THE Premier League is becoming swamped with players hooked on sleeping pills, SE reveals today.
Scores of stars are mixing “sleepers” with alcohol to chase a new recreational high.
Insiders say the problem with pills such as Zopiclone and Zolpidem is growing at a terrifying rate with some risking their lives and careers.
SE recently told how one England star has been popping pack after pack of Zopiclone, downing them with champagne and vodka.
Today we can reveal two more Three Lions players have turned to the black market to get their hands on larger quantities of the Class C prescription medication.
One Wag returned home from a night out to find her partner out cold on the sofa and their hysterical kids trying to wake him.
A source close to the star said: “They’re destroying him — and those around him.’’
PERFECT STORM
Astonishingly, the pills are not on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s list of banned substances.
There are now calls for players to be regularly screened by their clubs or for the pills to be outlawed.
Sporting Chance, the charity set up by former England and Arsenal hero Tony Adams, said it had been contacted by “many, many more players” seeking help.
The charity warned this is just the tip of the iceberg.
Chief executive Colin Bland said: “We have seen a notable increase in this behaviour during the pandemic.
“There is help there, from us, the Premier League and their clubs, but it’s been harder to get the message out because of lockdown. It’s created a perfect storm.”
It is well known that footballers struggle getting to sleep after midweek evening matches.
Their bodies are buzzing after 90 minutes and on a “come down” for hours after getting home. It was habitual for clubs to hand out the tablets to players — in small doses that a GP would recommend.
But like most prescription drugs, the more you take, the more you need to get the same effect.
And players say the routine distribution has started many on a rocky road to sleeping pill addiction.
Some are scouring the black market for their fix, and are sharing them in dressing rooms.
Premier League clubs are now reeling from the “monster” they created and are desperate to clampdown on the use.
One of the three England aces, who SE is not naming, was originally prescribed small doses of Zolpidem by a club doctor.
But he began mixing it with booze to get high and is now dependent.
A source said: “He has been taking them every single day for the last year. It has become part of his routine.
“He’d take them before bed but it soon progressed to whenever and wherever.
“They are destroying him and those around him. Taking sleeping tablets is rife among some of his teammates and at other clubs too.
“There’s an open conversation between players about who can get what and where from. It’s out of control. The pills need to be banned.
“What if a player was behind the wheel and killed someone you love?
“They don’t consider the repercussions. They think they’re invincible.”
The source said the player has confided in club bosses who are offering their full support.
They added: “The club has recommended he seek therapy to address it. His partner is worried and wants him to get help urgently.”
One dressing room source said our original story on an unnamed England ace had sent shockwaves through the game.
The source added: “What SE has uncovered is being discussed at the very top.
“There has been panic about what might come out next. Everyone is aware of the player who has recently battled a Zopiclone addiction.
“He has been all over the place. It is common knowledge across the Premier League.
“But he is by no means the only player struggling. They’ve been gobbling them down like sweets. This is a massive issue.”
Previously aces inhaled balloons containing nitrous oxide, known as laughing gas or hippy crack, to get their kicks.
It was widely used on the party scene because of the euphoria it can induce. But “sleepers” are now the go-to high.
Mr Bland added: “Some players will have a habit, where it has become routine.
“Others will have an addictive disorder and this is their chosen drug of choice.
“Some will know they have a problem and seek help. But others won’t or will insist that they don’t have a problem.
“Elite athletes, footballers, are mixing large doses with alcohol for that very reason and it’s becoming a growing problem.
“They won’t be prescribed them in the quantity they are using, so they often turn to the black market.
“Let’s be clear, using prescribed medication beyond its prescribed dose is drug abuse.
“Using prescribed medication bought on the black market and not prescribed to you is also drug abuse and may be illegal.
“If that wasn’t enough, the boxes of tablets warn against using with alcohol so to mix the two is, again, drug abuse.
“There’s no way of getting away from it. It’s a murky world that they are occupying.”
The British Medical Journal has published experts’ letters warning against the misuse of sleeping pills and their ready availability online.
A recent survey of Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) members showed nine per cent were experiencing difficulties with damaging addictive habits.
The Football Association provides players with general information on what substances they put into their systems, plus educational material on the relevant matters.
- Players who need help should contact sportingchanceclinic.com
- Members of the public who fear they have a problem should call Talk to Frank on 0300 1236600 and Narcotics Anonymous 0300 9991212.
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