Breaking Free: An athlete’s journey from addiction to fitness advocate

DICKINSON – After a high school wrestling injury led to a dependence on prescribed painkillers, Wyoming native Colby Wartman spiraled into heroin addiction. Now, having overcome his struggles, he is dedicated to health and fitness, helping others avoid the pitfalls he faced.

Athletes are often praised for overcoming adversity, but when high school athletes get injured, the pressure to return to play can lead many down dangerous paths. This was the case for Wartman in 2009, a competitive wrestler from a small Wyoming town who suffered a significant shoulder injury requiring surgery and subsequent pain medication.

Growing up during the peak of the pain medication epidemic, Wartman said, “In small town, Wyoming, if you’re a half-decent athlete, they want you on the field. So these doctors were incentivized to give me pain medication to be on the field. Yeah, that was where it all started.”

“Injured athletes were often given prescriptions like candy,” he recalled. “I was hooked from day one, and started there with legal prescriptions, and then it turned into doctor shopping and having multiple scripts open from different providers.”

In Wyoming and other states, concerns about opioid misuse among high school athletes are growing. While specific studies on Wyoming high schools are limited, opioid misuse among student-athletes nationwide is well documented. A

Sports Illustrated special report

highlighted how painkillers are turning young athletes into heroin addicts.

A

2020 study published in Sports Health

focused on opioid use among athletes. Key findings included:

• High school athletes had lifetime opioid use rates between 28% and 46%.
• Risk factors for opioid use included Caucasian race, participation in contact sports like hockey, football, and wrestling, post-retirement unemployment, and undiagnosed concussions.
• Opioid use during an athletic career was a predictor of use in retirement.

Photo courtesy of NEXTLEVEL.

According to the

National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics

, 80% of people who use heroin initially misused prescription opioids. However, less than 4% of those who abused prescription opioids transitioned to heroin within five years.

Despite excelling as a 4.0 student and team captain, Wartman struggled with a hidden addiction, eventually turning to heroin. “I was living this double life, and I was a 4.0 student and a team captain and an all-state athlete and then I was a drug addict. And it wasn’t like small potatoes, I was dealing with some bad people, getting in some bad situations,” he recounted.

“I juggled two lives with alarming ease. On the field, I was a leader, someone my teammates looked up to. Off the field, I was lost, hiding my struggles from coaches and friends. The pressure was suffocating,” Wartman said.

Photo courtesy of NEXTLEVEL.

After confiding in an uncle, he underwent a year-long period of sobriety, supported by consistent drug testing. “I came clean to an uncle of mine, and he drug tested me for 365 days. I’d get back from practice, there’d be a drug test on my front doorstep,” he said.

Through this period, he secured a full scholarship for college athletics at Dickinson State University. However, deep down, he admits he didn’t truly want to quit. “I really didn’t want to quit. I was clean for a year, and got my full ride scholarship to come play here,” said Wartman.

At DSU, Wartman lived the dream of many athletes as an all-conference college football player and team captain, but he was using drugs daily before practice. He reflected, “I was living a dream most athletes aspire to—an all-conference college football player, team captain, and a rising star. But beneath that shiny exterior was this dark secret: I was getting loaded every day before practice. I often think that if fentanyl had been prevalent back then, I might not be here today. It was that bad.”

Photo courtesy of NEXTLEVEL.

He detailed his turning point as a moment that led him to DSU Head Coach Pete Stanton. “I didn’t crash a car or land in jail, thank goodness, but I reached a breaking point. It was the day I decided to come clean, a day that felt like a calling,” he described.

“Rather than relying solely on willpower, he turned to God, feeling His guidance as he hit rock bottom. He explored the roots of his addiction, realizing he had never fully accepted love, which was a pivotal insight that lightened his burden,” Wartman explained.

“The first person Wartman called for help was his head coach, Coach Stanton. When I walked into his office, I could feel the gravity of my confession. He had no idea what was going on behind the scenes. Just days earlier, I’d played the game of my life. Yet, he treated me like a human being, showing genuine concern,” he said.

Coach Stanton stayed with him for over three hours in the emergency room during his withdrawal, a moment that became a turning point in his life. Despite managing 110 players and family obligations, Stanton prioritized him. After a two-game suspension, he arranged online classes to keep Wartman academically on track.

“Seeking help this time was different. The first time I tried to get sober, it was all willpower. The second time, I turned to God. I was at rock bottom, ready to give up what little I had left, and I felt His presence guiding me through the darkness,” Wartman said.

“I also delved deep to understand my ‘why’—why I was drawn to drugs in the first place. I realized I had never fully accepted love, feeling only a superficial connection with my family. Recognizing this was a pivotal moment, and while the journey wasn’t easy, it began to get lighter,” he added.

Wartman graduated with honors from DSU with a bachelor’s in exercise science and a master’s in business administration. He is a certified strength and conditioning coach and one of the 127 Power Athlete Block One coaches worldwide. He also serves on the DSU Strategic Planning Committee.

Photo courtesy of NEXTLEVEL.

He is co-owner of

Iron Chapel

in Dickinson, established in 2020, and founder of

Next Level Training

, both located at 129 1st St. East in Dickinson. The Iron Chapel plans to move into a larger facility to meet the needs of their growing gym.

Colby married Kelbie in 2019, and the couple has a son. Kelbie, a labor and delivery nurse in Dickinson, stated, “Colby’s dream of owning a gym, The Iron Chapel, became a reality. His dedication to his clients goes beyond physical training, impacting their mental health and confidence. Colby’s commitment to his community and faith shines through his work, making a significant positive difference in many lives.”

With nearly nine years of sobriety, Wartman reflects on his journey. He emphasizes how the discipline he learned as an addict now fuels his passion for fitness. “The habits that kept me as an addict are the same habits that keep me sober,” he explained. “It’s the thing that saved my life.”

Photo courtesy of NEXTLEVEL.