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Hooked

Addiction and the Long Road to Recovery

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Hooked

By: Paul Merson
Narrated by: George Greenland
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About this listen

Shortlisted for the 2022 Sports Book Awards

Paul Merson's wonderfully moving and brutally honest memoir of battling addiction for three decades.

For 21 years, Paul Merson played professional football. He won two First Division titles with Arsenal and was one of the finest players of his generation.

But for 30 years, Paul Merson has also been an addict. Alcohol, drugs, gambling: a desperately unenviable cocktail of addictions and depression which has plagued his entire adult life and driven him to the verge of suicide. 'I've come to realise that I'm powerless over alcohol...I'm an alcoholic. My drinking and gambling have left a lot of wreckage.'

Until recently, the drinking and gambling were still raging. 'I wanted to kill myself. I couldn't go on anymore. I just couldn't see a way out.' Then something clicked. 'One day, I was walking home from the pub late on a Sunday evening, and I thought to myself: I've had enough of feeling like this, every day of my life. I rang up Alcoholics Anonymous the next day, and since then I haven't had a drink.'

Hooked is Merson's wonderfully moving and brutally honest memoir of battling addiction, searingly charting his journey over three decades. It is absolutely unflinching in detailing his emotional and psychological troughs and in raking over the painful embers of an adult life blighted by such debilitating issues. Hooked will kick-start a crucial national conversation about addiction, depression and the damage they wreak.

'Addiction is the loneliest of places. You're a slave to insecurity and ego. But it has to be you that wants things to change. Never be afraid to talk: the more you talk about the addictions, the more it takes the power out of them. You're never alone.'

©2021 Paul Merson (P)2021 Headline Publishing Group Limited
Sports Inspiring Heartfelt Thought-Provoking Addiction Memoirs

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Critic reviews

"Brave...visceral...a brilliant, brilliant read.... I would recommend this book to everyone." (Nihal Arthanayake, BBC Radio 5 Live)

"So honest...everybody should read Hooked to understand what anybody in this situation has been through." (Susanna Reid, Good Morning Britain)

"A fantastic book...a remarkable read." (Richard Madeley, Good Morning Britain)

"Brave, poignant and very moving. This book will change lives." (Jamie Redknapp)

"A courageous, emotional and vitally important book." (Jeff Stelling)

What listeners say about Hooked

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sobering book

this is a powerful book that puts you in the authors shoes. I can not recommend this enough. it's helped me have a look at myself and face into the next phase of trying to make myself a better person.

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Wow

Wow what an unbelievable book and hats off to Paul for being so honest and truthful about his life. We are suffer with some sort of mental health so don't be afraid to speak out. Keep going Paul all the best.

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inspirational

Loved this book, it has helped me to understand the mindset of a gambler, the struggles they go through.

My son cannot talk about how he feels and has shut his mum and I out. This book has made me realise we need to fight that little bit harder still to get through to him, to show our support regardless of the past.

Thank you Paul Merson.

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true words

loved listening to this book. so many feelings and thoughts I have on a regular basis are spoken in this book. always known I was not the only person that struggles but never herd anyone speak about it .

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Outstanding

Couldn't stop listening. I'm not even a football fan but was interested in every aspect of this book. Highly recommended. A real genuine bloke with a great story, told beautifully.

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Truly Fabulous

If your not an addict, you will find this book humbling and emotive.
If you are an addict, like me, you will want to meet Merse, hug him, say thank you, and tell him to keep coming back, because Merse, your worth it, as was reading your experience strength and hope.
You will be an inspiration to so many.

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An Inspiring Account

Paul Merson writes honestly and accurately about the ravages of addiction and the transience of worldly success.
His reference throughout to the tenets of 12 Step recovery bodes well for his future of a daily reprieve from his long term illness. I wish him well. He's right, if this book leads one person towards recovery it will have been a huge success. At the moment the epidemic of gambling, cocaine, and alcohol addiction makes his account more relevant and pertinent than ever. It works if you work it.

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was hooked

smashed the whole book in like 3 days, which for me is fast, it was a brilliant insight into how this wizard we saw on the pitch suffered off it, and the crazy life he led

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Brutally honest story.

I do love a good book on celebrities that go off the rales, just to see how they turn it around. This was a different animal this one. So many times I was preying that Paul wasn't going to do what was he was about to do. This really is a book you can't stop once you've started. Definitely recommend.

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Honest

I found this book to be quite enjoyable and enlightening, as it provided me with valuable insights into the nature of addiction and offered me a more nuanced perspective on the topic.

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