Namath had been urged to seek help during his marriage, which ended in 2000. He saw a psychologist in California, but would purchase a pint of vodka on the way home from the sessions. "I thought I could get away with that, but she [his ex, Deborah] could smell it," he writes, adding that "the drinking was what would kick my butt for a long time. I believe any of us can be brought to our knees whether from physical or emotional pain. Over the years, I learned how fragile we humans can be. Emotionally, I used that as an excuse to start drinking again. … I would drink all day sometimes."