It is hard to fill the adrenaline void

SOCCEROOS coach Graham Arnold has spoken out about the excruciating pressure head coaches and players face in professional sport, saying many turn to drugs, alcohol and gambling in retirement.

Arnold’s comments come after former Cowboys premiership-winning coach Paul Green took his own life in Brisbane last Thursday.

“The most natural drug there is – but it’s the worst drug in the world – is adrenaline. It’s a brutal drug,” Arnold said.

“When you lose that rush that you’ve had in your body for years – and adulation you get when an elite athlete – it’s hard to deal with. In retirement, you can feel worthless – you feel like you have no purpose in life. I understand how you can go from being someone to feeling worthless. When I first retired I was really struggling mentally. I didn’t want to go out, I didn’t want to go anywhere. I just wanted to stay home.

“Some people can deal with it – some can’t. But it’s why a lot of coaches and athletes after they retire – or have a bad experience – turn to a couple of things to keep that adrenaline going: cocaine, drugs, alcohol and gambling.

“They have to get that adrenaline rush because it’s something that has been in your body for a long time. Unless you replace it, it’s so hard to deal with. That’s why I got into coaching – because I needed it.”

Being a rugby league fan, Green’s death shattered Arnold.

“It just shows you the pressure on the coaching side and with elite sportspeople. Paul Green went straight from playing into assistant coaching and then coaching when, all of a sudden last year, at age 48, he is out of the sport,” Arnold said.

He also urged sportspeople to stop using social media.

“The worst thing is social media,” he said. “I can only encourage every player to get off social media – don’t look at it. It’s not good for your health. You rarely see anything on social media that is positive. It can affect you enormously.”

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