Former NRL CEO Todd Greenberg’s wife reveals she’s an alcoholic

Lisa Greenberg, wife of the former NRL CEO, opens up about her battle with alcoholism and recalls the day she hit rock bottom.

“I wanted to be the perfect wife. In my eyes I was failing.” (Picture: Supplied)

Lisa Greenberg recalls the day, nearly three years ago, when she hit rock bottom. The wife of then NRL CEO Todd Greenberg was sleeping on the floor on her waterfront home after Todd, and their two adult children walked out because of her addiction to alcohol.

“I was given an ultimatum by my family. They said if you’re going to drink again we are going to leave. I promised them I wouldn’t. And I meant it. But they came home and I was drinking, so they packed up and left,” Greenberg tells this Sunday’s edition of Body and Soul.

Unaware of the insidious nature of alcoholism, the fitness consultant thought her drinking, which had ramped up after her husband took the reins at the NRL, was down to lack of willpower.

“I just needed more and more alcohol to function.” (Picture: Damian Bennett)

Sharing her story exclusively with Body and Soul, she reveals how she found herself hiding the evidence of her habit - two bottles of wine a day, often poured in coffee cups.

“Whether it was Todd’s star rising and mine falling, in my own mind, I just needed more and more alcohol to function,” she says, adding she was also worried her drink would impact her husband’s role.

“I am such a perfectionist that I wanted to be the perfect wife. In my eyes I was failing dismally.”

However it was her family’s ultimatum that saved her life. On June 30, 2018, feeling “broken, defeated, suicidal” Greenberg attended a recovery meeting which helped her realise alcohol dependence is a serious health condition that doesn’t discriminate.

With professional help, Greenberg has been sober from that day.

Todd, who from February 15 will become the chief executive of the Australian Cricketers Association, says his role at the NRL was so all-consuming that he missed the early warning signs of the addiction.

However, he’s so proud of his wife’s recovery and calls his wife a hero. “Our story could have gone a number of different ways, but now Lisa is in the best phase of her life and it’s definitely brought us closer.”

Lisa Greenberg stars on the cover of this Sunday’s Body+Soul.

The two explain they were initially hesitant to speak publicly about the issue, adding not many inside the NRL knew of Lisa’s condition. “I’m a private person,” Todd said.

“But ultimately, I can see the impact Lisa telling her story will have on others. It will help more than it will hinder.”

Greenberg hopes sharing her story will help break some of the stigma associated with alcohol dependence. “When I was drinking, I thought sobriety was boring. But I’ve realised it’s actually been the best part of my life,” she said.

Originally published as Former NRL CEO Todd Greenberg’s wife reveals she’s an alcoholic