Paul Gascogne Says ...

[joggerjayne]

Having his phone hacked contributed to his alcoholism ...

LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL ...

(stops for breath)

... LOL

So it wasn't because you have been an alcoholic for your entire career?

Always have been, always will be?

Nothing to do with that?

All down to that mean, nasty phone hacking person.

(Repeat LOL ... ad infinitum)

[Retrochic]

What a pity Paul Gascoigne is not an 'understanding' members' of AB -he could then be as drunk as a lord, nutty as a fruit cake and would still get theatrical level sympathies from the 'caring crowd' who would denigrate anyone who dare take the mickey.

The poor bloke has always had a fragile personality and mental health issues -he chose the wrong career.

[Retrochic]

'Upstanding' as typed!!

[andy-hughes]

Retrochic - // ... who would denigrate anyone who dare take the mickey.//

Denegrating anyone who 'takes the mikey' out of someone with mental illness is my default position - in fact it's a reflex action!

[Mamyalynne]

The sympathies evoked from me were nothing to do with his drunkenness or indeed his nuttiness (I presume you mean his mental health issues) - they were regarding the subject in the case and that of the others involved.

That is the hacking of private and personal telephones.

[Mamyalynne]

Or those who hacked his phone/s.

[Retrochic]

Andy wrote:
Denegrating anyone who 'takes the mikey' out of someone with mental illness is my default position - in fact it's a reflex action!

Quite obvious by reading your replies -the remark was not aimed at you.

[joggerjayne]

I was going to ask if Ketherine Jenkins is expecting because, at the Royal Albert Hall a couple of weeks ago, her boobs were absolutely enormous.

But I've just Googled it, and apparently she is.

You could feel the whole audience thinking "Whooah, crikey!"

[andy-hughes]

divebuddy - //It would be nice, if, just once in a while, the Great Cut and Paste One allowed someone to have an opinion that he doesn't share. Must every thread he is involved in have to become a discussion purely of what he thinks about it. //

People on AB have opinions I don't share on an hourly basis.

I have no control over the direction of a thread - I post my view, or facts if I have them, and people can react, or not, as they choose.

If you feel I have undue influence on this thread, please feel free to ignore any and all of my posts from now on.

[joggerjayne]

Oh, crap ... I've posted on the wrong thread.

Ignore Katherine's boobs, and carry on as you were.

[Retrochic]

Divebuddy -so everyone with talent and money who ends up with mental health issues only 'have themselves' to blame?

[andy-hughes]

Retrochic - //Denegrating anyone who 'takes the mikey' out of someone with mental illness is my default position - in fact it's a reflex action!

Quite obvious by reading your replies -the remark was not aimed at you.//

I thought it was, if I am mistaken, my apologies.

This is the sort of misunderstanding I outlined to PankySmooch - it's an occupational hazard of written-only communication.

Thanks for clarifying.

[andy-hughes]

divebuddy - //It's his own fault that he didn't do something about it while he could.//

That works on the assumption that Mr Gascogine was a) aware of his increasing problem, and b) able to seek help.

My impression is that he was not in a position to see what was happening to him - as is so often the case with alcoholism, or indeed any addiction, and that living in the culture of professional football, he would have been at pains to remain 'one of the lads' and hide his increasing instability.

As far as drinking is concerned, he would be encouraged to drink to excess any time he was in public, either by team mates, friends, or admiring strangers.

[andy-hughes]

duvebuddy - //Andy, By your analysis it would seem to confirm that talent/money isn't the issue. But a lack of any sense of self preservation (not to say utter stupidity) is. //

Addiction is a none-discriminatory condition - it will take anyone it can get!

So you are absolutely right, money and status are no protection from addiction - quite the opposite. Too much money and too many people agreeing with you, and being willing to help you indulge in damaging behaviour are common factors in the falls of the famous.

I think self-preservation is born in some, most even, but by no means all. Some people simply lack the self-awareness to realise that they have increasing issues.

Look at grossly overweight people. No-one wakes up twenty stone overweight, you have to work quite hard to reach that level, so you have to assume that in the early stages, the individual did not recognise their behaviour patterns, to say nothing of increasing size, and do something about it.

I think the notion of 'stupidity' is perhaps harsh. Again, I think it comes down to a lack of self-awareness, which may be inherited, or a result of uipbringing,or both, but whatever the reason, I think, as I have amply demonstrated (!) a degree of sympathy and compassion is appropriate for people less fortunate in their lives and choices than we have managed to be.

[tamborine]

Awarding Gazza £188k is a death warrant. His so called 'friends' will deplete his bank account on drugs & drinks, all round! If he survives a year, he will be lucky.

[andy-hughes]

Yambo - //Awarding Gazza £188k is a death warrant. His so called 'friends' will deplete his bank account on drugs & drinks, all round! If he survives a year, he will be lucky. //

Sadly, I think you are absolutely right - but let's hope that someone can help Mr Gascoigne when he is so clearly unable to help himself.

[Mamyalynne]

I should imagine it was almost impossible to award all the others money (some more than he) and leave him out.

[andy-hughes]

Oops - Tambo - even!