"At one point I was taking six or seven tablets at a time to knock myself out for the evening. I got addicted," J. Shelvey said as he described the hardest period of his spell in Turkey. The former Burnley midfielder said the move from Nottingham Forest to Çaykur Rizespor in 2023 left him isolated, and that life away from home became a struggle at 34.
Life in Turkey and the habit he describes
Shelvey said Türkiye was a very Muslim place, with no alcohol, little to do outside football and life centred on the training ground. He also said payment issues could make things harder for foreign players, with clubs sometimes paying in cash that could not be taken out of the country.
In his account, the choice was between drinking and sleeping tablets, and he says he chose the tablets instead. He said he would take one tablet, then needed more the next day as his tolerance built.
Burnley and the recovery
Shelvey said the habit damaged his home life, adding: "To be honest, it destroyed my relationship with my kids." He said he got help after leaving Turkey and going to Burnley, where he was able to stop taking the tablets.
Burnley finished 19th in the Premier League and collected 22 points in 38 league matches, a difficult backdrop for the spell Shelvey now points to as the place where he got help. Forest, the club he left for Turkey, finished 16th with 44 points in 38 matches.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
