Quarterback Speaks About His Addiction to Opioid Painkillers

Last Updated on November 25, 2021

Opioid painkiller addiction among athletes, especially professional football players, is often an unfortunate reality for those who make their living by pushing their bodies to the extreme. Careers are extended by the powerful effects of the opioid painkillers. Players misuses the prescription drugs to extend their careers season by season. Unfortunately, prolonging one’s career often means the development of opioid painkiller addiction.

Painkiller addiction has plagued the professional sports league for decades. A 2011 study from Washington University in St. Louis revealed that retired NFL players are four times more likely to misuse prescription opioids. This was the case for the three-time MVP Brett Favre.

Brett Favre’s story of opioid addiction and recovery

The future hall of famer was recently on the Graham Bensinger’s show last week and he opened talked about his addiction with opioid painkillers. “I took 15 Vicodin at one time,” Favre said. “Two gave me an effect I liked. After a month, two didn’t do anything, so I’d take three . . . and then four and so on. I knew that 15 was hard to come by. A month’s prescription is 30 pills or something, depending on what they prescribe for you, and I was going through that in two days. I would ask this guy for pills and that guy for pills, after a while I was going back around pretty quickly.”

During the interview with Bensinger, Favre stated even though he knew how wrong it was, he liked the way it made him feel. After feeling he had hit rock bottom, he decided to go cold turkey to get over his addiction. “I’d hit rock bottom and I said, I’m going to flush these down the toilet. I remember when I poured them in the toilet and it started to flush, I almost crawled into the toilet to go after them because I thought, ‘What in the world did you do?’ I was so dependent on them,” he said.

Favre did not consult a doctor to stop and instead just went cold turkey. He said the love for football really helped him get off the addiction. Looking back on it, Favre wishes he had gone to a doctor for help, stating how he probably harmed himself by his own self-recovery. Favre said that was the worst month ever. He shook every night, had cold sweats, and it was a constant battle.

In his experience with drug addiction, Favre believes that playing football is what got him through the difficult time in his life. His interview is just one of the many stories that speak about the effects of drug addiction. The powerful opioid painkillers can affect anyone and everyone who takes them. Now having revealed to have overcome painkiller addiction speaks greater volumes to the mental makeup of one of the NFL’s greatest. No doubt his speech will be one of the most-anticipated.

Painkiller recovery is possible: Get help for opioid addiction today

Overcoming your addiction to drugs or alcohol will likely be one of the greatest challenges you’ll ever face. Addiction is a devastating, debilitating disease. Its fallout can be far-reaching and long lasting, with negative impacts on your life and the lives of everyone around you. Nova Recovery Center, an Austin recovery center, understands recovery is a continuous process. Our continuum of care is specifically designed for the highest possible outcomes for long-term sobriety and we provide personalized residential and outpatient rehab in Austin, Texas. If you want to continue receiving recovery support services after rehab, we can also help you get into an Austin sober living home. Contacting Nova Recovery residential drug and alcohol treatment center is the first step to changing lives. Call today to get started.