Pre-star becomes the first star to go to rehab for addiction to illegal laughing gas
A PREMIER League star has become the first footballer to enter rehab for an addiction to laughing gas.
He will be followed by other addicted stars as sources warn the use is widespread among elite players, despite it now being illegal.
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The player was admitted to a medical center after his concerned family asked his club for help.
Police had stopped a car in which he was a passenger and found dozens of canisters in the footwell.
The incident a few weeks before Christmas did not lead to police action because they could not prove who they belonged to.
But a source said: “His family became aware and asked the club for help.
“The player was told that if he wanted to save his career he had to go to a specialist residential center and get help.
“He's essentially going through a detox in the same way you would if you were addicted to alcohol or another drug.
“He is the first Premier League footballer to be treated for his addiction to nitrous oxide, but given its widespread use among players it is unlikely he will be the last.”
Nitrous oxide, also known as 'hippie crack', comes in canisters – sometimes super-sized – that are used to fill balloons, which are then inhaled repeatedly.
It provides a quick high but carries the risk of heart attacks, strokes and brain damage, with some users having died after taking it.
Long-term use can also lead to depression, memory loss, incontinence, hallucinations and nerve damage.
The law was changed last November to make it a controlled Class C drug, with possession for inhalation now a criminal offence.
It would be almost impossible for any convicted footballer to play in countries with strict drug laws, such as the US and Saudi Arabia.
However, a source said dozens are heavy users, and many are entering lockdown.
Routine drug tests are also unlikely to detect this.
The source continued: “A Premier League star recently celebrated his birthday and wasted almost £10,000 on buses.
'They are taken en masse because they cannot be caught with it in their system.
“It happens at all clubs and some of the clubs that use the club are very well known players. I'm not sure if any of them know that it is a class C drug now.
“No footballer dreams of having a stash of cannabis at home, but many do have a stash of balloons for themselves and their friends.
“They seem to have no idea how dangerous their use can be.”
Websites sell a van and nitrous oxide for a few pounds, after the buyer confirms it is for food production and they are over 18 years old.
Previously, users bought single-serve aerosol cans, but many have switched to super-sized tubes that deliver 80 times the usual dose.
Stephen Ream, from solvent abuse and drugs charity Re-Solv, said: “The new large jerry cans are a real concern. One young man we supported used ten a day.
“If you do the small ones you know how much you're getting through, but if you use a big one you lose track.”
In 2022, Kayleigh Burns, 16, from Liverpool, died after inhaling gas at a party in Leamington Spa.
She had complained of being 'too hot' before collapsing.
Sports science professor and former FA head of performance John Brewer warned players against quitting it as it can lower vitamin B12 levels.
He said: “B12 is essential for nerve function.
“So if you're an elite football player trying to make skillful movements and pass a ball effectively, you don't want your nerves to be damaged in any way, because you need that peripheral ability to sense movements.”
He also said it can cause anemia, which reduces endurance.
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STARS ON THE GAS
A ROUTE of Premier League players have been caught using nitrous oxide.
In 2013, then Spurs star Kyle Walker was pictured inhaling it.
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Raheem Sterling did the same two years later and was reprimanded by Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers.
In 2018, Arsenal stars Mesut Ozil, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Alexandre Lacazette and Matteo Guendouzi were filmed at a pre-season bash.
The following year, Jack Grealish, then at Aston Villa, was caught while inhaling from a balloon.
Last year, Everton midfielder Dele Alli was pictured in a do, surrounded by gas canisters and alcohol.
Villa's Leon Bailey also filmed himself inhaling in his car after partying all night last March.
None of these players are top performers in rehab.