The ‘world of pain’ of the former Liverpool ‘cocaine addict’

Danny Murphy, a Liverpool player from 1997 to 2004 who won nine caps for England, has revealed that he suffered from cocaine addiction after retiring from football in 2013.

The 47-year-old former footballer, who throughout his career played for Crewe Alexandra, Liverpool, Charlton Athletic, Tottenham, Fulham and Blackburn Rovers, shared on the Ben Heath podcast, that “initially I tried certain things to get some effect and affect. I think it was an accumulation of things, so I needed to get away from actuality. And actuality was confronting the issues.”

“For a while I was [addicted to cocaine]. 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.”

The former Liverpool player explained his life process, “I spent a year in a world of pain,” to kick his addiction: “You get help and start to understand behaviors and patterns. When I got help, I got in touch with people who had been through the same thing. I did some therapy and group work. The therapy went well.”

“I’ve lost my fear of talking about it and people judging me now,” reflected Murphy, who started for Fulham in the Europa League final against Atletico Madrid in 2010.

Danny Murphy on his personal hell: During the dark days I indulged in drink, drugs and gambling

In 2021 Danny Murphy already told in a letter published in ‘The Mail on Sunday’ that “I enjoyed the early years after retirement in 2013, playing golf, working in the media and family vacations, but what happened next hit me like a sledgehammer.

“The realization that I would never play football again, combined with the loss of most of my savings, left me suffering from depression. During the dark days, which lasted 12 months, I indulged in drink, drugs and gambling. My marriage broke up, I fell out with my siblings and friends and became very isolated,” he explained.