Bundesliga
Uli Borowka was considered one of the toughest defenders of the early 1990s: a West Germany international and two-time Bundesliga champion with Werder Bremen. Yet, even during his playing days, he struggled with alcohol and here he reveals how the addiction took everything from him before he began to he help other sufferers win their battles.
In our series Life After Football, bundesliga.com speaks to several legends about their time in the game and how their lives have changed since hanging up their boots.
bundesliga.com: Uli Borowka, do you remember the last time you took a drink?
Uli Borowka: "I remember the exact date: it was 8 March 2000 and I was standing in front of a rehab clinic in Bad Fredeburg, Sauerland, downing a crate of beer. Alcohol was, of course, forbidden in the clinic, so I felt I needed to have my fill before going in as a precuationary measure."
Borowka: "Not really. My good friend and former Gladbach player Christian Hochstätter found me a place and persuaded me to go in. At the time, I thought I'd be out after a few weeks. Today I can say he saved my life."
bundesliga.com: In the 1980s and 90s, you were considered one of the best defenders in the Bundesliga. But even during your playing days, you were dependent on alcohol. What did the addiction take from you?
Borowka: "It took almost everything: my wife, my two children from my first marriage, my friends, my career, my money. I beat my wife while drunk; I borrowed money from friends that they never saw again; I woke up under a bridge with a centimetre-long cut on my head and didn't know how I got there. I even tried to take my own life once."
bundesliga.com: What does it mean to you to have been sober for more than 25 years?
Borowka: "It's one of the greatest achievements of my life. I'm very proud of it, especially because I know how brutal addiction is. It usually ends in death or a very long period of suffering. In my role as an addiction counselor, I now support people who have gone through up to 15 cold turkey withdrawals and yet still started using again. I succeeded back then, but I will continue to fight addiction for the rest of my life."
bundesliga.com: You've run an addiction and prevention support organisation for over ten years, and both professional athletes and ordinary people contact you. If football is a reflection of society, how much of a danger does alcohol pose today compared to back then?
Borowka: "Addictions have shifted. Mobile phone addiction, gaming addiction, and internet addiction are now widespread and just as dangerous. The problems are the same, only the causes have changed."
Borowka: "Addiction doesn't care what job you do. We consume because we need an outlet to cope with pressure, the hectic nature of life, and/or stress. The public's window into the lives of professional footballers is much greater today than it was back then, thanks in part to social media. Players are under enormous pressure; they're under stress, and they're defined by their performances. Not everyone has the strength to cope with those circumstances."
Borowka: "That there's always a chance for people to change themselves or their lives. You just have to really want it. I've seen many people die in recent years who couldn't break free from addiction. They all knew exactly what would happen if they relapsed. And yet they did it anyway. The fight against addiction is a gigantic task."
bundesliga.com: Not only do you advise and support people suffering from addiction, you also often point out the delicate issue when it comes to how football and society deal with this. Why is this necessary?
Borowka: "Because I regularly see that we're not as far along as we sometimes tell ourselves. I, for example, am still stigmatised for being a recovering alcoholic. When I was released from the hospital and wanted to get back on my feet, I applied to 20 different clubs in Germany. I'd played for my national team, won the German championship and the European Cup Winners' Cup.
"I would have done any job. But all 20 clubs turned me down because they were afraid I'd relapse. I still experience these and similar prejudices today, and I'm not alone in this. We're still nowhere near as open as we'd like to be."
bundesliga.com: How are you fighting against that stigma?
Borowka: "By simply carrying on. On behalf of the Sepp Herberger Foundation, I tour youth detention centers and speak with the inmates there. This has long since become a labour of love. I'm also booked by clubs, associations, and employers. Everywhere I go, I share my story and raise awareness about addiction. In my role as an addiction expert, I'm like I used to be as a player: uncompromising and always straightforward."
bundesliga.com: How do you assess the role of professional clubs in the national leagues when it comes to prevention and precaution?
Borowka: "While this is addressed in the regulations of youth performance centres, it takes a long time to find concrete solutions. Many simply don't know anything about addiction, and prevention isn't part of the training of coaches or youth development managers.
"I've been in contact with some clubs for years and a few of them have recognised how important this is when working with young people. I welcome any interest in my work in this area. I'm so confident that I can say that, when it comes to addiction prevention, especially in competitive sports, I'm a complete professional."
Borowka: "Only those in which the affected individuals or their relatives agreed to the public being informed. Like in the case of former national ice hockey player Constantin Braun, for whom I was able to secure a place in a rehabilitation clinic. Or Werder Bremen legend Horst-Dieter Höttges, who was already very ill but whom we were able to help in the last years of his life."
Borowka: "First of all, when someone takes this step, admits to themself that they have a problem and asks for help, it's a huge achievement. I see myself as a first point of contact, a mediator between clinics, doctors, and therapists. It must be said, though, that the detox clinics in Germany are completely full.
"Even with my contacts, it sometimes takes months to get a place. And of course, I continue to support people even after they've completed detox. As I mentioned at the beginning, that's when the struggle really begins."
Could the addiction counselor Borowka have helped the professional footballer and alcoholic Borowka?
Borowka: "Hard to say. I was a self-absorbed and self-important asshole who convinced myself I didn't have a problem. After all, I always performed, won titles, and did exactly what I was paid to do.
"This combination ultimately proved to be my downfall. Fortunately, today I often work with people who are much more open to seeking help than I was back then."
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