Sober since April, Abby Wambach says she secretly abused alcohol and drugs for years
Retired soccer star Abby Wambach calls being arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence earlier this year “one of the best things that has ever happened to me.”
Retired soccer star Abby Wambach calls being arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence earlier this year “one of the best things that has ever happened to me.”
In an interview with the Associated Press ahead of the release of her memoir “Forward,” the former World Cup champion said that incident finally forced her to face a problem she had hidden from the public for years — her abuse of alcohol and prescription pills.
“If I don’t get so publicly shamed and publicly humiliated, I don’t think I wake up,” said Wambach, whose 184 goals in international soccer are the most ever by a male or female player.
“I think I was asleep for a lot of years. Asleep to the pleas from my family and friends, and even myself, to get help. So that night I was humiliated enough to wake up.”
Wambach pleaded guilty to driving under the influence of intoxicants in April and was ordered by a judge to abstain from drinking alcohol, complete a drug and alcohol assessment and treatment, and install a device in her car to ensure she drives while sober.
If she meets those conditions, the DUI could be cleared after a year.
Wambach’s book discusses her soccer career, her marriage to fellow soccer player Sarah Huffman and her dependence on vodka and such pills as Vicodin, Ambien and Adderall.
“Not only was I hiding this secret from the world for so long, so were the people that I loved — they loved me so fiercely they wanted to protect me as much as possible, almost from myself,” Wambach said.
“And this was years ago. This isn’t something that just snuck up on me when I retired from soccer. This is something I’ve been dealing with for years now.”
Wambach says she’s been sober since the night of her arrest, and that has helped her open up about her issues with alcohol and drugs.
“It’s really hard to talk about things when you’re ashamed,” she said. “And I’m not ashamed about what happened to me anymore because it led me to where I’m at right now. I’m proud of where I’m at.”
