homeless, lives with his agent and in Alcoholics Anonymous | Relief
Paul Gascoigneconsidered one of the most important footballers in English history, He opened up to talk about his very difficult personal situation.. He is currently dealing with mental health and alcoholism issues and has almost no resources. Legend admitted that he does not have a home and lives in the guest room of his representative’s house..
At 56, he had little money left from his football earnings and had returned to attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. He spoke about all this in an interview with High Performance: “I used to be a happy drunk, but now I’m not. I’m a sad drunk. I don’t go out drinking, I drink at home“.
Moreover, he admits that he uses alcohol as a cure for depression: “People know Paul Gascoigne, but no one knows Gazza (that was his nickname). Sometimes even me. I have been unemployed for many years. I try not to get depressed because the world is already depressing enough.. And when I’m really depressed, I drink to cheer myself up.”
Gascoigne tried not to let problems affect his sports career, and now believes that he achieved this, that he did not let him down. At least for subscribers: “If I disappointed anyone it was myself, but mostly because of the drinking when I finished playing.“Indeed, the former football player had serious problems with alcohol.
According to the Daily Mail, Gascoigne entered rehab for alcohol addiction in 2014 and spent huge sums of money to avoid relapse.. He even spent almost 20,000 euros on anti-alcohol beads for his stomach. This was of little use. In recent years, he has admitted that he will always be a drug addict and that he has been arrested several times for drunk driving or disorderly conduct.
“If I want to have a bad day, all I have to do is go to the pub. If I want a good day, I take a fishing rod and go fishing.“, he explains. What he combines with attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings: “After attending a couple of meetings, I followed the instructions and one of them was to meet the person you accused and apologize.“.
This is one of the first steps towards realizing the seriousness of the situation, which led him to meet the double face of football fans. One day he stole a chocolate bar from a store. The seller tracked him down, even recorded him on video and eventually acquitted him because he was a legend. Other times, they come to his house, leave bottles of gin at the door and try to take pictures of him with it.
This is a difficult journey for the legend of English football, who now faces his most difficult match. “I never gave up. I think the moment I give up will be when I end up in a wooden box. Otherwise I’ll keep fighting“, he concludes. Paul Gascoigne and his fall into hell. A vintage footballer who communicates with his own ghosts.