Sheahan Ink: Peter ‘Spida’ Everitt opens up on booze battle
Peter “Spida” Everitt is reluctant to label himself an alcoholic — but the former Hawks star knew he had a problem. Here’s the top sport goss from Tony Sheahan.
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Newsbreaker Tony Sheahan delivers the top sport goss in his new column Sheahan Ink.
AFL LEGEND’S BATTLE WITH THE BOTTLE
Ten beers a day every day for at least the past decade is a lot of booze by anyone’s measure.
But it became a problem for one AFL legend who knew it was time to give up the battle with the bottle.
Peter “Spida” Everitt is reluctant to label himself an alcoholic but by modern standards, understands his consumption levels are way above the norm and are bordering on dangerous.
“If you do the mathematics and look at the graph, I’d be in that category (alcoholism), yeah,” Everitt said.
“Seriously, when you sit back and look how much I was drinking and when your realise it controls what you do and how long you spend at places, I thought. You know what, never have I thought I need time off and to see whether my life is any different without it.”
Juggling a top-rating breakfast radio show and co-hosting a travel program with his wife for Channel 7, Everitt, 46, told Sheahan Ink he kept his problem a secret for the best part of his adult life.
It was taking a toll on his personal life, his relationships with family and friends and wasn’t allowing him to live a “better life”, as he calls it.
The 291-game AFL star who started his career with St Kilda, before moving to Hawthorn and Sydney said the AFL culture of yesteryear played a large part in his drinking.
“When I played we used to laugh at the blokes who didn’t drink during the season … I was either all in or all out, no in-between, because it’s a habit. It’s a habit you’ve got to try and stop.
“When I weighed it up against some of these other people and what they were drinking … I never gave it a chance (not drinking during the season), and I wish I did looking back in hindsight.
“Just to see the difference or the improvement and how it would have affected my game.”
Spida said an epiphany back in November led him to search deeper within himself and question why he was drinking so much, so often.
He was due to play golf in 38C heat with mates on the Gold Coast, where he now calls home, and he knew it would be a big day on the drink.
“To me it’s always been, you don’t play golf and don’t drink. I was going to can it and not go but then I thought I’ll go and see if I can do it (not drink),” he said.
The seven golfers playing with Everitt that day were suspicious. A jovial former AFL footballer with a few tattoos, lots of stories and a reputable beer drinker refused to entertain the prospect.
“Shit, have you got cancer or something”, one asked.
“A lot of people actually think there is something wrong with you. It’s really interesting, they look at you and go: ‘Are you alright?’ I say, ‘I’m fine, I’m just taking time off the piss and see if I miss it’.”
Successful he was.
Everitt didn’t drink that day on the course, despite the searing heat, nor did he drink the next day or the next and hasn’t had a drop since.
And he doesn’t regret it one bit.
“I walk into a pub and go you know what, I’m that bloke that says: ‘Have you got any zero beer?’”
“You’ve got the zeros where you can go to the pub with the boys and have a beer and feel like you’re part of the group, rather than just having water, water and more water. You can only drink so much water.
“I reckon the zeros do help even though they’re a placebo, but at the same time the boys you drink with don’t ask because they don’t know.
“You can definitely see a difference, but what it does allow you, it frees up a lot of time. It’s amazing how much time it frees up.
“I’m not saying I’m never going to drink again, but I’ll never drink to the extent I was.”
The lifestyle change, he says, has been significant, in every facet of his busy life.
“I’m no longer worried about trying to drink 48 beers in a session anymore. You can now sit back relax and actually talk and take a lot more in. Just the ability to be able to listen.
“Now being with the young fella (15-year-old son Boston) to be able to take him to places. I can now go to a lunch and still be back to be able to do stuff that night, whereas normally you’d go to a lunch and the night would be gone.”
He admits that in the wake of sobriety, the relationships with his wife, Sheree, son Boston and three daughters from previous marriages have never been better.
The move has also has boosted his hip pocket, he trains hard at the gym than he ever has and lost a whopping 18kg.
Maybe abstinence is good for all.
CRICKET STAR STEVE SMITH CRASHES AFL PARTY
Cross code rivalries were put aside last week with the Australian cricketers gate crashing a Giants AFL party.
The contingent, led by former captain Steve Smith, left party goers gobsmacked as they mingled with guests at the 21st birthday party of Kirasie Tate, the partner of GWS ruckman Matt Flynn, at the exclusive Bellevue Hotel in Paddington.
Many attendees were in disbelief cricket royalty was in their presence.
Smith and NSW cricketer Daniel Hughes enjoyed some drinks, after spending the afternoon watching the horse races alongside Nathan Lyon and Pat Cummins.
Sources told Sheahan Ink, Giants gun Lachie Whitfield was spotted sharing a laugh with Smith, alongside teammates Harry Himmelberg, Tim Taranto, Harry Perryman, Brent Daniels and Xavier O’Halloran.
Australia’s captain is now looking forward to returning to his home in Vaucluse in the next few weeks, that is under construction.
PUP & HIS PRINCESSES
Michael Clarke’s relationship with his ex wife Kyly appears to be back on with the high profile couple spotted on the Gold Coast Friday.
The former Australian cricket captain and wife, ex-wife, were seen walking arm in arm with their beautiful little girl Kelsey Lee outside Broadbeach’s Pacific Fair shopping strip, just south of Surfers Paradise’s glitter strip.
This latest appearance would indicate the pair is definitely loved up again with Michael moving on from PE NATION creator Pip Edwards and Kyly, a brief fling with V8 driver James Courtney.
SHEAHAN INK’s SECRETS
Which international model put the AFL’s season in jeopardy recently, arriving at a player’s home in Victoria, with her model gal pals to party during Covid?
The model in question was ejected in the nick of time before any games got under way, saving the player and the league a lot of heartache.
A big-name Blues’ board member is considering his position at Carlton after a disappointing first half of the season left him weighing up his future.
The wealthy director is keen to follow the board’s former Football boss and club legend Chris Judd out the door before it potentially gets messy.
Still on Carlton, with David Teague’s tenure beyond this year still up in the air, former Blues assistant coach Ross Lyon is definitely in the mix for the senior job should it become available, say his confidantes.
Lyon coached the Blues VFL side and assisted David Parkin and Denis Pagan in a senior assistant role.
Lyon turns 55 in November.
And former senior assistant coach at Carlton John Barker is looking to get some fresh air away from the AFL world after he resigned earlier this week.
Barker has told friends he is likely to head north to Queensland for some R&R which will include many games of golf and some cold beers with old teammate Luke Hodge.
Barker leaves behind a distinguished career as a player with 168 games for Fitzroy, Brisbane and Hawthorn, assistant coach at St Kilda and the Blues as well as 14 games as senior coach of Carlton.
Collingwood’s tumultuous board situation is affecting the club’s chances of landing of a big fish.
The big question mark for potential coaches to take over from club legend Nathan Buckley, who walked away from the top job this week, is believed to be who will preside over the club.
Just who is talking to highly touted coach in waiting Sam Mitchell, who was integral to the success of the West Coast Eagles?
Will current President Mark Korda remain or will former TV titan turned investment capital king Jeffrey Browne take over?
One of football’s most controversial interviews is coming back this Tuesday night on Fox Footy.
Former VFL star Mark Jackson’s vitriolic spray of Open Mike’s host Mike Sheahan will be replayed for all to see or for some, to watch for the first time.
For those that did watch the first episode, many were left gobsmacked with Jackson blaming Sheahan for his father’s cancer.
To this day, its still the most viewed episode in the show’s history.
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