Former Liverpool star Danny Murphy opens up on his addiction to cocaine for the first time, revealing ‘I thought I couldn’t do things without it’ after he quit football, before media work helped him find purpose

Danny Murphy has revealed he suffered with a cocaine addiction after retiring from the game.

Murphy, 47, enjoyed an illustrious Premier League career, playing for the likes of Liverpool, Charlton, Tottenham and Fulham in the top flight, while he also won nine caps for England.

After ending his career with Blackburn Rovers in the Championship in 2013, the former midfielder has since moved into punditry and regularly impresses on Match of the Day and he is also a Mail Sport columnist.

However, Murphy has heartbreakingly opened up on his struggles during the early stages of retirement and explained how he was addicted to cocaine.

‘I initially dabbled in certain things to get the odd buzz and high,’ he told the Ben Heath Podcast. ‘I think it was an accumulation of things so I needed some escapism from reality. And reality was facing up to problems. 

Murphy, 47, enjoyed an impressive Premier League career, playing for the likes of Liverpool

‘This financial problem, tax bill, relationship. How do I deal with problems when I don’t play football?

‘When you play football, the adrenaline and dopamine keep you forward thinking and energetic irrelevant of the other issues. These issues become huge without football.

‘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. 

‘For a while I was (addicted to cocaine), yeah. 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 do it once a week, twice a week, do it an extra third day and eventually it builds up.

‘The escapism is what I was after and I got it for a while but then it grabs hold of you.’

After the brave confession, Murphy went onto explain how going to individual and group therapy, coupled with finding a purpose in punditry, helped him to overcome his problems.

He added:  ‘You get some help and start understanding behaviours and patterns. When I got help, I put myself around people who have been through it.  I did a bit of therapy and group work. 

‘Therapy was good. You’ve got to be in, you’ve got to be prepared to go deep and not everyone is because you’ve got to be in for an emotional rollercoaster in therapy.

‘Not everyone is especially if you’ve had a traumatic life. And it’s (the whole process) made me a better person. 

Murphy added how speaking to those who have experienced similar problems helped him to ‘lose that shame and guilt’ associated with his struggles, while his media work gave him a ‘sense of purpose’.

The 47-year-old also discussed the well-publicised general struggles of players as they head into retirement, but insisted there is always a way out.

‘I probably had a year of being in a world of pain,’ Murphy bravely continued.  ‘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. 

‘I’m a better son, brother and I think I’ll be a better partner and more considerate to those who have been struggling in life. I’ve got a desire to be better.

‘When I started media I felt a sense of purpose because I wanted to be good at it but it wasn’t the same highs. Two or three years later it just hit me, with all the stuff going on as well. 

‘It’s really common for ex-players to have issues like this. I was amazed how many reached out to me and I’ve lost the fear of talking about it, people judging me now. 

‘I’ve seen it personal, guys who have really been in a bad place come through and thrive again. That takes something. 

‘People have  lot of opinions on stuff this like this who haven’t been there but sometimes you do need a bit of help and it’s alright to reach out if you do.’

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