Former Reading manager Brian McDermott has marked 11 years of sobriety, describing the moment he asked for help as the point he “finally stopped hiding”.
McDermott, a modern-day legend at Reading FC, shared an emotional reflection on reaching the milestone.
“Today marks 11 years sober. Time really has flown,” he wrote on LinkedIn.
“I still remember waking up at 53 years old feeling completely broken, knowing I couldn’t carry on the way I was living.
“For the first time, I asked my wife for help. In doing that, I finally stopped hiding. She already knew – she’d been living with it for years.”
A defining era at Reading
McDermott’s name remains closely tied to one of the most memorable periods in Reading’s history. He guided the club to the Championship title in 2011/12, securing promotion to the Premier League as his team went on an excepitonal run in the second-half of the campaign to become champions.
A life transformed
“The last 11 years in a 12-step programme have changed my life,” McDermott continued.
“I’ve learned who I am, how to live differently, and I’ve built relationships and connections I never thought were possible.”
Now based in the United States, he is working in a new role with Charlotte FC and says he is “incredibly grateful” to be part of the Major League Soccer club’s project. He is also involved with the innovative company Score and has begun sharing his story within football and business environments.
He ended his message with a phrase synonymous with recovery: “One day at a time.”
For a manager forever associated with Reading’s promotion triumph, the milestone represents another achievement, one measured not in trophies, but in personal growth.
