The Near-Death Experience That Caused Bam Margera to Reconsider Sobriety

We now know the harrowing medical incident that left Bam Margera fighting for his life and searching for sobriety.

The 46-year-old former Jackass star recently sat down for an episode of Living Proof Radio, where he detailed the dark times that led to him entering an in-patient program for substance abuse.

Bam Margera's Seizures and Eight-Day Coma

Margera said he sought treatment for his substance abuse at various facilities before deciding to leave the U.S. in an attempt to run away from drugs and alcohol. First, he went to Lithuania where he developed a daily habit of purchasing a bottle of vodka. In 2017, he ended up in Barcelona, Spain, where he worked to "learn how to skate again."

Getting back on his board in another country, however, wasn't enough to keep him sober.

"When I got home, I got back into a drinking and a drug rut thing," Margera said during the interview.

Eventually, his problems started to mount, causing him to require medical attention.

"My last straw was just going into five seizures at 20 minutes apiece."

Margera attributed the seizures to the stress of an ongoing custody battle for his son, legal issues regarding the Jackass franchise and multiple trips to treatment centers, combined with increased drug and alcohol use. It was too much, causing his body to "shut down."

"On the fifth seizure, my shaman, my best friend, took me to the Escondido hospital, where I woke up eight days later on life support with a tube down my throat with COVID and pneumonia because I couldn't breathe on my own."

What Happened When Bam Margera Woke Up From an Eight-Day Coma

Margera, understandably, was confused about how long he had been in the California hospital when he woke on the eighth day. He says he was greeted by a nurse who was in tears after she recognized him.

"(She) said, 'You've been here for eight days and I know I'm not a nurse and not supposed to show emotion, but I really didn't think you were going to make it out of this.'"

Margera said the whole incident convinced him that he needed to make some changes in life and get serious about his sobriety.

"I was like, 'Dude, my lifestyle has to change. I'm either definitely going to die this way, which I'm almost cool with, or I've got to switch, now.'"

Margera also gave credit to his wife, Dannii, who he says "hates" drugs and alcohol and would "divorce" him if he relapsed.

"I need that," he proclaimed.

WATCH: Bam Margera on Living Proof Radio

What Caused Bam Margera To Start Drinking

Before his Jackass fame, Margera was a rising professional skateboarder throughout his teens and early 20s. It was also during this time that he said he stayed away from drugs and alcohol entirely.

"I spent all of high school and all those college years that I didn't go to college, but all those years that other people were getting drunk and partying, I was staying sober and skating my ass off."

READ MORE: What Steve-O Wishes Bam Margera Would Say After 'Jackass' Beef

It was around the time he turned 34 years old that Margera found himself in his driveway, looking at his fleet of expensive cars, and wondering what else there was to achieve.

"I've officially run out of goals and now I'm just going to get fucked up," Margera told himself.

He started drinking heavily. Margera said this eventually led to using ecstasy and cocaine.

"I was a late bloomer to the fullest, of all of it."

Below, see what 25 rockers have said about getting sober and/or quitting drinking.