Paul Gascoigne has revealed he is the happiest he has been for 'years' after spending £20,000 to have anti-boozing pellets puts into his stomach to stop him drinking.
The former England star has blown his £20million fortune from his playing career and gone in and out of rehab because of alcohol-related problems since retiring.
Now in an interview with the Mirror, he believes he is on the road to recovery.
Gascoigne said: 'I'm in a better place - it's the happiest I've been for many years.
'I'm content now, happy in myself. I've just had my first holiday in 15 years in Tenerife, and I'm enjoying myself for the first time in a very long time.
'I've been to Australia, and spent £20,000 including all the travel, to get an operation that stops me drinking.
'You get pellets in your stomach and it makes you feel sick if you have too much.
'It means you can have a beer or a glass of wine and socialise, but you cannot have any more.
'As soon as you touch drugs or spirits it makes you feel sick. I just want to go and get drunk sometimes, and that's what I have to stop. One drink can be too many, and then 50 is not enough.'
In October, the 52-year-old broke down on Good Morning Britain as he revealed his 'year from hell' before he was cleared of sexual assault on a train.
The England legend was found not guilty after he kissed a woman while travelling through County Durham.
Gazza maintained his innocence during a four-day trial, saying the kiss was not sexual, and that he kissed the stranger to boost her confidence after he heard someone call her fat.
He was cleared of sexual assault and was also found not guilty of the less serious charge of common assault.
Gascoigne earned 57 caps during his England career and made over 90 appearances for Newcastle and Tottenham before moving to Italy to play for Lazio.
