Oh dear.... you have no idea of mental health, 99% of the time alcohol is a symptom of a deeper set of issues constructed via an abnormal childhood......normally based around conditional parenting.......

David Jackson, Chelmsford, Essex

Firstly, Its very easy to dimiss Paul Gasgoine as just "another alcoholic" on the path to self-destruction and oblivion.
Its so easy to place "labels" on paul to explain away and belittle his situation for the convienience of justifying ones own arguement. Does Melanie Reid really know paul, is she a close freind or family member who knows what he is going through intimatly?? I doubt that

Does your average "alcholic" have to deal with the media intrusion and contstant attention and prying into their private lives as he did and does, with every detail of his life in the papers? Paul had more life chances than other people, but he wasnt just lucky, he took those chances and amde somthing of himself, many people dont, or cant be bothered too. and unfortunalty, his weakness got the better of him in the end. My point is pauls life has not been your average one like the rest of so to label paul as a simple alcholic and not look at the reasons why, is very ignorant and dimissive.

marc, haywards heath, england

If an 'Intervention' led to a Paul Gascoigne back in football, coaching or as a TV Pundit, it would be worth all the effort. If however, he just wants to be 'Gazza' for the rest of his days, I just can't bring myself to care what happens. I'm of the generation that grew up idolizing him, as a SPURS and England fan, but like Paul, I'm now in my 40's and a Dad. I miss the days I played footy all the time, had hair and nothing much to really worry about, but like most EVERYBODY, things just moved on. Come on Paul, get out of that bottle, except this next phase in your life and make me proud to have once worshipped the ground you walked on!

Pearl, Cypress, California

I don't see the article here as a piece about Gazza as much as it is about alcohol and this nations attitude to it. A worrying percentage of my 18 to 30 colleagues seem to be on similar paths - most of them female.

Our newspapers are full of examples of known names who are destroying themselves like Gazza. The portrayal is usually either as hero or victim or both, which to me sends out the wron message.

David B, Suffolk,

Rufus UK, I do so agree with you. I am a woman, yet I feel desperately sorry for Paul Gasgoine. I resent the implication that I am somehow atypical of my gender. or indeed that there should be a gender-typical response to such a situation.
I would also like to point out that, while ARBD is a common result of alcoholism, alcoholism is also a common result of mental health problems where the sufferer becomes locked into a spiral of self-medication. Not being privy to Paul's medical records, I would hesitiate to make the confident diagnosis that Ms Reid seems to feel capable of.

Lucy Atkinson, Granville, France

Ms Reid I'm afraid you've entirely missed the point. No-one believes that Gascoigne was a 'genius' in any real sense of the word - quite the opposite, in almost every way imaginable. What IS sad/tragic about his story is that he was ill-equipped to do much in life other than play football to wizardry standard, and when his short shelf-life was over his unremitting boozing seems to have filled the gap.
I don't know him personally and I never supported the teams he played for (except England) but I still feel very sad at the public and visible decline of someone who gave pleasure in his heyday to literally millions of people.
Unfortunately giving a lifetime's worth of wages in a year to young men sometimes has undesired (if predictable) effects, one of which is indulging to excess. The world is not perfect, so have some sympathy.

David, London, UK

Well, thank you Melanie for a whole list of Gascoigne's faults. Perhaps, now he's had his kicking whilst just about as down as one can get, it might be fair if some of his good points were aired.

He was, as all footballers are, an entertainer first and foremost and at that he was a master. He was compulsive viewing and thrilled more people with his antics that those who received naff statues overnight for little more than reading words. He got paid for it, for sure, but not as much as some, and he gave better value for money than most. He may or may not have deserved to be paid that much, but there's no doubt that he does not deserve to be villified.

My wife and I both feel sorry for the chap. Even more so for the revelling in his downfall that so many seem to enjoy.

He burned brightly.

Derek Smith, Brighton, UK

Well said. I have never understood people's affection for Gascoigne who strikes me as oafish at the best of times. I'll reserve my sympathy for those in his circle who are affected by his disease.

Gatz, Chelmsford,

"Surely his alcoholism is a symptom - why did he need the anaesthetising effect?"

I concur.

It seems if author Melanie Reid doesn't need to drink, no-one else jolly well needs to do they. Bring back the birch etc.

Danny, London, GB

if you don't consider a two month drink and drug bender epic, i'm not going drinking with you. Journalists, eh!

john, kuala lumpur,

Hey Melanie - do you read any of the gossip magazines by any chance? OK or Heat or any of that garbage? The self-destruction of Gascoigne through his alcoholism is little different from the similar self-destruction of pampered waste's of space such as Brittany Spears. If women can, en masse, read, gossip and commiserate with the troubles of a/b/c/d-list celebs then please allow men to occasional remember the good times when someone with genuine talent destroys themselves.

Carl, London,

Gazza was one of those rare players who made us believe that football was more than a metaphor for life...it was life itself. Get well soon, G.

Douglas, Madrid, Spain

Whilst I agree for the most part with your observation of Paul Gasgoigne the alcoholic. I feel you actually have missed the point. Alcoholism is an illness, it is a disease-It is not a lifestyle,as you observe-People do not choose to be addicts, or to be born pre disposed to alcohol addition. Their's is one of a constant struggle -second - by second, minute by minute, -day-by day, the struggle-to maintain and sustain themselves- by resisting the compulsion to splurge- a forced abstaince from a drug, they crave, that can and will kill them- and in the process rob them of their dignity, of everyone/everything that means anthing to them.
In reality, the miracle is Paul Gasgoigne, the alcoholic player- Like George Best, RIP and in Irish hearts and minds, Paul McGrath- Men who gave us such definitive moments of magic and commitment to the cause on the field- -Men who were the very epitomny of all our hopes and dreams during the 90 mins on the field-Exceptional men. Alcoholic men.

amh, Mayo, Ireland

There but for the grace of God go I.

Paul Padley, Shrivenham, England

Wife beaters deserve to live alone, drunk and ignored.

Go away Gascoigne.

Maz, Yorkshire, England

Much of this stems from the belief that professional footballers are heroes and geniuses who display superior moral qualities etc etc. They are not. They are merely people paid a disproportionate amount of money to chase a ball round a field. Some people find their antics entertaining some do not. Real heroes and geniuses are quite different. While the lives of people reading this post may not make such entertaining watching I am sure most of them displayed more admirable qualities than Gascoine in his prime and certainly more than he does now. Like George Best he is a pathetic drunk who couldn't cope. Leave him to it.

charlie, London, UK

it's hard to disagree with quite a lot of what Melanie Reid says, but her rather cold tone and general lack of basic charity is ultimately a good deal sadder than poor old Gazza's predicament. Like many more of us, he needs prayers, not condemnation.

michael, harrogate, uk

Gazza is up there with the likes of Baggio, Maradona, Zidane, Ronaldo as one of the most gifted footballers of his generation. Watching Gazza was a dream and he will ALWAYS be remembered for his on field footballing magic. The man was a legend and I am sorry that the drink and drugs have finally caught up with him. Get well soon Gazza and wishing you and your family all the best.

Mohammad , Glasgow,

I totally agree with the above article. Some might say that it is too harsh, but I think that lauding an alcoholic who had opportunities beyond most people's imagination, and who subsequently threw them away, does more damage than an honest article like this. Of course I feel sympathy for Gazza and his family - his family most of all - but this doesn't mean that we should ignore the fact he is a run-of-the-mill alcoholic like thousands of other people, and deserves no greater sympathy than we would feel for them.

Amy Parr, London,

paul gascoigne was always destined to end up this way.
he was agood footballer but never achieved true greatness.
apart from the much hyped goal against Holland and 1 free kick(ronaldo scores them for fun),he will be remembered for mainly for those self inflicted wounds.

roy, ashtead, uk

Possibly the most exciting and elegant footballer this country has produced, my hero, wish there were a few more like him.
Hopefully he will soon be well again, my prayers are certainly with him. Rangers will not forget him.

shame on you!

A.Mactaggart, Glasgow,

Paul was a great footballer and crowd pleaser. He tried too hard to satisfy the press, now they turn on him. Sad.

Mike, Sydney,

The general point of this article is one I agree with, Gazza is a drunken fool who has no one but himself to blame. The way it was put across, quite bigoted was shameful to be honest.

Ali Wood, Dundee,

It's hard to know where to start with Gazza apart from you can see it all ending in tears (if you'll pardon the expression and the images that conjures up of Italia 90) and an early death (before 60 you would guess). No-one could deny Gazza had great football talent but he has an addictive personality and a weak character. He's made an absolute fortune (although a lot of that must have gone now) but now that his football career is over he's bored out of his mind and doesn't know what to do with his time and money. He hasn't got the intelligence to be a football pundit like Lineker; he hasn't got a business brain to set up a business like Franny Lee; he hasn't got the discipline to be a football manager; you can't see him kicking the drink and cleaning up his act and having a chat show like Maradona. You can just see more of the same happening. Spells in rehab where he'll come out looking OK and saying 'I'm beating my addictions' before falling off the wagon again.

Steve Haley, Sunderland, England

Perhaps women do know better. He's an adult and he knows the risks of his actions. He is also a role model for many and his actions should be condemned.

Hamad Lone, London, England

Brendan - I too experienced death and trauma in my childhood. I didn't choose to shoplift or steal, do drink and drugs or beat my wife.

So he had a tough start, like millions of us. The same applies to this self-obsessed footballer as it does to everyone else: it is not what happens to us in life that makes us who we are, it is how we choose to deal with it.

And another woman's point of view here: yep, just a drunk, drug addict who beats his wife and isn't even a good footballer any more.

Helen E., London, UK

Totally agree. And to all the women who have written in defence of the man, he's a confessed wifebeater - for that, if nothing else, he deserves to be widely condemned by everyone (and women most of all). Compassion? I've got nothing for him.

Jo, Birmingham,

Is EVERYONE in Glasgow a Rangers Fan? I think that, too is a little presumptious. And Rufus, sorry to say that most of my very strong minded and individualistic female friends think Gazza is a sad drunk who never fulfilled his true potential due to the celebrity lifestyle he revelled in. The others just think he is a sad drunk.

Amanda Stiltz, Cardiff,

As a man I don't get 'misty eyed' about anything to do with sport. Gascoigne had moments of genius, but these were few and far between. Football was a means to an end, it gave him the money to go and do whatever he wanted to do. This seems to have meant going out and getting bladdered, or staying in and getting bladdered. It was his choice, I have never seen any photographic evidence to suggest that he was forced to drink. As for rangers supporters, on the whole I don't think thay are any better or any worse than the majority of football fans in the UK, but then I don't live in Glasgow.

David Leslie, Perth, Scotland

Please do not presume that all women will agree with you. I certainly do not. I admire Gazza as being one of the greatest footballers England has produced, and I wish him well for the future. A bit of compassion would not go amiss from you madam.

Louise, Southampton, UK

Surely his alcoholism is a symptom - why did he need the anaesthetising effect?

There is much more to this than you imply. People drink for a reason.

Alison, London,

Excuse me, what happened to generosity of spirit and compassion?

Brenda Neale, Aberdeen,

Gazza is the Keith Moon of football .

C.Elder, Paris, France

Melanie's hatchet job on Gascoigne lists all his faults and errors but fails to mention what a great entertainer he was on the field. A footballer's job is to excite the crowd and that's just what he did. It is ok, it seems, to be criticised for being below average intelligence and suffering from an adictive personality. Why not mention that he's going bald?. He can do nothing about that either.

He needs help and understanding from those who latched onto his fame, such as newspaper columnists. If Melanie had kicked Gascoigne when he was down and defenceless on a football pitch she would have been sent off.

Derek Smith, Brighton, UK

gazza had a pretty awful start in life, and saw friends of his die when he was still a child, and just never really recovered. Not as straightforward as we should 'not waste pity' on him.

And as for 'women' as a section of society, what gives you the right to speak for them?

Brendan, london,

The reality of this situation is that the facts of this situation are not in the public domain. But, being sectioned under the mental health act is a serious issue and is not done with evidence of tangible mental ill-health.
It is a shame that the issue of mental ill-health is being so easily swept aside in this article. Just as much as alcoholism, the presence of mentail ill-health when left untreated or proactively managed can destroy individuals, their families and society around them.
Whatever the cause, we need to stop hiding from the consequences and reality of mental illhealth. A good starting point would be ensuring satisfactory and effective treatment for all those - one in four of us it is estimated - who are living with the nightmare of poor mental health.

Noelle, Thames DItton, Surrey

His illness has been sensationalised because it makes for a better story. It's nothing to do with men or women, but simply another example of how the press works. (It just so happens that, in this case, it's a sports story and most sports journalists are men.)

Besides, are you implying that alcoholism is exclusively a male condition? Or that there are no women football fans who are also liable to get misty-eyed about a former hero?

Edward Benson, London,

Please don't put me in a box, or anyone else for that matter. I credit Gazza with being the the person who made me start watching football, so yes, in my own way I consider him a shattered genius and I'm a woman. I also know a few men who think he's just an alcoholic.

C Wells, London,

I don't care about Gazza, not a jot. I'll tell you some things that I do know, though, and for free.

Alcoholism, like any other addiction, is actually a clinical problem. Why do people become alcoholics? I know it's easy to blame the alcoholic, say that no one forced them to drink. Aye, no one forced them, but were you there with an alternative? I know nothing about Gazza's background, but I do believe that those who seek refuge in altered states are often damaged people. Damaged by what? Well, shoot. By life, by misunderstanding, by endemic child abuse, by repression of morals, desires and feelings.

As for genius, its difficult to believe in the genius of sportstars. After all they get all that cash, and for nuffin' innit? No, it's not for nothing. Watch the great sportsmen of the day, if you can't hack the media hype (stay out of the kitchen) watch some old footage from time back, and gawp in admiration at the skill shown. Tara

rachel windsor, Edinburgh, scotland

Gascoigne's real problem is lack of intelligence; thanks to our ridiculous society he has been able to earn vast sums for his only real skill, kicking a bag of air about.
Instead of realising how fortunate he is, and at least trying to be an example to other feckless young working class men, he has wasted large amounts of money on alcohol abuse.
He is more to be pitied than blamed.

katherine langton, Blackburn,

Paul from glasgow, Melanies comments are pretty self exaplanatory...

David, London,

Gascoigne was a very good footballer but his off field antics were, at times, disgraceful.

As for Reid's slanderous comments about Rangers fans, has she ever met any?

I'm proud to be from the city of Glasgow, a Rangers fan, and a teetotaller.

Still, never let a good stereotype get in the way of the facts.

James, Glasgow, Scotland

i would like Melanie Reid to kindly explain what she means by Rangers fans admiring deranged alcoholic behaviour.

And i would like this to be explained with immediate effect.

Paul, Glasgow,

I don't think anyone can seriously deny that drink has put Gazza where he is today. I would only lament the fact that the same person who scored what was one of the best goal I have ever seen, against Scotland where he lobbed Hendry, should be in this state. Thats not gloryfying him but recognising a lost talent

Tony, Cardiff,

It would be more correct to say that the media have gone for the 'flawed genius' angle - most of the men I know think of him as a sad alcoholic. Although I can't claim to speak for 'all men' in the way that you speak for 'all women'!

paul newbold, sheffield, UK

At last. A clear, accurate, dispassionate, starkly truthful article about the inevitable devastation caused by the addiction to alcohol.

Congratulations to Melanie Reid. Words to be kept & widely circulated. She tells it like it really is.

Roy Victor, London, England

At last. A clear, accurate, dispassionate, starkly truthful article about the inevitable devastation caused by the addiction to alcohol.

Congratulations to Melanie Reid. Words to be kept & widely circulated. She tells it like it really is.

Roy Victor, London, England

I hope that when tragedy comes to Melanie Reid's front door she gets the sympathy that she denies Paul Gascoigne.

Also, when are correspondents at the Times going to stop making derogatory statements about Rangers and their supporters?

John, Glasgow,

Gascoigne was frequently photographed binge drinking with his celebrity "friends" Chris Evans and Danny Baker. All three appeared to revel in the publicity and the media were happy to print photos of the three lads out enjoying themselves and to give them encouragement. And now people complain of a binge drinking culture.

Jerry Turner, Ramsgate, UK

Sad reflection on our society. These figures are held up as icons and role models for our youngstres. The truth needs to be told, however unpleasant.

Hamad Lone, London, England

For a courageous, honest and moving account of a decade of descent into alcoholism and subsequent recovery with the help of AA I very much recommend that Gazza (and Melanie Reid, if she hasn't done so yet) reads the 2007 autobiography of Clarissa Dickson Wright' (the surviving one of "Two Fat Ladies" fame), Spilling the Beans. She lost a considerable fortune, but found the road to recovery in cooking and - it is clear - because she has a strong and formidable personality.

wilfrid legg, paris, france

Totally spot on. The reaction to Best's death was utterly grotesque. Of course it was sad that he self-destructed but he got ridiculously over the top obituaries as if he had been someone of actual importance and made some real contribution to the world. People who develop vaccines and save millions of lives get 2 line obituaries if they are noticed at all. I am not doubting women's non-"hive" responses, it is men who have the collective problem with growing up. There is no better demonstration of their infantilism than football and footballers.

MikeS, London,

I do get fed up with people claiming that '"the female sex" thinks so and so'.

Oddly enough, women are individuals and do not possess a hive mind.

rufus, UK,

Quote;
“Pure dead mental”, as they say in Glasgow, admiringly, of deranged, alcohol-induced behaviour. Is it any wonder that the Rangers fans recognised Gazza as one of their own?

So everyone in Glasgow admires alcoholics, recognising them as "one of their own"? I think the author of this article is more than a little bigoted.

Pauline, Leeds,