Watch Face-to-Face with Liam Knight at 7.30pm tonight on Fox League.
South Sydney Rabbitohs prop Liam Knight has opened up about his “scary” battle with medicine and binge consuming that resulted in him admitting to a rehab centre over the summer season.
Last yr, the 28-year-old’s season was reduce quick by an unlawful sort out throughout a NSW Cup match that ruptured his ACL and MCL in his knee.
To assist cope with the following aching and frustration, Knight turned to alcohol and prescribed drugs, which briefly helped numb the ache.
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The footballer subsequently spent 28 days in a drug, alcohol and playing rehab centre and has since gone to Alcoholics Anonymous twice per week. He hasn’t touched a drop of alcohol since.
Speaking with Jake Duke on the most recent episode of Face-To-Face, Knight defined how his reliance on alcohol rapidly spiralled into dependancy.
“I said what I needed to say to keep everyone away, sort of. ‘Everything’s fine, I’m ok, I’m ok,’ and then I’d go home and nothing’s ok,” Knight mentioned.
“I didn’t want to talk about it.
“I kept going further and further down this ladder into this darker hole, and then it stopped working. I’d party to escape.
“The effect of the release would stop working, and then I realised I was sitting by myself and everything was numb. I sort of lost all care factor and realised I was just sabotaging everything I had.
“It was pretty scary.
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“That time of my life was such a weird spiral, and it happened quick. I was ok and all of a sudden I wasn’t. In 3-4 months I blinked as it was done
“I was heavily depressed, and all I was thinking about was I want to have a beer to get out of this place, and it wasn’t working.
“I’m a pretty happy, positive person, and all of a sudden I was sitting with some really negative dark thoughts.
“I just thought, I can’t be like this, this is not me … the scariest thing for me was asking for help.”
In October final yr, Knight determined to hunt assist, getting in contact with Rabbitohs coach Jason Demetriou.
“I was on my way to meet him and I was s***ting myself … dead-set shaking,” Knight mentioned.
“The first thing he said to me was, ‘I’m really proud of you’.
“After that it started getting easier, when you start talking about things. For me, the weight came off, and it all started getting a bit easier, sharing that load.”
Knight confessed he had a tricky upbringing, shedding his mom to most cancers at a younger age and residing with numerous members of the family and caretakers throughout the nation.
He attended 11 faculties earlier than ultimately dropping out in his teenagers.
“Not exactly a normal life for myself,” he mentioned.
“It left an enormous gap in my coronary heart from a younger age, that I by no means actually learnt the right way to cope with, so I acted out in sure methods
“I’m nonetheless figuring that out now, nonetheless attempting to fill that gap with constructive issues.
“It was a very bizarre life for me
“I most likely misplaced a number of belief with individuals throughout these occasions … I assumed I felt protected and safe after which I’m gone.
“Everyone I liked both go away or dies.
Knight, who’s off contract on the finish of the season, nonetheless no less than 5 weeks of restoration earlier than returning for the Rabbitohs
Source web site: www.foxsports.com.au
