people, one person is going to stay sober.’ I’m sure you’ve heard that, and when I heard that the first time, I was like, ‘best believe I’m going to be that one person’.”
Santana credits his daughter for being the “why” in his recovery journey, and 552 days sober, he believes that being conscious of the “just for today” mindset, as well as selfless giving through the program, will allow him to continue his journey successfully.
“For me, it’s continuing to give that gift away, maintaining my routines, and being conscious of that voice that’s so cunning and baffling, like they say. That voice is constantly going but being conscious of it and having that strength to say, ‘Yo, not today.’ I don’t overwhelm myself with the idea of being sober for the rest of my life because that’s just not feasible. It’s more of like, ‘Yo, just for today. Today, I’m not going to drink and do drugs.’ Then the next day and the next day. As you know, it builds up. You start to build time.”
TNA’s sold out “Emergence” pay per view takes place August 30, 2024, in Louisville, Kentucky, at the Old Forester’s Paristown Hall. The event can be seen exclusively on TNA+.
If you, or someone you know, has a problem with drugs and alcohol, help is available. Please call the place that saved my life, Redemption Treatment Center, at 610-314-6747, or call the SAMHSA help line at 1-800-662-HELP.