Carey Price breaks his silence about his drinking problems for the first time ever and reveals how it all started

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MarcO
January 12, 2023 (0:26)

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Appearing on the podcast La Poche Bleue, Montreal Canadiens goalie Carey Price was extremely generous with his time.

They just aired the second part of his interview, and my colleague Vincent Fournier (LetsGoHabs.com) picked up a few highlights, particularly in relation to his entry into the player assistance program.

Check out some notable quotes about the process with the NHL's assistance program...

Why did you sign up for the NHL Assistance Program?

"The NHL has substance abuse support programs, it's a really good program for players, whether it's mental health or substance abuse and I felt like I was due." - Carey Price

What's his story, from the inside.

"I started drinking for fun, and I thought I was very good (at handling it), even excelled.

But it got to a point where it wasn't fun anymore.

I would wake up on Sunday mornings and say to myself that I would never do this again in my life, but I was still doing it. It got to the point where I really needed to stop, and it was time to ask for help.

And that's the hardest part of breaking bad habits, is realizing that you need help, and there's nothing wrong with that. Everyone asks for help in their lives. I found that asking for help was the right thing to do and it worked for me.

I found that the best thing for me was to take a step back and get away and go reset my brain. I went to a place where I felt comfortable. So to be able to go there and interact with people who have been through some tough times and where I went, there were some very bright people. Very functional people that you would never think that they could have problems.

And to be able to hear stories and compare myself to other people who were going through the same kind of stuff, maybe not NHL hockey players, but people who are struggling in everyday life and to be able to reset my brain and hold myself accountable was really a turning point in my life."

- Carey Price

The #31 also agreed to reveal how it all started:

"When I was going out, I used to drink a lot to be comfortable socially because I'm kind of an introvert and I get anxiety when I'm in large groups. You might not think about that, but that's just the way I am and it led me to drink excessively."

- Carey Price

Wow, what courage! A thousand kudos to Carey for this testimony, it's huge for many fans.

For the full episode, which we highly recommend, it's here: