Zak Hardaker is one of the best players we have seen in Super League over the last decade.
A Man of Steel winner in 2015, he was a nominee in 2017.
He has helped three different clubs to Grand Finals and is a three time Super League Champion but he has also cut a controversial figure at times in the past.
Now though Hardaker has spoken about some of the more challenging aspects of his life on the Fully Game YouTube Channel.
The Leigh Leopards fullback explained his relationship to alcohol, the times he’s struggled with it and how he has been able to learn important lesson as he has gotten older.
“Everyone following might think I’m some mad raging alcoholic which is not the case at all. Sometimes I won’t drink for a few weeks and then I’ll just have binges. It’s the binges that get me more than anything else,” he said.
“I tried to help myself when I was about 21 and I didn’t drink for four weeks because I’d f***ed up and then it was like ‘I’ve done four weeks here, let’s get p***ed to celebrate’ and I’d find myself in a world of trouble.
“I think for the last two years I’ve been pretty squeaky clean, I’ve been pretty good but before then I’d go out and it was a toss of a coin whether I’d be in trouble with the group I was with.
“It depends where I am and who I’m with. I used to (get anxiety before drinking) and I’d have a few drinks to make me alright, and then it was a few drinks to be socially active and so on and I’d be ten pints deep before I’d even chilled out.
“I’m 31 now so I’ve learnt a lot of lessons but ultimately it’s the alcohol use and how much really and that’s all down to me.”
