- England
Gazza blames boredom for drink relapse
Former England midfielder Paul Gascoigne has blamed boredom for the latest setback in his efforts to beat alcohol addiction.
Gascoigne, 45, recently spent a month in a rehabilitation clinic in Phoenix, Arizona after another relapse in his well-publicised battle with alcohol, and his agent told BBC Radio 5 Live that the ex-footballer "needs to get help".
That came after a charity appearance in Northampton showed the ex-footballer clearly unwell and badly shaking. His latest stint in rehab was organised by TalkSPORT presenter and former England cricketer Ronnie Irani and Radio 2 presenter Chris Evans, a long-term friend of Gascoigne.
"There was no one to blame for my relapse. I might drink in the future but that's what it is, being an alcoholic," he 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."
The former Newcastle, Tottenham and Lazio man has insisted he is again focused on his recovery although he is taking things one day at a time.
"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 true," 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."
© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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