‘Every day I chose drugs and alcohol to numb the pain’ – Former Ryder Cup star, 39, opens up on addiction hell

RYDER CUP winner Anthony Kim has opened up his hell of dealing with drugs and alcohol addiction. In a heartwrenching post on social media, the 39-year-old celebrated two years of sobriety. The American called it the "biggest achievement of my life" after a battle with addiction that left him barely able to walk.

Taking to Instagram, the three-time PGA Tour champion said: "Two years sober, biggest accomplishment of my life. "I was barely physically able to walk into REHAB needing assistance from my sober coach as my body was shutting down. "The first pic is of what I had to take twice a day to safely withdraw and the rest is of my time getting visits from my fam and the month after staying close to the rehab facility and the last few are pics over the last year.".

Kim played his first professional golf event with LIV after a 12-year hiatus from the sport and public facing life. He had been apart of the Ryder Cup winning team in 2008 and recorded a Masters single-round record 11 birdies in 2009. Kim underwent surgery on his left Achilles tendon in June 2012 before he vanished from the public eye.

Reports suggested he'd accepted an insurance-policy worth at least $10million (£7.9m) but which prevented him from playing tournament golf. While details of what he did during his hiatus are unknown, in his post Kim spoke about how deep his pain had become, revealing how he had even considered ending his life "everyday across two decades".

The LIV Golf star continued: "Not long before this moment I contemplated ending my life everyday for almost two decades even while playing @pgatour... when I was struggling with addiction and mental illness. "This post isn’t to tell everyone to get sober but to people who are letting addiction ruin their lives as I did that you can turn your life around.

"Everyday I chose drugs and alcohol to numb the pain I felt no matter what happened in my professional life and I got so good at hiding it that I lost who I was. "It’s f***ing hard playing majors making porta potty stops every few holes.". Kim expressed his thanks to loved ones who helped him through to "give my life one last shot".

He added: "With the support and encouragement during the rehab process of my daughter BELLA, my wife @emilybstanley, some amazing friends @scum13cool @christopherbarmstrong @crichlegal @themrkicks & MR T.H. and a few others I decided to give my life 1 last shot.

"In REHAB I found faith, self love, respect and purpose. I am not proud of who I was but I am today. "One of the many things I realised is how grateful we all need to be for what we have now and to spend time with REAL friends because tomorrow is not guaranteed.

"I promised myself when I was in the ER for six days that I would do everything I could to make a difference to show my daughter that it’s never too late to keep trying. "I am currently working on a few things that I know will change peoples lives including a website where I will be sharing both good and bad experiences that hopefully others struggling can learn from.

"I am so incredibly blessed for partners like @excrgolf @livgolf_league @bianchet_watches that believe and support my purpose is bigger than just golf but about helping others. "Also just as importantly I wanna thank EVERYONE that supports me and my family.

"My journey is far from over some great golf is loading and my motto of one per cent better one day at a time is how I am going to live for the rest of my life. Lesssgetit.". EVERY 90 minutes in the UK a life is lost to suicide. It doesn’t discriminate, touching the lives of people in every corner of society – from the homeless and unemployed to builders and doctors, reality stars and footballers.

It’s the biggest killer of people under the age of 35, more deadly than cancer and car crashes. And men are three times more likely to take their own life than women. Yet it’s rarely spoken of, a taboo that threatens to continue its deadly rampage unless we all stop and take notice, now.

That is why The Sun launched the You’re Not Alone campaign. The aim is that by sharing practical advice, raising awareness and breaking down the barriers people face when talking about their mental health, we can all do our bit to help save lives. Let’s all vow to ask for help when we need it, and listen out for others… You’re Not Alone.