Dele Alli's journey towards understanding his mental health.

Everton midfielder Dele Alli's candid interview with former England footballer Gary Neville made headlines yesterday. 

In the emotional conversation, Dele opened up about his past trauma, addiction, and his journey towards understanding his mental health. His story will no doubt resonate with anyone who has experienced trauma or struggles with mental health issues. 

Dele had recently returned from a six-week stay in a rehabilitation facility in the United States, where he sought help for a sleeping pill addiction and addressed his mental health. Three weeks after returning, he filmed the 'Time to Talk' interview with Gary Neville. Although he acknowledges that he was speaking about his experiences sooner than he would have liked, Dele's made it clear that he wanted to address what he was going through, before a story appeared in the newspapers. 

He said throughout the interview, that the main thing he wanted to achieve was to help those who may be going through similar struggles. 

When asked about his decision to seek help, Dele said: “I felt like it was time for me. You can't be told to go there. You have to know and make the decision yourself or it's not going to work.” 

“I couldn’t agree with Dele more on his point here.” Our CEO, Alexis Powell-Howard says. “Often people are worried about a family member, friend or colleague and, because they care about them, would like them to engage with help because they can see the person needs support. However, timing is everything when it comes to accessing support and people need to take control of the decision themselves so they can engage with the therapeutic work of exploring difficult feelings, experiences and sometimes trauma. People are then ready to think, reflect, talk, understand and to engage with their feelings and doing things differently – however, that doesn’t mean processing these aspects in therapy is easy – but it is absolutely worth it.” 

During the interview, Dele told Gary that at the age of six he was molested, at seven he started smoking, and that at eight years old he was dealing drugs as he cycled around the neighbourhood with his football with the drugs underneath it. At age 11, he was hung off a bridge by ‘a guy from the next estate.’ 

At the age of 12, he was adopted. “I was adopted by an amazing family,” he said. “I couldn't have asked for better people to do what they'd done for me. If God created people, it was them." 

Dele also spoke openly about his addiction to sleeping tablets. He admitted that he had unknowingly been using these substances to numb the feelings associated with his trauma. 

"Things I was doing to numb the feelings I had. I didn't realise I was doing it for that purpose,” he said. “It started with that [alcohol] and then I got addicted to sleeping tablets. It's probably a problem that not only I have but it's something going around more than people realise in football. Maybe me coming out and speaking about it can help people."  

During the interview, Dele not only highlighted his personal journey but also talked about how, during rehab, he understood that others, no matter where they are in life, share similar problems, and that he found it helpful to discover this. 

There are many aspects of Dele's story for others to relate to. From using addiction as a coping mechanism to numb trauma to working in a high-pressured environment, in a career that he loves, to being too tired and demoralised to carry on with it. 

Dele’s willingness to acknowledge the underlying issues and address the unhealthy methods of self-medication can help reduce the stigma surrounding these issues, along with stressing the importance of asking for help. 

“There are many different types of therapy that can help and support people who may be struggling with similar experiences to Dele,” says Alexis. “These can range from talking therapies, either individually, in groups or in the family, and trauma therapies and creative therapies too. Whatever the modality, the main aspect of therapy is the relationship with the therapist and the trust, safety and honesty built between the client and therapist – the therapeutic alliance makes a huge difference to the outcomes of the work.”    

If you’re struggling and need professional support, you can get in touch with us here. 

You can watch Dele’s interview here.