'It grabbed hold of me' - Kilkenny legend Richie Power details battle with gambling addiction on The GAA Social

Eight-time All-Ireland winner Richie Power has opened up about the gambling addiction he battled during the majority of his Kilkenny hurling career.

Speaking on the latest episode of The GAA Social, Power said he began gambling as a teenager and admitted it "grabbed hold of me" before he sought help at the end of 2013.

The 36-year-old is widely regarded as one of the finest forwards of his generation having won eight Liam MacCarthy Cups with the Cats.

In addition, his illustrious career included nine Leinster SHC titles, six National Hurling League triumphs, an All-Ireland Intermediate Club success with Carrickshock, two Colleges' All-Irelands with St Kieran's and two All-Ireland Under-21 medals with his county.

A two-time All-Star, Power was forced to bring the curtain down on his 11-year stint with the Kilkenny hurlers in January 2016 because of a persistent knee injury.

• Listen: The GAA Social with Richie Power on BBC Sounds

While he was a key figure in Brian Cody's all-conquering Kilkenny side, Power - speaking publicly about his addiction for the first time - admits that away from the pitch his life was in "complete turmoil" due to his gambling problems.

"I suppose it started a relatively young age, around 17 maybe 18," said Power, who hit 3-2 in the All-Ireland final drawn game and subsequent replay victory over Tipperary in 2014.

"It would have been very small at the beginning and then it took a hold of me really.

"It grabbed hold of me, as it does, and it's affected so many other people as well. It affected me throughout my sporting career.

"Being an inter-county player, you have so much free time. At weekends, you're not out socialising. You're trying to maybe fill that void."

Gambling was 'escapism' from demands of inter-county hurling

Power, whose father Richie and brother John also won All-Irelands with Kilkenny, explained that he used gambling as a "huge escape" away from the demands of being an inter-county player.

He also admitted that he found himself turning to it during his several injury-enforced lay-offs having undergone six knee surgeries throughout his career.

"It was escapism for me, away from the hurling, away from other problems that were going on in my life, like injuries for example," he added.

"Any time I'd have broken down injured, I'd spiral that way. In my own head thinking 'you know what, nobody's going to say anything to me, they're going to feel sorry for me, I feel sorry for myself.'

"It just had a huge impact on me personally, both mentally and physically. I was hurling with Kilkenny and all this was going on in the background and you're trying to manifest a life that is perfect and great whereas in the back of it you're in complete turmoil."

Power explained that he never felt "strong enough" to ask for help and admitted he tried to hide his addiction until things came to a head in late 2013 when he was told that he needed to resolve his off-field issues if he wanted to prolong his Kilkenny career.

"You're fighting with it and knowing as well that I was struggling with an addiction, but not being strong enough to ask for help, or strong enough to go home and sit down with my parents and family and being man enough to do that.

"I just tried to hide it and continued down that long, lonely, dark road until eventually I couldn't go any further at the end of 2013, that's when I was surplus to requirements within the Kilkenny set-up, and probably rightly so because there was no manager or coach that would want that issue around the set-up."

Power's goals helped lift Kilkenny to All-Ireland success at Tipperary's expense in 2014

When asked by GAA Social presenter Thomas Niblock if his addiction was the reason behind his temporary absence from the Kilkenny panel, he said: "I wouldn't blame that. I'd blame a dip in form and fitness.

"We (Carrickshock) were beaten in the senior county final that year and I didn't have a good season with my club. I probably didn't have a good year with Kilkenny in 2013 either and with this going on in the background as well."

Power says that, while there have been "bumps along the way", he considers late 2013 as the start of his road to recovery, and he returned to the Kilkenny set-up in 2014 to help his county wrestle back the All-Ireland title from Clare before securing his final medal a year later.

"It will always be a part of who I am," he said.

"The big thing I've learned over the years in recovery is you try not to let it define you, and I'm trying not to. It's a struggle, but you try and learn from it and be a better person from it.

"If it helps even one person that listens to it, then that's a good thing."

The GAA Social co-presenter Oisin McConville, who struggled with a gambling addiction during his Armagh career, met Power around Christmas in 2013 to discuss his troubles.

McConville feels as though Power finding the courage to speak about his own journey will help shatter the stigma around the discussion of such issues.

"There is probably a bit of responsibility on people like us to talk about it in order to give that freedom to the next person," said McConville, who now works as an addiction counsellor.

"It's unbelievably powerful and nobody realises just how powerful. [Offaly footballer] Niall McNamee is an unbelievable ambassador and [Tyrone footballer] Conn Kilpatrick has spoken as well and there's guys in the Irish League.

"I've said for years that this is tsunami and how many people that are affected by this, and I think that eventually we are breaking down he stigma.

"Richie speaking about it, he has no idea what that will do for people."