When former SF Giants star Aubrey Huff struggled to perform on the mound after going cold turkey

In his autobiographical book Baseball Junkies, Aubrey Huff talked about his struggle with addiction and how he recovered from it.

The two-time world champion is known for his past as an addict. The former Tampa Bay Rays player consumed Adderall to cope with his anxiety. Adderall is a medicine that the MLB allows to players for whom the medicine is necessary, including those who suffer from Attention Deficiency Disorder. However, Huff 2009 used to take this medicine without the proper allowance of a doctor.

Huff soon became addicted to the drug and took it regularly to control his anxiety, knowing it violated MLB's policy. However, after facing a rough patch in his marriage, the player decided to quit the drug in 2012.

Huff recalled:

"For the first time in a long time, I was playing the game completely sober. No alcohol, no drugs... And I think the pressure of all that just got to me."

Though Huff did end up quitting Adderall, he still suffered from anxiety. He was prescribed Xanax, a medicine to control anxiety.

When Aubrey Huff talked about his struggles with taking Adderall

World Series - Detroit Tigers v San Francisco Giants - Game 1

In the book, Aubrey Huff confessed to taking Adderall for three years before quitting the drug. Huff talked about the quelling effects Adderall had on him the first time he took it. He said:

"I had never felt, within 30 minutes, more alive, more energetic, more confident, invincible. I thought, well, [shoot], no wonder so many guys in the league are on that stuff. I went 0-for-4 and I felt like I went 4-for-4. From that moment on I was hooked. I was crushing 20, sometimes 50, 60, almost 100 milligrams daily, depending on the pressure of the game."

Aubrey Huff also elaborated on the adverse effects that the drug caused. The former San Francisco Giants player said:

"The bad thing about the Adderall was, it was hard to come off of. So what it made me do was drink my face off and just pass out every night... The only way I'd feel better the next morning was to pop another [Adderall]. So it was a vicious cycle for three years."

Huff talked about how the drug boosted his confidence, but at the same time, after the effects wore off, it left him feeling small and insignificant. Thankfully, Huff has not taken the drug since he stopped in 2012.