Puka Nacua reveals alcohol struggles, rehab stint amid darkest times of his life

Puka Nacua spent the offseason learning more about himself and how he can’t avoid conflict, despite the fact he’s made a career of embracing contact and stiff-arming defenders on the football field. On the eve of the Los Angeles Rams’ season opener against the San Francisco 49ers in Melbourne, Nacua opened up about his struggles with alcohol, therapy and the holistic rehabilitation program he entered following a turbulent offseason that pushed one of the NFL’s brightest young stars into unfamiliar territory.In a revealing pregame interview with Netflix’s Elle Duncan, Nacua acknowledged using alcohol as an escape from mounting pressures in his personal and professional life.“Alcohol was definitely a thing for me,” Nacua said.“Just, kind of, drowning myself so that the issues and the stress that I was feeling never had the opportunity to be addressed.” The biggest news, opinion and culture shaping California right now.

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Never miss a story For Nacua, the pressure of becoming an NFL star, coupled with drama in his personal life accumulated quietly. Nacua went from a fifth-round draft pick hoping to make the 53-man roster into a celebrity quicker than it takes to warm the cold side of the pillow following his record-breaking rookie season. Nacua admitted that the instant fame, the demands of consistently performing at an All-Pro level, and becoming a father while navigating the complicated reality of co-parenting took its toll on him.Thankfully, therapy forced him to recognize a pattern underneath it all. “I learned that I am very avoidant of conflict and avoidant of the things that were causing me stress,” he said.Instead of asking for help, Nacua said he isolated himself.“I was never one to share my fears and my worries,” he said.“I was always finding different ways to escape from that...