Former England midfielder Danny Murphy has revealed he became addicted to cocaine after his playing career had ended.
Murphy, who represented Crewe Alexandra, Liverpool, Charlton Athletic, Tottenham Hotspur, Fulham, and Blackburn Rovers before retiring in 2013, also revealed that he went through a period of smoking cannabis.
The 47-year-old opened up on his struggles of having to live without playing football on a regular basis.
“When you don’t have football, problems become huge,” Murphy said on the Ben Heath Podcast. “When you play football, the adrenaline and dopamine, all these things keep you forward-thinking and energetic.
“I had a spell on cocaine and smoking some weed. The drink, I could live without it. I wasn’t an alcoholic. I could sit in a house with alcohol and not drink it.”
Asked if he was addicted to cocaine, he added: “For a while I was. I got to the point where I thought I couldn’t do things without it. Which was nonsense, of course I could.
“You manage it initially, you might do it once a week, twice a week, give yourself an extra third day. Eventually, it builds up and grabs hold of you.”
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Murphy also mentioned that speaking with individuals who had gone through similar experiences helped him lose the feelings of shame and guilt associated with his issues.
“I probably had a year of being in a world of pain,” he said. “The journey is never smooth but I definitely think that year to 18 months from 2017, going through that has made me a much better dad.”
Starting his career with Crewe, Murphy moved to Liverpool in 1997, where he spent seven years. During his time at Anfield, he was part of the squad that won the FA Cup, League Cup, and UEFA Cup in 2001.
After his stint with Liverpool, Murphy joined Charlton before moving to Tottenham in January 2006. He later transferred to Fulham, contributing to their journey to the Europa League final in 2010, and concluded his career following a spell at Blackburn in 2012-13.
At international level, he was capped by England on nine occasions.
Since retiring from football, he has worked as a pundit for a number of outlets, including the BBC and talkSPORT.
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