Former England and Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy has revealed that he became addicted to cocaine after his playing career ended.
Murphy played for Crewe Alexandra, Liverpool, Charlton Athletic, Tottenham, Fulham and Blackburn Rovers before retiring in 2013.
He has since moved into punditry and works for BBC Sport as well as other outlets, including Talksport.
“When you don’t have football, problems become huge,” 47-year-old Murphy told 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.”
He also revealed that he was addicted to cocaine.
“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.”
Therapy helped him tackle his issues, he added.
Having started his career with Crewe Alexandra, Murphy joined Liverpool in 1997, and spent seven years at Anfield.
He was a treble winner in 2001 having won the FA Cup, League Cup and Uefa Cup.
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