Derick Hougaard to James Dalton: Rugby stars who battled addiction
Former Springbok Derick Hougaard’s call for help has sparked concern about his mental and physical well-being. The retired rugby star is one of many…
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Former Springbok Derick Hougaard’s call for help has sparked concern about his mental and physical well-being. The retired rugby star is one of many professionals who have openly admitted to struggling with addiction, whether substances or gambling, partying or sexual promiscuity.
DERICK HOUGAARD’S RELIANCE ON PRESCRIPTION PILLS
Over the past few days, Derick Hougaard has made headlines after he shared a link to a GoFundMe crowdfunding campaign, reportedly to help him pay his bills.
The former rugby player has gone through a series of setbacks, from health scares to messy relationship break-ups following his retirement in 2015.
He’s also mentioned an addiction to prescription pills and alcohol.
In a 2023 documentary titled Liefleng van Loftus, Derick shared: “I became addicted to sleeping tablets. Alcohol became my escape.”
He added, “I lost everything because of addiction.”
Speaking to Jacaranda FM, Derick also revealed that he heavily relied on opioids.
Also in 2023, the biography by Brenden Nel titled Derick Hougaard: Die ware storie van die Liefling van Loftus was released months after the rugby hero landed in the ICU after he was found unconscious in his Pretoria home.
An excerpt read: “I [Derick] was depressed and in a deep, dark place because I could no longer live out my rugby dream. The side effects of the medicine and the knowledge that I would never play professionally again broke me.”
“I took strong pain pills every day, got injections, and became dependent on sleeping pills. I couldn’t cope. It felt like I was on the downhill road.”
Like Derick Hougaard, these rugby players have also shared their private struggles with addictions.
Like Derick, the former Springbok hooker struggled with alcohol addiction, particularly after his retirement.
Dalton – who went through a messy divorce two decades ago and published a bombshell memoir, Bullet, in 2020 about his underworld dealings- revealed that he heavily relied on Booze as a coping mechanism.
Last year, he shared an update: “I can proudly say I have not touched alcohol in 22 months. I thank God for that, and I only wish I had made this choice earlier.
The former Springbok – who tragically died in a car crash in the US in 2022 – shared his private battle with drugs.
Speaking to the media in 2010, he said, “I confess that I used them, and I learned my lesson. I used ecstasy and cocaine, which go hand-in-hand with drinking. If you drink too much and the drugs are available, you succumb.”
He added: “I realised I couldn’t carry on that way. Alcohol and drugs were busy wrecking my life.”
The Springbok captain told The Guardian in 2023 about his past addictions: “I started drinking and sniffing petrol before I was 10.
“I drank when I was happy or sad, or dealing with something. Drinking was the only way I knew to get through this stuff”
Siya added that he also struggled with gambling, partying and sexual promiscuity.
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