Sports are a narcotic, and those who are involved across every rung of the hierarchy are addicts. From fans all the way up to coaches. Addicts to winning, addicts to the dopamine rush it instigates, and addicts to the unison it brings about in the community. But akin to the real, more looked down upon stuff, overtly being obsessed with this figurative narcotic can also prove hazardous. Lane Kiffin knows a thing or two about treading the line between the real and the abstract. He’ll preach to you that the lines can get blurred very quickly.

The pressures of being a head coach, charged with custodianship of multi-million dollar institutions with decades of history that you’re now molding. Sounds daunting enough. But add to this a tendency to like the odd drink. Now you’re staring at 2 dangerous concoctions. Lane Kiffin is tasked with running a behemoth program, and his tendencies went beyond the odd drink. As a result, he could feel himself sinking into a bad place. Once a self-proclaimed alcoholic, Kiffin has changed his ways for good. He’s running on 4 years of sobriety. Naturally, it’s facilitating a bond with his daughter Landry Kiffin that perhaps wasn’t possible before. 

It sounds rather cliche, but it’s so resoundingly true that it’s never amiss. Alcoholism affects not just you, but those around you. Relationships are more precarious, and distance grows steadily. Landry, a student at the U of Mississippi herself, is just as much a beneficiary of this life-altering change as her father. On account of him making it to exactly 4 years of freedom from his inhibitions, Landry Kiffin had a special gift for her father.

Lane Kiffin took to his IG to post a picture of a photo frame. Inside is a picture of a plethora of constellations, all brought together in the shape of a heart. Below this stellar artwork is a single line of text that very subtly brings this unassuming design together into a jaw-dropping one. “The stars on the night you found your way,” it read. Those weren’t just generic star alignments. They’re from January 30th, 2021. The day Lane Kiffin took a heavy step that has now become his most liberating one. I mean, that’s just too great a gesture. “Thank you Landry #4Years,” wrote Lane. You’d hope he said more to her in person!

This isn’t the first time Lane Kiffin has publicized his past with addiction. He’s been a proponent of sobriety for a long time now. He preaches to the choir at every opportunity he gets. This one instance, he let the present take centre stage. However, we know Lane Kiffin isn’t averse to a bit of rambling. Unlike some of his ones about the playoffs, the ones about his journey tussling with this addiction are universally agreeable.

Lane Kiffin has been a vocal advocate for switching to sobriety for a while

Only recently, Lane Kiffin relayed a very motivational quote about alcohol and substance abuse on his socials. “I don’t care how you got sober. Whether it was God, jail, rehab, a 12-step program, standing on your head, or doing it by yourself. You are a miracle.” Verbalizing this and projecting it to the masses is commendable. Everyone walking this path to improvement, or trying to, needs to understand this. How there are multiple reasons that can cause change. If you’re willing to welcome them.

“I’m still not perfect, still have my moments. But there’s a freedom in not feeling like you need a drink to celebrate a big win or get over a tough loss,” commented Kiffin on another occasion. He said this while sharing an excerpt of Hollywood star Bradley Cooper’s appearance on the Sober Renewal podcast. Depending on substance to alleviate professional pressure is commonplace. In a sport where one misstep can render your entire season over, even more so. Kiffin also tried to reach those in need of hearing him through some humor. 

”I saved a bunch of money by switching to sobriety.” That’s probably the most Lane Kiffin outlook on things possible. This football-savant and offensive whiz has quirks like all geniuses do. He’ll be glad he got rid of a trait that could’ve superseded this facet of him.