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<\/p>\nChris Kirkland has said he was taking the "equivalent of six shots of heroin" each day during his 10-year painkiller addiction.<\/p>\n
The former Premier League goalkeeper and one-time England international, 42, revealed his decade-long struggle in July 2022. He'd become dependent on the opioid pill tramadol.<\/p>\n
He first started taking the drug to cope with painful back spasms during his time with Sheffield Wednesday. It pushed him to the verge of suicide, coming close to jumping off of a roof in Portugal while he was on a pre-season training camp with Bury in 2016.<\/p>\n
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Sky Sports is bringing you 500 live football games to watch, as well access to Cricket, Golf, F1, Boxing, NFL, NBA and more across eight<\/span> dedicated channels. Sky Sports is the <\/span>only way to watch all the action this year.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a322 a month<\/p>\n But thankfully thinking of his wife Leeona and daughter Lucy changed his mind, and he sought help – at which point he discovered the true extent of his addiction having been consuming 2,500 milligrams of tramadol a day.<\/p>\n "I found out when I went into rehab that I was taking the equivalent of six shots of heroin a day," Kirkland told The Athletic. "It is an evil, evil drug. It nearly killed me, and should have killed me."<\/p>\n Explaining how he got hooked, the retired shot stopper added: \u201cAt the start, it gives you a good feeling. It makes you feel happy, if you have anxiety or anything like that. <\/p>\n "I was using it for pain, yes, but I was using it for anxiety more than anything. But it messes you up mentally. I knew after three months that I was in trouble, that I\u2019d become reliant on it."<\/p>\n Tramadol is set to be added to the World Anti-Doping Agency's prohibited list on January 1, with the Professional Footballers\u2019 Association bringing that to the attention of their members last week with the acknowledgement that there'll be many more players like Kirkland out there.<\/p>\n The Daily Star is now on WhatsApp and we want you to join us!<\/p>\n Through the app, we'll send you the sassiest showbiz stories, some naught headline and a seismic smattering of aliens…along with the latest breaking news of course. <\/p>\n To join our community, all you have to do to join is click on this link<\/b>, select 'Join Chat' and you're in!<\/p>\n No one will be able to see who has sign up and no one can send messages except for the Daily Star team. We also treat our community members to competitions, special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. <\/p>\n If you don\u2019t like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose Exit group. If you\u2019re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.<\/p>\n CLICK HERE TO JOIN<\/b><\/p>\n He fears for those who will now have to find a way out of the addiction cycle, having gone through a "horrendous" 10 days going cold turkey in April of last year.<\/p>\n "I was cramped up in a room, I was feeling sick, I was vomiting, I couldn\u2019t eat anything, I was having hallucinations," Kirkland recalled. "I\u2019d got to the point where I didn\u2019t want to put another tablet in my mouth. <\/p>\n "I got through it, but it wasn\u2019t pleasant at all and I wouldn\u2019t wish it on anyone. I tried to get off it many times. If you are trying on your own, it\u2019s almost impossible.\u201d<\/p>\n For emotional support, you can call the Samaritans 24-hour helpline on 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org, visit a Samaritans branch in person or go to the Samaritans website.<\/b><\/i><\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/i2-prod.dailystar.co.uk\/incoming\/article31440166.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615b\/1_Barclays-Premier-League-Wigan-Athletic-v-Manchester-City-DW-Stadium.jpg\")
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