In recent years, Paul Gascoigne has become more well known for his antics off the football pitch than he is for his skill on it. During his days as a footballer, Paul was described as one of the best there was, but sadly he fell into a spiral of alcohol addiction that has blighted his life for decades. Unable to beat his addiction despite spending time in rehab, the star has now spoken out about ‘the worst year of his life’.
Paul has been struggling with his alcohol addiction for many years, but the death of his nephew Jay left him unable to cope. He appeared on Good Morning Britain and viewers were in tears as they listened to him describe the past year and his own personal struggles after his nephew took his life.
Can Emotional Tragedy Cause a Relapse?
Paul, or Gazza as he is affectionately known, told of how he had been doing really well with his recovery before nephew Jay committed suicide in 2016. Jay was the son of Gazza’s sister Anna, and the pair were quite close.
He admitted that he found it difficult to stay off the booze when faced with this personal tragedy. During the interview, Good Morning Britain host Susanna Reid tried to offer comfort to him as he wiped away tears from his eyes.
Gazza explained how it was during his live tour in 2016 that he suffered a relapse. He said, “I’ve had a good life, just this year’s has been worse. Probably the worst of my life. I haven’t had the best of years and I was doing really well until Jay.”
He went on to say, “He wasn’t in a good way… I’ve just had a terrible year. I’ve had these blips and things got the better of me. Then I had these tours and the drink got the better of me.”
Why Support is Necessary for Mental Health and Addiction Problems
Viewers were touched by Gazza’s honesty and flocked to Twitter to offer support and praise to the star. Tweets included, “@gazza8gascoigne looking good on TV today keep battling pal one day at a time #genius #NationalTreasure #gazza.” Another tweeted, “Heartbreaking interview with Gazza He’s a legend & loved by the nation @piersmorgan has been on top form #GMB.”
As well as opening up about the pain of losing his nephew, Gazza spoke about more needing to be done to provide support for those struggling with mental health issues. He acknowledged that many men will not ask for help if they are struggling with these issues and admitted that he himself tends to lock himself indoors and switch off his phone when he is feeling down. He said that he tends to ‘do the wrong thing’. However, he also added, “I’m down, but I’m not out. I make the most of a good day.”
Can You Overcome a Severe Addiction?
Paul said that he is now clean after going cold turkey following his most recent relapse. He is trying to concentrate on being happy and said, “It’s alright being sober, I want to be happy and sober. It’s getting the happiness.”
He does not believe there is a clear trigger for his alcohol addiction, adding, “Sometimes I’m in a good mood and that, and all of a sudden I wake up and I’ve got a bottle of gin next to us”.
But he admitted that he has a real desire to stay well and does not want to let his fans down again.
Paul’s alcohol addiction is so severe that he has not yet managed to overcome it. He has struggled with his addiction issues for many years, and his story will be familiar to many others also struggling with a severe alcohol addiction.
There are those who may believe that their illness is so bad that they are beyond help, but here at UKAT, we have the knowledge and experience to assure you that this is not the case. We have already helped countless individuals to overcome their issues with alcohol, and we can help you too.
If you are worried that your alcohol addiction is so severe that you will never get better, give us a call. We can offer sound advice and information on all types of addiction and can provide you with support and guidance in terms of the recovery process.
We have a number of top clinics around the UK where we offer excellent programmes of treatment, designed to suit the needs of the individual patient. With our fully trained professional staff, you will get all the help and support you need to beat addiction once and for all.
Call our dedicated helpline today for more information on our treatment programmes and how we can help you.
Source: (The Sun) Paul Gascoigne chokes up on live TV during emotional interview about the ‘worst year’ of his life