Owen Vermeulen opens up about his struggle with OxyContin addiction and how it affected pro athletes across multiple sports. He shares how doctors were prescribing opioids like candy, cutting athletes off cold turkey, and pushing them toward street drugs—and reveals how cycling became the unlikely catalyst that saved his life.
Key Takeaways
- OxyContin was prescribed recklessly by doctors who underestimated its addictive potential, leading pro athletes to street drugs when abruptly cut off
- Addiction doesn't discriminate—it can take high-performing athletes with everything to lose and destroy their careers, families, and lives
- The competitive structure of cycling (cat 4→3→2→1 progression) creates a powerful feedback loop that replaces destructive habits with healthy achievement
- Having a family history of athleticism and genetic predisposition to endurance sports gave Owen a natural advantage in finding cycling as a recovery tool
- Coming from skateboarding, Owen transferred the same mindset to cycling—that improvement requires massive time and effort investment, which kept him focused and clean
Expert Quotes
"I knew after like three days of taking things was like these are going to get me like I'm not strong enough to withhold like my willpower is just not strong enough to keep me away from these"
"That's the thing about addiction is it doesn't discriminate right like it can take anyone at any time and that's the scary part"
"When I found cycling and went into my first race I had no idea how to race I just went out there from the gun and just rode as hard as I could... ended up winning by like 3 minutes and I was like oh okay this is fun"