I am teetotal to ward off depression: Flintoff

LONDON, July 5 

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Former England cricket captain Andrew “Freddie” Flintoff, whose image as a heavy, fun-loving drinker was sealed by his animated victory celebrations, has opened up about now being teetotal as part of his battle with depression.

Flintoff was famously pictured looking the worse for wear on an open top bus tour through London and at a Downing Street reception after England had beaten Australia to win the 2005 Ashes series. But on the eve of the start of this year’s series, Flintoff has said that the days when he inspired teammates by dancing naked to Johnny Cash’s Ring of Fire were now consigned to the past.

The retired all-rounder, who played in 79 Tests for England and is now a 37-year-old father of three and a regular guest on TV shows, said he stopped the all-night drinking bouts after making a documentary about depression in sport in 2012. 

“It’s not so much the drinking, it’s actually the reasons why you are drinking. When you are drinking because you are trying to get away from something I think that is when you have got to look at everything,” he said. “One of the reasons I probably stopped drinking is that I am prone to suffer from depression. Drinking doesn’t help one bit. I don’t touch it now. My heart goes out to anyone out there who is struggling now,” he added. — Reuters