Westmeath footballer Luke Loughlin has told the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Drugs Use about being “blinded by my addiction” and unable “to see the damage I was doing” until eventually seeking help from the Gaelic Players Association (GPA).
Loughlin was 14 when he had his first drink, 16 when he first tried pills and cocaine, and was among several representatives at Thursday’s meeting in Leinster House to openly discuss the subject of addiction, sports and wellbeing – and a pathway to support sporting bodies providing rehabilitation services.
The 30-year-old was frank about his own experiences and recovery from alcohol and substance abuse, a time when “sport always seemed to be the only release where I felt good about myself without having to drink or take drugs”.
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