The legend of Manchester United, Wayne Rooney, has disclosed how, during the height of his career, he would drink until he “almost passed out” in order to get over his difficulties.
Rob Burrow, the rugby league veteran, and his wife Lindsey recently recorded a podcast in which the Birmingham coach acknowledged that he was in a “low place for a few years” due to his use of alcohol as a coping strategy rather than seeking professional assistance.
When asked how he has dealt with tough times in his life, the ex-England and Manchester United captain said: “I’ve had many different challenges, both on the pitch and off the pitch, and my release was alcohol.’
“When I was in my early 20s, I’d spend a couple of days at home and wouldn’t move out of the house and drink almost until I passed out.
“I didn’t want to be around people because sometimes you feel embarrassed and sometimes you feel like you’ve let people down.
“Ultimately, I didn’t know how else to deal with it, so I chose alcohol to try and help me get through that.
“There were people there for me to speak to but I chose not to do that and tried to deal with it myself.
“When you do that and don’t take the help and guidance of others, you can really be in a low place and I was for a few years with that.
“Thankfully now I am not afraid to go and speak to people over some issues which I may have.”
Asked who his best and worst team-mates were during his career, Rooney said: “Best team-mate, I’d probably say Darren Fletcher. My worst team-mate, there are a lot more than you’d probably think! On the pitch, the toughest one was Nani. He was frustrating to play with.”
