Oscar De La Hoya on Coping With Alcohol Use and Depression: ‘It’s All Balance’

Launched in 2013, the harris project is a nonprofit dedicated to the prevention and treatment of co-occurring disorders (COD) — the combination of mental health challenges and substance use issues. Us Weekly has partnered with the harris project to bring you The Missing Issue, a special edition focusing on the stories of celebrities who struggled with COD. Here, we’re revisiting our past coverage of some of those stars.

This story ran on usmagazine.com on September 10, 2013:

ORIGINAL STORY: Oscar De La Hoya Checks Himself Into Rehab

[Read the full original story.]

NEW STORY: Oscar De La Hoya Checked Into Rehab, Says He Used Alcohol to Escape Depression

Throughout his 16-year career, ten-time world title winner Oscar De La Hoya was a fearsome competitor in the ring. But the boxer known as “The Golden Boy” said in a 2011 interview with Univision that the one-two punch of addiction and depression was “the biggest fight of [his] life,” one that left him contemplating suicide. De La Hoya, now 52, continues to speak openly about how managing his co-occurring disorders has been a lifelong battle.

He Began Drinking at 8 Years Old

De La Hoya has told numerous outlets that his introduction to alcohol was born of curiosity and opportunity — he’d sneak sips of beer at family functions as a child — but that introduction soon became a problem. He developed a dependency partly as a result of what he says was a physically and emotionally abusive relationship with his parents. “I got into a lot of alcohol and drugs, and I just literally lost myself,” he told Fox Business in July 2023. He was seeking affection he didn’t get, he says. “My father never told me, ‘I love you,’” he told BELLA magazine that same month. “My mother never told me she loved me … When I would cry, she would start hitting me. That is how bad it was.”

Alcohol and Cocaine Provided False Comfort

De La Hoya’s professional persona centered on his toughness and imperviousness to pain, but behind the scenes he was self-medicating to block out overwhelming fear and shame. “I depended more on the alcohol than the cocaine,” De La Hoya told Univision in 2011. “It took me to a place where I felt safe; it took me to a place where I felt as if nobody [could] say anything to me; it took me to a place where I just [could] reach out and grab my mom.”

Childhood Trauma Led to His Own Failures as a Father

A father of six, De La Hoya has said that he wasn’t prepared to be a parent — and that his older children suffered as a result of his emotional absence. “It comes to the point where you convince yourself that this is not you,” he told BELLA magazine. “This is scary. You are not worthy of this. You are not worthy of giving love. Then you start feeling sorry for yourself. Life starts just spiraling and you’re lost. All you want to do is drink and do drugs and escape … I always felt like I wasn’t worthy of anything, like I wasn’t worthy of love, and I wasn’t worthy enough to do the job.”

The former athlete shares his eldest child, son Jacob, 27, with ex Toni Alvarado. He also shares his son Devon, 26, and daughter Atiana, 25, with exes Angelicque McQueen and Shanna Moakler, respectively. He and his ex-wife, Millie Corretjer, welcomed kids Oscar Jr., 19, Nina, 17, and Victoria, 11, before their 2016 split.

Seeking Help Changed — and Likely Saved — His Life

“I did go through the rehabs, I did go through therapies,” he told the Associated Press in July 2023. “At this time in my life, I’ve made the decision and I’ve prepared myself over the years to find balance. It’s all balance. Life is great. It’s really, really good right now. I’m happy, I’m working, I’m doing the things I want to do on my terms … It’s like I’m doing it my way for the first time ever.”

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If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health and/or substance use, you are not alone. Seek immediate intervention — call 911 for medical attention; 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline; or 1-800-662-HELP for the SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) National Helpline. Carrying naloxone (Narcan) can help reverse an opioid overdose.