'Insidious drug' that left ex-NRL star homeless

1 year ago 71

Former Bears and Rabbitohs subordinate Chris Caruana has revealed conscionable however atrocious his post-career struggles were - and however he's connected the roadworthy to recovery.

Caruana was a mainstay either successful the centres oregon disconnected the seat for North Sydney sides of the mid-1990s, earlier moving to Souths successful 1998.

He played 2 seasons successful reddish and greenish earlier the nine was excluded from the NRL successful 2000, but returned to Souths erstwhile they were re-instated successful 2002 earlier hanging up the boots astatine the extremity of that season.

But post-career struggles with crystal addiction and homelessness saw him effort to instrumentality his ain beingness connected 2 occasions, helium has revealed. Only precocious has helium started to crook his beingness around.

"I've been successful immoderate acheronian places successful the past 4 years," helium said connected Nine's Today.

"But I conscionable privation to assistance the radical retired that request a spot of anticipation successful their beingness - and I deliberation I tin springiness that to them."

Like plentifulness of athletes, helium struggled with beingness aft sports - and similar plentifulness of radical successful each walks of life, helium turned to drugs to capable that hole.

"I dealt with it with narcotics," helium said bluntly.

"That was the biggest mistake I did. It each came crashing down, I felt a very, precise heavy abstraction of slump and anxiousness - I mislaid a batch of money done narcotics, and it was a unspeakable 10 years of my life. I privation I could instrumentality that backmost but it's gone now."

Caruana said he's been cleanable for 33 months, and has immoderate 'great' radical successful his beingness now; specifically his mother, sister and children.

"I'm continuing to bash the bully worldly that has to beryllium done," helium said.

The 51-year-old besides outlined conscionable however atrocious his crystal addiction was.

"It's a very, very, precise nasty cause - it took distant a portion of my soul, which I've got back. The longest I was awake for was astir apt 12 days. The longest I didn't devour was astir apt 14 days," helium said.

"I mislaid 24 kilos successful 12 months. It's an insidious drug. I can't explicate however it truly effects young kids retired determination today," helium said arsenic helium fought backmost tears portion talking astir his ain lad and daughter.

"That's wherever methamphetamine got maine - to the grips of ending it. It's publically retired determination that I did that, but I won't beryllium doing that again. I privation to bent successful determination for my children and my family."

Now, he's hoping to implicit a Certificate IV successful intelligence health, which volition alteration him to assistance those going done the aforesaid things that helium did.

If you oregon idiosyncratic you cognize needs contiguous oregon intelligence health-related support, interaction Lifeline connected 13 11 14 oregon via lifeline.org.au. In an emergency, telephone 000.

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