Duff McKagan uses karate to control panic attacks

Guns N’ Roses star Duff Mckagan uses karate to control his panic attacks.
The rocker has been struggling with mental health issues since he was a teenager and admits his years of self-medicating with alcohol only made the problem worse – and more frequent.
And then he discovered the ukidokan form of karate, which has helped him conquer his panic attacks.
“At 16 I started having panic disorder,” McKagan told Forbes magazine. “My first one happened out of nowhere. I was in the shower at my mom’s house. The floor just sunk down three feet and I thought there was an earthquake or something. It was actually a panic attack.”
“I self-medicated those things in my 20s with a ton of alcohol,” he added, noting that the amount of sugar he consumed made the attacks more frequent.
“Through ukidokan and really measuring these things out and kind of tackling them and taking them face on and figuring out a way through them, it was a weakness I’ve turned into something that’s a teachable moment.
“I can understand a lot more about mental illness and panic disorder that has sides of depression to it that I never experienced until a couple of years ago. I had a depression attack, which was the worst thing you can ever have. But I’ve dealt with this thing through ukidokan, and I’m very fortunate to have a very positive force in my life that I can work on these things… My weakness has kind of turned into a a strength. I can help others.”