England legend Paul Gascoigne has revealed that boredom was to blame in his recent setback in his attempts to beat alcohol addiction.
Gascoigne recently spent a month in a rehabilitation clinic in America after another relapse in his well-publicised battle with alcohol, with his agent telling BBC Radio 5 Live that the ex-footballer “needs to get help”.
The stay in rehab came after a charity appearance in Northampton, showed the frail star shaking badly and looking unwell and was organised by talkSPORT host Ronnie Irani and Radio 2 presenter Chris Evans, a close friend.
“There was no one to blame for my relapse. I might drink in the future but that’s what it is, being an alcoholic,” the 45-year-old told Sky Sports News.
“I didn’t respond to (chief executive) Steve Spiegel (at the) the Providence Projects (an alcohol and drug rehab organisation) and I should have done when I was feeling down and the support I got around the Providence was fantastic.
“I was just bored, that’s the worst thing for me but I suppose it was me that made myself bored.”
However the former Spurs, Newcastle and Lazio star admitted that he is focused on recovering and beating the addiction, although he is taking things day by day.
“The last 11 years, I’ve probably drank 14 months out of it. The press say I’m drinking all the time, it’s not,” he added.
“I was three years sober and then I had a four or five weeks binge. It’s just those little binges so I’ve just got to stop those binges.
“When I’m drinking, I forget about everyone and don’t realise the hurt I’m doing to everyone but I’ve also got to think about the hurt I was doing to myself.
“I don’t know if I’m ever going to touch a drink again. I just know that I’m not drinking today.”
