Paul Merson

I’ve been listening to an audiobook of his new book, Hooked, whilst working this week. He charts his 30+ year battle with alcohol, drug and gambling addiction and dear oh dear oh dear, what an absolute, unmitigated car crash that man’s life has been. Stumbling, quite literally at times, from one personal disaster to the next.

The booze and the drugs are enough to write a book on in their own right, but the gambling - the utter, utter madness of the gambling is just astonishing.

I never really got into gambling. I’ve placed the odd bet over the years but generally I’ve lost my money, got pìssed off and never really had the compulsion to do it again. As such, I’ve never really understood gambling as an addiction, but this is a really well articulated insight into that mindset. Brutally honest in places, and there are times when you struggle to have sympathy for the bloke, but it’s well worth a read / listen if you get chance.

I was aware of his issues, particularly in the 90s, but I hadn’t quite appreciated the scale and longevity of the absolute chaos that has ensued over the years. Definitely worth a few hours of your time.

My cousin's wife worked with him for a while and says, without a shadow of a doubt, he's the thickest person she's ever met.

I do love the stories about him and Gazza when they were living together in Middlesbrough though - they'd see who could stay awake the longest after taking a sleeping pill. They lived in an eight bedroom house yet Gazza always slept on the floor.

It also used to take him an age to drive the short distance from his home to Arsenal's Colney Hatch training ground as he was so paranoid from the gak that he had to repeatedly pull over as he mistakenly thought he was being tailed by undercover police.

Cheers Poojah.

Just signed up for a free trial with audible for 30 days and  I have begun listening.

The interview with him on TalkSport on Monday morning was how can I put it, interesting

I fancy reading this. I also have never got sucked into the whole betting thing, but our understanding in society of addiction and mental health are miles away from what they used to be, so I’ll probably have a better appreciation of his predicament nowadays.

I remember the front page news of him announcing his cocaine addiction years ago and thought “tool”, but he has one of those addictive personalities like Gazza.

Thanks for the tip.

As an alcoholic and an addict myself, albeit recovered (not cured) it is good to see the discussion being had. For too long the general image of an addict has been the park bench and the needle. This just isn't the case. Sadly addiction and alcoholism are absolutely rife in this country and the realisation more often than not comes at a point that we are far beyond human aid.

Gambling is a particularly nasty strain of this disease. Its more hidden, more socially acceptable, and there's less practical help. Not to mention the absolute undeniable way it is shoved in ones face. I've no issues with a bookies advertising. But when you're halfway through a video on youtube and all of a sudden a jackpot winning spin is on your screen there's little hope for those trying to free themselves from this addiction.

I’m reading this too, and as a man who has struggled with alcohol, depression and trauma it really does resonate.

Not into Drink or drugs but had to put myself through gamstop. I still bet on sites not on it from time to time but it's definitely better than it was but I still get that itchy feeeling sometimes  

I read his book in the 1990s, is this just a rehashed version?

Addictions of any type are a problem in society. I admire all 3 of the above who mentioned their problems, it's a shame governments ( Red or Blue) don't do more on these problems. All the governments do is pay lip service and move on. They could ban all advertising and provide quality rehab, especially for drug abuse.

The FA, EFL, and Prem could all ban betting sites and shirt advertising but money wins. No morals and greed at clubs need to be sorted out.

gambling addiction is something i never feared i'd fall into, but did, Saturday nights at 21 not being spent in cleethorpes but being spent in Betfred on chelmsford Ave, lying to me friends, my family, chucking 20 on a dog i knew nothing about and then chasing because it lost, its a nasty scary spiral, because you can hide it so well

My late father,, god bless his soul, could give us a lesson in gambling addiction.
He lost our family home, nearly lost his marriage and family, for what?...to chase what he'd lost, that's what...that's how it works, they draw you into the promise land with cheap incentives and once they've got you, bosh, you're hooked and there's only one winner, the bookies, the gambling companies.
As for my dad, he set up the first GA in Grimsby and turned himself around, until the mid 80s when he bought his own bookies and the demons returned, to the point he had to declare bankruptcy.
So, like alcoholism, you can never cure it, once a gambler, you'll always be a recovering gambler.
Sooner they stop advertising gambling and make it less accessible the better as far as I'm concerned.

I spent a year or two betting on town. Soon learnt gambling doesn't pay.

Quoted from wigworld

I spent a year or two betting on town. Soon learnt gambling doesn't pay.

You'd have made a fortune betting against Town last season.

Quoted from DB

Addictions of any type are a problem in society. I admire all 3 of the above who mentioned their problems, it's a shame governments ( Red or Blue) don't do more on these problems. All the governments do is pay lip service and move on. They could ban all advertising and provide quality rehab, especially for drug abuse.

The FA, EFL, and Prem could all ban betting sites and shirt advertising but money wins. No morals and greed at clubs need to be sorted out.

Absolutely agree with most of this, but they’re not going to refuse betting ads in the “skybet football league”

I’ve highlighted the bit in bold as I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a billboard for smack

Quoted from Henryscat

Absolutely agree with most of this, but they’re not going to refuse betting ads in the “skybet football league”

I’ve highlighted the bit in bold as I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a billboard for smack

I take it you’ve not been to Glasgow recently.  

There was a very nice property in Scartho as I grew up built by a bookie and appropriately named "Mugs Villa".

Can understand all these points , as a compulsive gambler for many years it's the lying & the cheating that hurts the most luckily i can now walk in a bookies put 10£ on fixed odds & walk out , my wife still to this day after many years of having it all under control still watches me like an hawk & i have no issues with it at all , good luck to anybody fighting an addiction it not easy to beat