Nitrous Oxide was made illegal late last year (PA)
A Premier League player has been admitted to rehab after becoming addicted to laughing gas, according to reports.
The unnamed Premier League star is said to be the first player to be admitted to a medical centre for an addiction to the substance, also known as nitrous oxide, after concerns from family members.
According to a report in The Sun, a police search found dozens of canisters in a car in which the player was a passenger. It was not determined who they belonged to.
‘The player was told if he wanted to save his career, he had to go to a specialist residential centre and get some help,’ a source told the newspaper.
‘He’s basically undergoing detox in the same way you would if you were hooked on alcohol or any other drug.’
Laughing gas was banned in the UK in November last year, with serious repeat offenders now facing jail sentences of up to two years.
Popular with partygoers, the substance gives people a short feeling of light-headedness but can have severe long-term physical effects if used frequently.
Laughing gas is popular amongst partygoers (REX/Shutterstock)
Between 2001 and 2020 there were 56 deaths involving the gas in England and Wales.
Several Premier League players have previously been caught using laughing gas while on nights out which is seen as a growing problem amongst professional footballers.
‘He’s the first Premier League footballer to be treated for addiction to nitrous oxide but, given how rife its use is among players, it’s unlikely he’ll be the last,’ a source also told the Sun.
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Last year, Dele Ali became one of the highest-profile Premier League players to speak openly about his spell in rehab after struggling with an addiction to sleeping tablets.
The Everton midfielder spent six weeks in a centre in America this summer after an unsuccessful loan spell at Turkish club Besiktas.
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