Offaly's Niall McNamee ‘Recovery was the best thing I’ve ever done’
Five years later, the 30-year-old has returned to college, runs his own business and helps GAA players live more fulfilling lives off-the-field. “I went to the Rutland Centre for treatment back in November 2011. It was a difficult time, but it’s the best thing I’ve ever done. Before I stopped gambling any issue that came up, let it be an emotional issue or a problem with a relationship or losing a game of football, the only way I knew how to deal with that was to go to the bookies,” he said.
“The only way for me to suppress these [uncomfortable feelings] was to go gambling. It was the only place I felt I could escape from the real world. I’d turn off my phone. I’d go into the bookies for four or five hours and I’d say: ‘right I’ll solve all my problems in here. I’ll win x amount of money and I’ll buy this car.’”
