"I just opened up the floodgates of tears": Dom Taylor opens up on emotionally tough stint in rehab after darts ban with ADHD diagnosis giving new perspective to addiction

PDC
Thursday, 27 August 2026 at 19:00
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Dom Taylor has spoken candidly about a particularly difficult spell in his life. The 28-year-old Englishman, who tested positive for cocaine and cannabis at the 2026 World Darts Championship, received a six-month suspension. Taylor is now trying to get his life back on track. A recent ADHD diagnosis has also helped him understand himself and his struggles with addiction more clearly.
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Taylor initially looked set for a promising campaign at the Worlds. “The Tower” beat Oskar Lukasiak in the first round, but was then expelled from the tournament after testing positive for banned substances. He was also forced to hand back his £25,000 prize money.
The consequences went beyond the suspension. Taylor slipped outside the world’s top 64 and lost his PDC Tour Card. In a wide-ranging interview with MODUS, he now explains the background to his problems and the steps he has taken since. He has since quit alcohol.
Taylor admits he long avoided facing up to his addiction. “As an addict, you are in denial thinking you are going to get away with it.
“The one thing was I never did it while I was at darts. It was when I was at home in my own head. My mind was busy all the time when I was playing all the time so I didn’t need anything
Taylor has since been diagnosed with ADHD. He says the diagnosis gave him clearer insight into how his mind works. “I have been diagnosed with ADHD now as well. So that part of it, my brain needs to be constantly working. I think when I am at darts it’s that get away to set free.”

Intensive rehab programme

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After his suspension, Taylor sought professional help. Through Sporting Chance, an organisation that supports athletes with addiction and mental health issues, he completed a 28-day treatment programme. He was referred via the Professional Darts Players Association (PDPA).
“It was hard emotionally. Draining. I learnt a lot not just about myself but about the addiction itself and the illness," added Taylor. “That is how I know I can sit back now and know I was born with whereas before I thought I just liked it."
Taylor says the process changed how he views his own situation. Where he once thought he simply liked certain substances, he now better understands how his addiction worked. "There is a lot of help out there if anyone is struggling. I went to a specific clinic with Sporting Chance through the PDPA.
“So, that is sporting athletes throughout so I was in there with a couple of footballers and a horse jockey.
The issues among those athletes varied. "They were in there for alcoholism and cocaine. It is a mixture of everything and you do everything to help you through."
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His daily routine changed drastically. "We were getting up to the gym for 6:30am in the morning so straight away there is a massive change in your life. You are being physical every day. We had a personal trainer. Then we were doing workshops throughout the day."
Meditation and mindfulness were also part of the programme. “Meditation, you just learn a lot about yourself and how to cope with life without the addiction.”
Dom Taylor crouches and holds his hands to his face.
Taylor was disqualified from the 2026 World Darts Championship after a positive doping test.

Tears on arrival

For Taylor, the first day in the clinic was especially confronting. His father drove him to the facility, but the reality only hit when it was time to say goodbye. "Going in was very hard. My dad dropped me off. I think I was fine going down there.
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“But when I got my suitcase out of the car I dropped it in. I then went outside, had a cigarette, got on the phone with my mum.
Taylor then stepped back outside and called his mother. "I just opened up the floodgates of tears. I was like, I am here but this is going to be hard."
In the end, he found strong support from others on the same path. "Then I got through it. The lads that were in there made things a lot easier.”
Taylor’s recovery did not end when he left the clinic. He continues to attend meetings and makes grateful use of the online options now available. "I’m attending meetings. The good thing with technology nowadays is there is an app. I can attend a meeting right now if I wanted to."
That support is available at any time, Taylor says. "There are meetings 24 hours a day, seven days a week online. There are also millions of live meetings around the world that you can go to.
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For the former Tour Card holder, it is now about structure, surrounding himself with the right people, and not planning his recovery too far ahead. "The steps being around the right people and taking control. I have a list of things that I need to concentrate on and take it one day at a time."
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