Dele Alli, a midfielder for Everton, recently disclosed that he spent six weeks receiving addiction, mental health, and trauma treatment at a rehab centre in the United States. He stated he hopes to inspire others via his experience.
The former England midfielder revealed in an interview with The Overlap, Gary Neville’s YouTube channel, released on Thursday that he had developed a dependency on sleep aids as a way to cope with traumas from his past, including being sexually abused by a family member at the age of six. “I think with things like that, you can’t be told to go there, I think you have to know, and you have to make the decision yourself, otherwise it’s not going to work. To be honest, I was caught in a bad cycle. I was relying on things that were doing me harm,” Alli said.
“I was waking up every day, winning the fight, demonstrating my happiness by grinning as I went to training. When I was hurt and told I required surgery, I could feel the emotions I get when the cycle starts, and I didn’t want it to happen any longer. But on the inside, I was obviously losing the battle. It was time for me to change it. The 27-year-old Alli claimed to have fled the facility three weeks ago and said he is now telling his experience to help others.
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“I want to make other people aware of the fact that they are not alone in their sentiments, that they can communicate to others, and that asking for help or being vulnerable doesn’t make you weak. That has a great deal of strength. I’m pleased to share my story and come out as a result,” he stated.
Growing up in Milton Keynes, Alli described the traumas he had as a child, including being molested at age six by his mother’s friend, starting to smoke at age seven, and selling drugs at age eight. At age 11, Alli was adopted by “an amazing” and loving family.
Alli continued, “I don’t blame anyone; I thank a lot of people; I’m pleased of who I am today. “I thank a lot of individuals for the difficult times they put me through because I believe that they made me stronger and tougher because they gave me the courage and strength to face difficulties that, if they had been thrust upon me, I might not have been able to handle. But I have a lot of people to thank because they contributed to giving me the desire and the fervour to continue on and battle and disprove them.
“I think the main thing for me is I want to prove myself right because I know how good I can be as a player and as a person. It’s important for me that this battle against myself, I will win, and I do prove myself I was right about all these things.” Many athletes have expressed their support, including former Spurs teammate and England captain Harry Kane, who stated he was proud of Alli.