Paul Gascoigne and the deadly cycle of addiction
By Andrew M Brown
August 22nd, 2014
It is very grim to read that poor old Paul Gascoigne is once again in trouble. There is a wretched inevitability about it. Addiction is a relapsing illness (or "condition", if you prefer). Families of addicts become wearily familiar with the pattern: a period of abstinence raises the hopes – perhaps with a commitment to treatment, firm promises of change and agonised apologies for past betrayals; but it's only a matter of time before those hopes are dashed again, when the sufferer has a "slip", and crashes off the wagon yet again.
The reason so many in the Paul Gascoigne mould keep drinking is that, deep down, they want to; they do not want to stop. Oh yes, they hate the shame, the searing remorse, and the rage and despair in the faces of desolate loved ones. They want all that to stop. But once they're back on their feet again the awful cycle starts again. And it only takes one drink. Gascoigne appears to be a man with one outstanding talent but not much in the way of other interests outside playing football. His life once his playing career had wound down must have seemed empty. In those conditions, bleak thoughts tend to rush in to fill the vacuum.
Paul Merson, in his memoir, relates a hellish story of sharing a house with Gascoigne at Middlesbrough. Gazza's favourite drinking game was a version of Russian roulette which involved downing glasses of red wine and sleeping pills until only the winner was left conscious.
Continued here http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/a...-gascoigne-and-the-deadly-cycle-of-addiction/
By Andrew M Brown
August 22nd, 2014
It is very grim to read that poor old Paul Gascoigne is once again in trouble. There is a wretched inevitability about it. Addiction is a relapsing illness (or "condition", if you prefer). Families of addicts become wearily familiar with the pattern: a period of abstinence raises the hopes – perhaps with a commitment to treatment, firm promises of change and agonised apologies for past betrayals; but it's only a matter of time before those hopes are dashed again, when the sufferer has a "slip", and crashes off the wagon yet again.
The reason so many in the Paul Gascoigne mould keep drinking is that, deep down, they want to; they do not want to stop. Oh yes, they hate the shame, the searing remorse, and the rage and despair in the faces of desolate loved ones. They want all that to stop. But once they're back on their feet again the awful cycle starts again. And it only takes one drink. Gascoigne appears to be a man with one outstanding talent but not much in the way of other interests outside playing football. His life once his playing career had wound down must have seemed empty. In those conditions, bleak thoughts tend to rush in to fill the vacuum.
Paul Merson, in his memoir, relates a hellish story of sharing a house with Gascoigne at Middlesbrough. Gazza's favourite drinking game was a version of Russian roulette which involved downing glasses of red wine and sleeping pills until only the winner was left conscious.
Continued here http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/a...-gascoigne-and-the-deadly-cycle-of-addiction/
