Fans have praised former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy for speaking openly about his cocaine addiction after retiring from football.
During a recent episode of the Ben Heath Podcast, Murphy, 47, admitted that he had a hard time accepting retirement after hanging up his boots in 2013, and while dealing with financial problems and the breakdown of his marriage to actress Joanna Taylor, he turned to cocaine.
“I had a cocaine attack and smoked some weed,” he said. ‘The drink, I could live without it. I was not an alcoholic. I could stay in a house with alcohol and not drink it.
‘For a while I was (addicted to cocaine), yes. It got to the point where I thought I couldn’t do things without him. Which was silly, of course he could.
“At first you manage it, you do it once a week, twice a week, you do it a third day more and eventually it builds up and it catches up with you.”
Danny Murphy has spoken openly about his cocaine addiction after retiring from football
Murphy twice won the League Cup, FA Cup and UEFA Cup with Liverpool but struggled to accept his retirement.
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Murphy, who won two League Cups, the FA Cup and the UEFA Cup with Liverpool, appeared on talkSPORT on Wednesday morning to talk more about drug addiction and revealed his honest opinion on the subject before have your own problems.
“Before I had problems with myself, I judged people,” he admitted. ‘I used to think that if you’ve taken drugs or are depressed then you’re weak, there’s something wrong with you. You have no resistance. Control yourself.
Murphy’s views have since changed and he previously wrote about his addiction in his Mail on Sunday column.
When asked by talkSPORT host Jim White, who has also been honest about his own battles with alcohol addiction in the past, why he decided to speak out, Murphy explained his reasoning.
“I always felt like it was a little bit on top of me,” he added.
‘It took me a few years to get to a comfortable place where I could share and not worry about the repercussions. The children were older, they knew it, he had talked to them. “That was probably the most important thing.”
Murphy appeared on talkSPORT on Wednesday morning and revealed why he had decided to speak so openly about his cocaine addiction.
Murphy also talked about how some people had threatened to make his secret public before he revealed it himself.
‘That’s not why I did it [went public] But there were people in my past who did use that threat,” Murphy said.
—Not that it ever happened. For me, the delay in talking about it for the three or four years I did it was the kids. But they’re great and I talked to them about it last night.
Speaking candidly about his battles with cocaine addiction, Murphy has received praise from fans on social media.
Liverpool fan group Empire of the Kop posted on X: “Very brave of Danny Murphy to open up about his cocaine addiction.”
Another X user wrote: ‘Good for you guys at @talkSPORT and Danny Murphy for talking about this so candidly this morning.
‘Many people in society are affected by these addictions, but we treat them as taboo. It shouldn’t be a taboo: many people are users. Good for you for speaking so honestly. All the best DM.’
Similar sentiments were shared by another fan who urged others struggling to follow in Murphy’s footsteps and seek help after the former Premier League star went to therapy to deal with his addiction.
“I think it’s good that people like Danny Murphy and @JimWhite talk about their own problems with things like addiction as it shows that we are all human and someone who is going through it can listen to it and see what can happen to anyone and help “. They seek help. Well done,’ they said.
One supporter also stated that there should be no shame in drug addiction, and praised Murphy for speaking out.
“Cocaine is a huge problem in all sectors and in all industries, professional and social,” they added.
‘It’s fantastic to see people having the courage to speak out about their battle to let others know that they are not alone in that fight.
‘Drug addiction is not shameful. Speak clear. Ask for help.’