Michael Chopra wants to pass on advice to young players so that they avoid making the same mistakes as he did during his career.
Chopra played in the Premier League for both Newcastle and Sunderland but was gripped by a gambling addiction for years. At the height of his troubles, he claimed to be gambling as much as £20,000 per day and admits he used to set his alarm for 3am just so he could place bets on South American matches.
Now, aged 38 and back in football part-time, Chopra wants to pass on advice so that young players whose position he was once in do not go down the same harmful route. He says his Twitter DM's are open for anyone to query about having similar addiction issues.
Speaking to the BBC, Chopra said: "I will always reach out to someone who needs advice because you don't know what drastic action they might take. I want to try to help. I'm happy I am there for somebody who needs someone to talk to and give my experience."
Nine years ago Chopra said that he had totted up his total gambling losses at around the £2million mark and admits his addiction with having a flutter most likely started aged 16 whilst in the Newcastle youth set-up.
"I was a youth-team player at Newcastle earning £70 a week and there were five or six of us who would put £1 or £2 in slot machines at an amusement arcade. It helped kill the time while we waited for our bus to take us home. That is where it probably all started."
As he got older his wages increased incrementally and after joining Sunderland in 2007, that's when he says his problems really started.
He added: "I doubled my wages at Sunderland, and it (gambling) started to become a big problem. Sunderland sent me to a specialist hospital and I was staying in a hotel around the corner from the hospital. I'd do the classes at the hospital but as soon as I finished I'd go straight into a nearby betting shop because I didn't want to help myself. It wasn't really until about 2012 that I really wanted to help myself.
"Gambling is such a bad addiction. Deep down in your head it kills you, it really drains you. You have got to open up and admit you have got a problem. That is the first step in recovery."
Chopra admits it is "years" since he last put a bet on. Nowadays, he is more focused on getting better and to that end he recently made a return to football, albeit lower down the food chain than he is used to. He joined West Allotment Celtic, a team near Newcastle, who play in the ninth tier. On Saturday he will be part of the squad that travels to play Penrith in an FA Cup qualifying tie.
He once reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup with Watford back in the 2002-03 campaign, but is now content with being involved in the more modest stages of the world's oldest cup competition.
If you feel you need support or advice with a gambling issue, call Gamcare free on 0808 8020 133 or visit their website at gamcare.org.uk
