Paul Gascoigne has shared that he was once so hooked on Calpol, he ended up "barred from every chemist in Newcastle".
The Rangers hero has been speaking about his long-running battle with addiction having suffered publicly with alcohol problems since the 1990s. He also had a surprising struggle with Calpol, which is usually given to kids for pain and fever. On the High Performance podcast, Gazza said: "Rehab, I've never been for drugs ever, and probably for drink I've probably been two or three times, the others, I've been for Calpol. I went to rehab because I couldn't get off Calpol."
The host, Jake Humphrey, asked him 'You couldn't get off Calpol?' and Gascoigne explained that because Calpol has a tiny bit of alcohol, he thought drinking lots of it was like having a drink. He joked about being banned from chemists, saying he'd tell them: "I'd say listen, 'I've got three wives and nine kids, I need Calpol'. It was mad."
Gascoigne's struggle with addiction continues today but he says for the most part, he's doing 'alright,' after a difficult 2023. Revealing he's been going to AA meetings, he went on: "If I want to make it a bad day, (all I need to do) is) go down the pub. If I want it to be a good day, get my flying rod out and go fishing.
"It's not the drinking, it's the afterwards. Looking at my phone after and seeing 30 messages or missed calls, I know I'm in trouble. But I've been alright. Last year wasn't brilliant, was off and on for a couple of months.
"I went to a meeting the other night so that was alright. Just an AA meeting. I went with a friend and that was okay. They're alright, harmless."
Follow Record Sport on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for all of the up-to-the minute breaking news, video and audio on the SPFL, the Scotland national team and beyond. You can also follow our dedicated Rangers podcast page and sign up to our newsletters to make sure you never miss a beat throughout the season. We've also entered the world of WhatsApp with our Rangers community up and running. Follow NOW to get your club's latest breaking news and transfer gossip directly to your phone.
