By Melody Gross 
Billy Kinney was one of the greatest candy promises, but alcohol and drug consumption prevented him from being more than that. Today, he lives a second life without addiction
Billy Kenny will certainly be a name that, at first, you won’t be able to associate with a face. However, during the late 1980s and early 1990s this former England midfielder was one of the biggest promises of Everton’s youth team. He reached the fore of English football at the age of 19, when he was named the best player in the derby match between Everton and Liverpool on December 7, 1992, which the Toffees won 2-1 in front of more than 35,000 fans at Goodison Park. . Two years later, when he was just 21 years old, Billy Kinney ended his career due to alcohol and drug abuse.
Today, at 49 years old, Billy Kenny struggles daily to stay sober and be a source of pride for his dad. In an interview with ‘Liverpool Echo’, the former England under-21 player admitted that it was his mother’s death that gave him the chance to get a second chance.
“I never had a beer until I was in the first team at Everton. It was kind of a pattern… I felt like I had to get into the team because I was just a kid at the time. It was when I drank and did cocaine for a while. 25 years nonstop .It hasn’t stopped. I’m amazed I’m still alive. I’d just get up, consume, two days of drinking, three days of drinking, two days of sleep and eating Chinese food and back to the same thing,” he began by recalling.
Involving his parents at that point in his life, Billy Kinney posits, was the biggest mistake of his life, and one that is hard to forgive. “The worst part for me was having my mom and dad go through this because I was completely out of my mind. Now when I think of what I put my mom and dad through… I was selfish as a damn a**. All I wanted was drink and drugs. This is my biggest regret and it just won’t go away:” What I did for my dad and my mom. My dad loves soccer, but there was a time when he couldn’t leave the house because wherever he went they asked me, ‘Is Billy alright?’ I killed him.”
The mother’s death was the turning point. Billy Kinney gained the courage to confront the addiction that robbed him of 25 years of his life and promised his father to give him a reason to be proud, which faded with time. “It had to be my mother who gives me strength because I can’t do it on my own. I still have bad days, where I have to work hard to stay sane and sober, but I feel like life is working out for me. I’m sober and that’s great. I am Aware of where I went wrong when I was younger.I can clearly see that I needed help, but the help wasn’t there for me.Losing my mother was so much greater than losing my job.For me, playing football was just fun, but after It got serious and turned into a business. Eventually, I lost my job and it took over my life for 25 years. And when my mom passed away, I put it all in perspective. I told my dad, ‘One day you’ll be proud of me again.’ And now he’s excited about everything and proud of me. I got a second chance at life. I played for Everton and nobody can take that away from me. I enjoyed it. Now, this is another part of my life and I’m starting to enjoy myself,” Sh reveals.
It’s stories like Billy Kinney that should be educating and motivating for all.
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