From BBC Sport (full interview here)

 

Former Northern Ireland goalkeeper Roy Carroll has revealed he feared he was going to "end up dying" at the height of his battle with alcoholism.

The ex-Manchester United stopper opened up about the problems he faced as he drank heavily to deal with depression.

Speaking on Radio Ulster's Summer Club, the 41-year-old recalled the moment he realised he needed to address his excessive drinking.

"The drink had taken over my life, I didn't care about anybody," he said.

"Things were piling up and all I was worried about was when my next drink would be. I'd lost my wife and kids because I had to move out of the family home.

"About two or three years later [in 2011, after a spell in Denmark with Odense BK] I just woke up one morning in an apartment and said 'what am I doing, I'm going to end up dying here'.

"So I went into a hotel and stayed off the drink. Mentally I was strong enough to look after myself and get out of it.

"I got a call from a Greek agent asking me to go to Greece and I went back to my wife, who found out I had been off the drink for a couple of months.

"We went to Greece for a week, signed a contract for OFI Crete and I haven't looked back since."

 

Very candid interview, he's been clean for eight years now after falling into it following a long-term injury earlier in his career, and he wants to help others who may be going through similar struggles as what he went through.

I praise him for being open, yet most people know he was still drinking whilst at Notts. His ending time at Notts, he looked proper messed up and messy - I do not believe for a second in my opinion that he's been clean off the booze.

There's more chance of me finding gold at the bottom of a rainbow.

i hope he can stay off it, i heard rumours during his time at notts and some tales from people i know about habits he had at derby.

Hopefully he's on the mend, I have heard he was quite a big drinker and party person during his time in Nottingham. Nothing along the lines of the Kevin Nolan rumours, so who knows? ????‍♂️

We all knew hes was drinking and didnt seem himself towards the end of being with notts. Its good hes getting back on track and better for himself.

If hes public about his demons, it will hopefully help him.