Addiction to Sleeping Pills in Football: Much Wider Than People Realise
The use of sleeping pills in football is much wider than people realise, according to former Oxford United psychotherapist Gary Bloom. His comments come after Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Dele Alli admitted he had a problem with sleeping pill addiction. Former Liverpool goalkeeper Chris Kirkland also spoke out about the issue, saying that addiction is a “massive problem” in football.
## The Link Between Performance and Sleep
Speaking to BBC World Service, Gary Bloom outlined the link between maximising on-pitch performance and struggling to sleep. He said: “Addiction to sleeping tablets is widespread, much more than people realise. There is also widespread use of caffeine stimulants for matches. Players are pretty wired during games because they want to give themselves a legal buzz for when they are playing – but then they cannot get to sleep at night. They are therefore prescribed sleeping tablets and the cycle goes on.”
## Players Struggling with Addiction
Former Rotherham and Northampton defender Ryan Cresswell said his addiction to sleeping pills left him “gripping on for dear life”. Meanwhile, Chris Kirkland revealed details of his own 10-year addiction to painkillers last summer. He believes the onus is on clubs to provide much better support to players. He said: “Football clubs see their players day in day out and now they need to put things in place in and out of house. Addiction is massive in the game – whether that’s gambling, alcohol or drugs. Hopefully Dele coming out will help others seek help to make big changes.”
## Professional Support
In response to Dele’s interview, Dr Michael Bennett, the director of player wellbeing at the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA), said the union “regularly supports” members who have developed addictions, including to sleeping tablets. He added: “If players are using sleeping tablets or any other prescription medication and are concerned that they may have developed a dependency, we encourage them to speak confidentially with the PFA and access the support we offer.”
Sleep expert James Wilson, who has worked with West Ham, Rotherham and Lincoln, said: “Sleeping pills are not generally good for your sleep and they are not good for recovery so that is why they are not a good idea in football. The fact they are addictive is the cherry on the cake. The use is more rife in football because the job itself contributes to poor sleep, the night after a midweek game in particular footballers find it harder to sleep.”
## A Need for More Support
Gary Bloom believes more psychological support within clubs is required. He said: “Football clubs are only just waking up to the realisation that when people have off-field issues, these inevitably end up on the field. In my opinion, more clubs should be employing psychotherapists who are able to mix and mingle freely with players and warn them of the consequences if they don’t clean up their personal problems.”
Chris Kirkland also believes society could be more forgiving and accepting of those struggling with addiction. He said: “Instead of hammering people and making them feel worse, why not offer to help? We live in a culture where people think it’s acceptable to heap more pressure and abuse on people, [especially those in] the public eye. I don’t think that will go away but we could do more to prevent it.”
## Conclusion
The misuse of sleeping pills is much more widespread in football than people realise, according to former Oxford United psychotherapist Gary Bloom. Former Liverpool goalkeeper Chris Kirkland agrees, saying that addiction is a “massive problem” in football. Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Dele Alli recently admitted he had a problem with sleeping pill addiction and highlighted that misuse of the tablets was “something going around more than people realise in football”. It is clear that more psychological support within clubs is needed to help players struggling with addiction, as well as greater understanding from society as a whole.