Arsenal legend Paul Merson has bravely battled addiction throughout his life and he has now sent a heart-warming message after reaching a major milestone in his recovery
Paul Merson
Paul Merson is seven years sober(Image: X/@PaulMerse)
View 2 Images
Paul Merson has announced that he is now seven years sober in a touching message on social media. The Arsenal icon has bravely battled addiction throughout his life - namely alcoholism and gambling.
And in a video message posted on his official Twitter account, the former England star revealed that he has not had a drink since 2019 and thanked those that helped him for their role in his achievement.
Merson wrote: “7 years sober today. thank u to everyone who as supported and helped me this far one day at a time.” Speaking in the video, he said: “Hi everybody, hope everybody is well. I just want to share that I’m seven years sober today and I just want to thank everybody that’s helped me along the way.
“Some real dark days, bad days but they have been majorly outweighed by the good days. But I just want to say a big thank you to everybody who supported me at that time. I just want to say a big thank you. Everybody have a great day and live in the day.”
Merson, 57, has opened up on his battle with alcoholism in the past. He bravely recounted the moment that he realised he needed to fix the issue back in 2020.
Speaking to Sky Sports, he said: "I'd had enough. I'd had enough of the live I was living. I'd been into treatment twice before. First of all The FA sent me in '93/94 and I had to go, then it was with Walsall. And it was like I was being forced to go, it wasn't me.
"January 16th, last year [2019], I was walking home from the British Legion on a Sunday evening and it was about 11pm, and I thought, 'I've had enough of feeling like this every day of my life'.
Paul Merson
Paul Merson has opened up on his fight with addiction
View 2 Images
"I don't know what it was, it just happened, and I rang up Alcoholics Anonymous the next day and since then I haven't had a drink, thank God."
Merson is a legendary figure at Arsenal, having made 417 appearances for the North London side, scoring 99 goals. He won two league titles, the FA Cup, League Cup and the European Cup Winners’ Cup during his spell with the Gunners.
After leaving the club in 1997, he went on to play for Middlesbrough, Aston Villa, Portsmouth and Walsall. Merson also made 21 appearances for England during his career.
Since retiring, Merson has turned his attention to a career within the media, having become a regular fixture on Sky Sports.
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Content Image
Content Image