World-class Olympian Amanda Beard admits she had a drug problem. Beard, who became one of the darlings of the American sports world when she swam in the Beijing Olympics after giving birth, used and abused drugs.
An Olympic medalist at 14, Amanda Beard is now happily married and a proud mom, and finally at peace. But, according to CBS News, Beard spent years working through depression, bulimia, drug abuse and toxic relationships with famous.
Who knows what her life would have been like if she could not take out her frustrations and aggressions in the swimming pool?
Beard emerged on the international scene at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics by winning two silver medals in the breaststroke events and gold in the relay. She hit puberty soon after, going through a growth spurt that added 6 inches and 30 pounds to her slender frame.
Normal for most girls, it was disastrous for a swimmer. Her body's changes made her slower in the water and she lost races.
Now, 30, Beard traces the cause of her struggles to her parent's divorce when she 12. Her mother moved out and Amanda lived with her father in their Irvine, Calif., home. Her two older sisters were already out of the house.
Battles With Booze
A-level athletes treat their bodies like temples. However, Beard started drinking in high school, when she hated her looks and felt unlovable. Adding to her burden was a case of mild dyslexia that made her cry daily and led to grades of Cs and Ds.
After briefly retiring from swimming after the Atlanta games, she suffered from bulimia.
Typical of an addict and bulimia is a type of addiction, Beard recounts how in college she once vomited seven times in one day despite being scared by the physical toll it took on her body.
Playboy Spread
Still plagued by her history of negative feelings about her body, Beard nonetheless parlayed her California surfer girl looks into sexy magazine shoots, including a Playboy spread in 2007. It was during this time she met and fell in love with her current husband, photographer Sacha Brown.
Brown saw her issues and had the guts to bring her issues out into the open. She now refers to him as a knight in shining armor.
Beard is one of the success stories of celebrities and athletes who suffer from addiction issues. Addiction is a terrible thing. If you or someone you love is addicted to drugs, please seek help. There are also 8 hour and 16 hour online drug classes.