Brett Favre reveals he 'almost wanted to kill himself' due to his painkiller addiction in the 1990s 


Former Green Bay Packers quarterback and three-time NFL MVP Brett Favre has revealed he almost considered killing himself after ditching his painkillers.

Favre, 51, was speaking on his Bolling With Favre podcast on PodcastOne when he admitted his addiction to painkillers in the 1990s nearly killed him.

The former quarterback said that, despite having won the Super Bowl in 1996-97, he ‘was as low as I possibly could be’.

Dr. Phil was a guest on the show, and Favre said his addiction started in 1994 while he was dealing with an ankle injury, initially consuming two pills a day.

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Former Green Bay Packers quarterback and three-time NFL MVP Brett Favre (pictured) has revealed he almost considered killing himself after ditching his painkillers

Former Green Bay Packers quarterback and three-time NFL MVP Brett Favre (pictured) has revealed he almost considered killing himself after ditching his painkillers

Favre, 51, was speaking on his Bolling With Favre podcast on PodcastOne when he admitted his addiction to painkillers in the 1990s nearly killed him

Favre, 51, was speaking on his Bolling With Favre podcast on PodcastOne when he admitted his addiction to painkillers in the 1990s nearly killed him

He said that teammates eventually helped him obtain more and that his addiction reached the point where he was consuming a month’s worth of pills in two days. 

However, some teammates were unaware that other players within the team also had supplied Favre with the pills. 

After suffering two seizures in 1995, Favre said he made the decision to admit his addiction and checked into rehab for 75 days.

Speaking on the podcast, Favre said: ‘I said it’s one of two things — I die, or I flush these pills down the toilet. 

The former quarterback said that, despite having won the Super Bowl in 1996-97, he 'was as low as I possibly could be'

The former quarterback said that, despite having won the Super Bowl in 1996-97, he ‘was as low as I possibly could be’

After suffering two seizures in 1995, Favre said he made the decision to admit his addiction and checked into rehab for 75 days

After suffering two seizures in 1995, Favre said he made the decision to admit his addiction and checked into rehab for 75 days

‘I sat by the toilet for two hours. Eventually, I dumped the pills in the toilet, flushed them and I almost wanted to kill myself because of doing that.’

Following his decision to ditch the painkillers, Favre said he had to tackle his addiction head-on to avoid the urges to take more pills.

Favre said that initially he was angry with himself for throwing out the painkillers. 

Describing how he coped after ditching the painkillers, Favre said that his approach was not the way people normally should overcome an addiction.

How do painkillers affect professional athletes? 

Painkillers are often prescribed to athletes in all sports to help them deal with injuries and later to relax.

However, this calming effect can lead to a dangerous addiction and dependence on the drugs.

Research has found as many as 52 per cent of NFL players have used opiates at some point in their careers.

The drugs work by blocking pain messages to the brain, but at the same time also release feel-good chemicals such as dopamine.

It is this relief from physical and emotional pain that players become addicted to.

Source: Tranquilshores.org 

‘I shook with cold sweats and hot sweats,’ he said. ‘Every night at nine o’clock, I just shook because that was the exact time when I took them.

‘No matter where I was or what I was doing, I would take them.’ 

However, he said he has not touched a painkiller since he went ‘cold turkey’ and has not consumed any alcohol since 1998. 

This isn’t the first time Favre has opened up about his painkiller addiction.

Last year, speaking to CBS Sport, he said he had checked into rehab twice as a result of his painkiller addiction and was now an advocate for non-addictive medication.

He said: ‘It was hard, it was very hard, but when I finally got several months behind me without pain meds, it slowly and surely got better. 

‘There would be times where I was tempted, but I just never did and now I’m well over it — the need or want to take something.’

Brett Favre is considered to be one of the greatest players in the history of the NFL, having been a three-time MVP, a six-time All-Pro selection and a Hall of Fame inductee in 2016. 

Throughout his 20-year playing career he became the first quarterback to throw for 500 touchdowns, 70,000 yards, to complete 6,000 passes and attempt 10,000. 

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