‘I only felt happy when I was drunk’ – Adriano opens up about battle with depression during Inter spell

Former Brazil striker Adriano has spoken of his problems with depression and alcohol during his time with Inter Milan.

Adriano, now 36, says he struggled to deal with the death of his father in 2004 and claims he even used to turn up to training drunk.

It was at Inter Milan where Adriano made a real name for himself. He scored 47 goals for the Nerazzurri during his second spell at the club between 2004 and 2009 but things changed a lot for him after the passing of his father.

He has even admitted that Inter’s medical staff lied to the media about his issues, citing muscle problems instead.

"It was only thanks to my family I didn't go down a very dark path."

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“The death of my father left me with this huge void, I felt very lonely. After his death everything got worse, because I isolated myself,” he told Brazilian magazine R7 (via the Mirror).

“I only felt happy when I was drinking, I’d do it every night. I drank everything I could get my hands on: wine, whiskey, vodka, beer. Lots of beer.

“I didn’t stop drinking and in the end I had to leave Inter. I didn’t know how to hide it, I arrived drunk in the morning for training sessions. I always showed up, even if I was completely drunk. Inter told the press I had muscular problems.”

The later stages of Adriano’s career

Adriano’s troubles saw him return to Brazil and it is here where he says he was able to get his life back on track.

After playing for Inter, Adriano had spells with the likes of Sao Paulo, Flamengo, Corinthians and, most recently, Miami United.

“I later realised that the problem was the people around me, friends who did nothing but take me to parties with women and alcohol, without thinking about anything,” he added.

“By going back to Brazil I gave up millions, but I gained happiness.”

The post ‘I only felt happy when I was drunk’ – Adriano opens up about battle with depression during Inter spell appeared first on Squawka News.

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