Aaron Rodgers wages war against “alphabet gangsters,” teases Ayahuasca retreat before 2024 NFL season
For Aaron Rodgers, Tuesday is always a busy day with his weekly appearance on Pat McAfee's show. With the New York Jets already eliminated from the playoffs and the official confirmation that he's not going to return in the 2023 season, the conversation has switched to off-topic.
The quarterback spoke about recently connecting with people who got into the same Ayahuasca journey as him, pointing out that he was happy with the general friendships he has made and how it has changed his life. Aaron Rodgers also spoke glowingly about the healing effects he found out it has on mental health issues:
"Ayahuasca was life-changing for me, and it's gonna be something that I look forward to doing in some sort of fashion this offseason as well", Aaron Rodgers said. 'I'm sure there'll be some sort of ceremony this offseason, not sure what medicine but there'll be something., All medicines should be respected and revered, and done with some reverence, because medicines can be healing, and they also can be poisonous. They all have different experiences associated with them."
"The alphabet gangsters, who control a lot of the medicine that gets cleared, aren't exactly on board with, but there are a lot of great studies, there is obviously enormous anecdotal evidence of healing, but there are also some incredible studies that are going on other ways of healing - depression, PTSD, mental health issues - than just getting you on anti-depressants for the rest of your life."
What is Aaron Rodgers' relationship with ayahuasca?
As he revealed months ago in an appearance on Aubrey Marcus' popular podcast, the New York Jets quarterback discovered ayahuasca on a trip to South America a few years ago, when he was still a quarterback for the Green Bay Packers:
"To me, one of the core tenets of your mental health is self-love. That’s what ayahuasca did for me, was help me see how to unconditionally love myself. It’s only in that unconditional self-love that then I’m able to truly, unconditionally love others. And what better way to work on my mental health than to have an experience like that?”
Ayahuasca is not part of the league's prohibited substance list, which means that Aaron Rodgers cannot be fined or suspended due to its use.