Paul Gascoigne has opened up with his struggles with addiction, in a exclusive interview with FourFourTwo.
Gascoigne is regarded as one of England's finest players of all time – he's ranked at number two in FourFourTwo's list of the best English midfielders ever, only behind Bobby Charlton.
The 58-year-old has had his struggles since the end of his playing days, though, speaking publicly about his battles with alcohol and substance abuse.
“I’m always going to be an alcoholic" – Paul Gascoigne discusses his alcohol and addiction problems
Gascoigne's new book is called Eight, not just for the number he wore during his playing career, but also because he addresses the emotions he experienced during his life.
“It’s about my eight demons, everything I’ve had to face up to,” he told FourFourTwo. “I’ve conquered most of them. The rest are hard to conquer, but I just try to deal with them the best I can.”
In a candid interview for FourFourTwo magazine, he says that he expects he'll always face a battle with alcohol problems. “I’m always going to be an alcoholic,” he admits.
“It’s not like tomorrow I can drink normally – once you have the first one, you’re f**ked. I’ve had my ups and downs in the last couple of years. I’ve had four months off it, then a two-day bender.
"It used to be weeks of benders, but it’s only about two days now and I’ll stop – I’ll think, ‘Waste of f**king time.’
"I only drink indoors anyway, it’s not as if I go out and drink, partying. I can’t remember the last time I went out to a nightclub or a pub.”
In July, reports surfaced that Gazza had been taken into intensive care – he’s since explained that he suffers from a hernia condition, and that an alcohol relapse led to a friend finding him semi-conscious in his bathroom, though he insists the situation wasn’t as grave as the newspapers made out.
Several times during his playing career, Gascoigne was photographed on raucous nights out. Before Euro 96, the England squad played a friendly in Hong Kong, after which he and several team-mates were pictured having drinks poured into their mouths while sitting in a 'dentist's chair'.
It led to one of Gazza's most iconic moments in an England shirt, as he celebrated in a similar way after scoring the Three Lions' second in a famous 2-0 victory over Scotland.
Glenn Hoddle left him out of his France 98 squad not long after he was pictured partying with close friend and DJ Chris Evans, although Gascoigne has insisted that he was far from the only England player out that night.
