Dennis James was accompanied by Milos “The Mind” Sarcev, Chris Cormier and bodybuilder-turned-coach Mike Morris on Episode 229 of The Menace Podcast—and the chat soon turned to Morris’ battle with PED’s and pain killers. His tale is a cautionary but hopeful one that any young competitor should be aware of.
Mike Morris became an IFBB Pro and appeared as a literal bodybuilding poster boy before hanging up the wrist straps and retiring from the sport but during his appearance on The Menace Podcast, Morris said that his career began to take a wrong turn when he listened to advice from his peers regarding the use of painkillers as a means of pushing past major discomfort to make additional reps. Milos Sarcev concurred with the notion that painkillers were used in this way, adding that even anesthetics were passed around prolific gyms.
Dennis James shared his own experiences, sharing that he’d been introduced to Nubain while guest posing in Hawaii. Nubain is a pain relief agent that is so potent, it is often used after surgery, but James said he refused to take it when offered. “I was a little bit traumatized,” reflected the podcast host.
No doubt, the 90s were a heady time when newly emerging but little understood drugs were available over the counter. “GHB, at the time, was very widely used,” said Chris Cormier, explaining that it was consumed by bodybuilders predominantly for the recovery effects of sleep. “I got my first bottle at GNC,” said Mike Morris, noting that Gamma-hydroxybutyric acid was perfectly legal at the time, despite its highly addictive nature and growing list of side effects, not to mention its anecdotal links to antisocial behavior. Finally, federal law restrictions began so take hold at the turn on the millennium, but for many, the damage was already setting in.
Mike Morris Found Light Beyond the Dark Side of Bodybuilding
“Once I was taking it regularly, I guess a good way to explain it … it was like a cigarette,” said Morris. “There’s points where I didn’t want to take it, you know, I would wake up (and think) I’m not gonna take my thing … once it’s in your system, the feeling of wanting to take it just starts to creep on you. And it’s a lot like a cigarette. First thing, when you wake up, you want it. After a meal you want it. After sex you want it. I was doing it, geez, fifteen times a day.”
Cormier noted that drug use took away Morris’ spark, because he’d previously been “bright eyed” and had a huge presence in the gym. “He was a strong cat,” he added. When the drug abuse caught up with the promising bodybuilder, Morris suffered with his kidneys, blood pressure, and heart, before retiring from the sport and finally kicking his bad habits.
“So, how long did it take for you to completely get away from it,” asked James. “I guess my addiction started somewhere around when I turned pro (in the late nineties),” shared Morris. Explaining that he then became addicted to numerous other substances as he dealt with the depression around retiring and seeing his muscle-mass shrink. “… it was probably around fifteen years before I finally kicked it,” he said. Morris said that getting regular sleep, eating whole, clean foods and consuming plenty of clean water has really helped him stay the course.
“You know, just like in bodybuilding, where you have to have your diet in place and make sure you get your protein and your carbs, and your fats, everything all systematic, that’s how I live my lifestyle now,” explained a hopeful Morris, who now trains a select group of clients. “I make sure I eat very systematically, three-times a day, I make sure I get my sleep, I make sure I’m only putting pure, clean food into my body.”
The coach admits that he still lives in fear that his kidney issues could flare up so he avoids soda and sugar for the most part, but thankfully he is finally in a place where he can begin to follow the world bodybuilding once again.
To watch the entire conversation and full episode, where the panel also make their predictions for the 2025 Pittsburgh Pro, see below.
