Thirty years on from English football’s greatest confessional, Tony Adams can sense a new addiction gripping the game.
Back in 1996, former Arsenal and England captain Adams laid bare his demons in the book which changed football writing for good. Adams has done as much as any sports star to help with addiction, mental health and getting us all talking. His Sporting Chance clinic has also saved hundreds of lives.
His book Addicted – brilliantly written with Ian Ridley – opened people’s eyes. Sober was the next chapter and now “1996: Reflections on the year which changed my life” goes even deeper.
But there is also a clear warning about the new danger in football. When asked whether gambling has now overtaken alcohol as the biggest fix for footballers, Adams insists: “100%. 100%. 100%. Yeah. And it’s becoming insidious.
“It’s mental, you know, I always give the example of breathalyser. You can’t see someone if they’re three times over the gambling limit. You know what I mean? You can’t, there’s no signs.
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“You look at someone. I don’t know whether you’re going to go down William Hill afterwards or what. Most people are on the phone now anyway. So it’s really difficult to detect.
“You know, usually they’ve nicked money or they’ve mortgaged their house to pay for them. But for one of us, a footballer, they can say: ‘Oh, you’ve got a bit, you’ve got a problem, come and see me afterwards.’
“Once a year my Gran used to have a bet on Aintree. That’s not a gambling problem, is it? But that can’t be the justification for the people that are out there being hooked by this stuff. Was it 85% of all the money that they earn are from the addicts?
“You know what I mean? So they target the addicts. They don’t want you not to bet. You know what I mean? So it’s all from the bad ones.
“Players are not allowed to bet on football. But they’re not on football, but they can do other stuff, can’t they? Yeah you know, gambling up the wall and stuff, you know what I mean? I’ve never really had that one to be honest with you. A lot of other stuff.”
Adams’ other great success is Six Mental Health Addiction but he can see issues throughout sport from prescription pain killers, booze, gambling and yet perhaps is his biggest achievement is getting people to talk about it.
“Oh, with Tramadol with the rugby players, yeah. And then we’ve had a couple of suicides recently. Right. One jockey, jockeys are one of Sporting Chance’s clients as well. And a footballer, some kid,” he said.
“You know, it seems to be an option nowadays for some reason, you know? Back in ’96, when I was hitting rock bottom when I was 29, it wasn’t kind of spoke about stuff, and, you know, the figures are still on the rise, you know? It’s like all this awareness, everyone coming forward, starting to talk about this stuff.”
An hour in the company of Adams is an uplifting and inspirational experience. He has helped his own son through his alcoholism to the point of him now setting up sessions and being part of the recovery business.
1996 was an incredible year for Adams. Euro 96. Facing his demons. Arsene Wenger’s arrival at Arsenal and into a new chapter of his career and life. This latest book and the detail from that year is so powerful.
“I think it’s a celebration. I think it’s a celebration of recovery,” said Adams. “And it’s hope, and it’s someone that’s living a fantastic life because he’s got recovery. You know, I think that’s what it’s about. It’s like going, we’re not going to hide behind my going to meetings and stuff anymore.
“I’m really proud that I’ve not p****d the bed for 30 years. I’m incredibly proud. What makes me most proud? And you might say, maybe winning the Cup Winners’ Cup. No, I’ve not wet the bed for 30 years. I kept on doing it, you know?
“And if I could find a way to drink without weeing myself, I’d probably still be drinking. But I couldn’t. You know, I crossed the line. So it is a celebration. It’s me going, that was the year, and it sums it up all in that year, from Arsene to me putting my wife into rehab.
“It’s turned on its head and I thought it needed to be documented. I think it’s such a pivotal year and it really shows the start of the journey. What happened and the end of the journey.”
Meanwhile, Adams has offered to throw open the doors to his rehabilitation clinic for Tiger Woods.
Golf superstar Woods has announced he is stepping away from the sport “for a period of time” after crashing his car and then being arrested and charged with driving under the influence.
Adams set up Sporting Chance after his own struggles with alcohol and 30 years on it is still helping sports stars. When asked what he sees when he looks at Woods, Adams said: “I see an addict, I mean, to be completely honest with you. And if he wants to come to my rehab, then, there’s a place in the room. If he wants to change, make a change. Yeah.
“My CEO of sporting chance wants to get into the American market, to be honest with you. the MLS, you know, we’ve got all the contracts. We just signed with the BBBOC. Yeah. British boxing. I was there 2 weeks ago launching the partnership with them.
“I think the Americans are pretty good on the DUI. Do you remember when they used to make you go to meetings instead of to prison, if you went to the programme. I know it’s a little bit under duress, but you actually were made to go to meetings and stuff.”
Adams recalls former teammate Lee Dixon trying to help him and now he offered a metaphor to Woods if he wants to get clean.
He added: “I think people are starting to say: ‘Look, you’ve got a problem here’. What I did, I kind of avoided everyone that told me, you know what I mean? Like the Lee Dixons of the world were kind of going: ‘Tone, what the f**k are you doing? What are you doing that for?’
“You kind of ignore people or kind of get rid of them, because you don’t want to have a look at yourself. And if I was speaking to him (Woods), and I do know someone out of that neck of the woods, but I’d be just saying: ‘Do you want to have a shower?’”
1996: Reflections on the year that changed my life by Tony Adams with Ian Ridley is published by Floodlit Dreams in paperback, £11.99 and in hardback exclusively at http://www.floodlitdreams.com£14.99.
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