Brett Favre opens up about addiction to vicodin, withdrawl

Brett Favre is one of the best quarterbacks to ever play in the NFL, but he also had his battles off the gridiron.

The rigors of professional football will take its toll on any player, especially someone who plays so many years. Former Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre battled an addiction to Vicodin to battle the pain, and it nearly took his life.

Speaking with Graham Bensinger on his show, In Depth with Graham Bensinger, Favre spoke of his struggles.

“I took 15 Vicodin at one time,” Favre told Bensinger. “Two gave me an effect I liked. After a month, two didn’t do anything, so I’d take three . . . and then four and so on. . . . I knew that 15 was hard to come by. A month’s prescription is 30 pills or something, depending on what they prescribe for you, and I was going through that in two days. I would ask this guy for pills and that guy for pills, after a while I was going back around pretty quickly.”

Eventually, Favre knew he had to stop, but instead of seeing a doctor, he took matters into his own hands.

“I just went cold turkey,” he said. “That was the worst month. I shook every night, cold sweats, it was a constant battle.”

You can see the whole interview here:

With his addiction behind him, Favre would like to continue to work in football, and that opportunity came this month when it was announced that he would be a host on SiriusXM’s NFL Channel. It has been a great year for Favre, who was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in February.

Favre was a three-time NFL MVP during his career, leading the Packers to a win in Super Bowl XXXI. An 11-time Pro Bowler, Favre’s No. 4 is currently retired by the Packers, and he is a member of the illustrious Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame.

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