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Chris Kirkland, once Britain’s most expensive goalkeeper, has opened up about his long battle with painkiller addiction. The former Liverpool and England player, who transferred from Coventry City to Liverpool for £6 million in 2001, faced numerous injuries that hindered his career. Despite his potential, injuries prevented him from securing the number one spot at Liverpool and with the national team. Kirkland’s struggle with addiction began during his time at Sheffield Wednesday in 2012, where he self-medicated with Tramadol to manage a recurring back injury.
Chris Kirkland said: “People say you shouldn’t have regrets but I do. My massive regret is back in 2012. My addiction to opium – Tramadol. I wish I’d have said something. It’s easy saying it now, but for the next 10 years, it ruined my life and made a lot of people around me very difficult. That’s why I’m very passionate about this now. I try to do a lot of stuff like this. Listen, it was my fault. Nobody forced me to take it. It was my decision and I took the wrong decision.”
Kirkland’s addiction to Tramadol, a strong painkiller, escalated as he attempted to manage both physical pain and the anxiety of potentially missing matches. At one point, he consumed 2,500 mg of Tramadol daily. The addiction took a toll on his personal and professional life, leading to a period where he considered taking his own life. A pivotal moment came during a training camp with Bury, when a phone call to his wife persuaded him to seek help.
He said: “I’ve just done a talk at Anfield to a few schools this morning and talked about the football side of stuff. I said, it looks great being a footballer, it’s a privileged life. But then I did the other side of things, the addiction and the mental health side and the anxiety side, and it just makes people realise that it doesn’t matter who you are.”
Now over two years clean, Kirkland is committed to raising awareness about addiction and mental health. He recently spoke at an event in Crosby to discuss the dangers of ketamine and reflect on his own experiences. He emphasized the importance of seeking help and not being ashamed of mental health struggles.
He added: “The biggest thing you’ve got to do is say, listen, I need some help here and it’s the hardest thing to do because it was for me for 10 years. But when you do it, it’s the relief you get knowing that you’re not on your own and you’ve got a bit of hope.”
Kirkland’s journey from a promising football career to battling addiction highlights the challenges faced by athletes off the field. His story serves as a reminder that mental health issues can affect anyone, regardless of their status or profession. Through his advocacy work, Kirkland hopes to inspire others to seek help and support those struggling with similar issues.
**Tags:** #LiverpoolFC, #MentalHealth, #AddictionRecovery, #PlayerInsight, #FootballCulture
