Tony Adams - Drunk And Dry (2002) - Channel 4 Documentary

his peers volted Adams Young Player of the Year few outside this room knew Adams the drunk and none of those inside would have noticed a problem this was an era of big drinkers after four pints and six Brandy's he'd negotiated the stairs but fell at the next hurdle its Tony Adams on the award I'd like to say thank you to retain mates John lukkage preventing someone I mention them all by the way sorry about prevention Dave O'Leary Kenny Samson I study my own eyes in order a solid thank you very much news honey Cooley probably one of the youngest captains and Arsenal yesterday 21 he was a leader they and he was always a leader and it just naturally fall or deduct a he would be the next Campton and it just took to it so easily by spring 1989 it looked possible that Arsenal could win the league championship trophy only Liverpool stood between them and the silverware Tony Adams was riding high but in private he was falling about and apart Adams's is after the 1989 League Championship decider was a north/south clash of titans Arsenal needed two goals to snatch the trophy from Liverpool and salvation came in the last minute of injury time tony was ahead of that success and he was lifting up trophies you know 21 22 years of age I mean he must have thought this is easy this career this is simple here am I the youngest captain ever an Arsenal sister a picking up these wonderful trophies history this should go on for the next 10 15 years enormous jubilation enormous feeling of joy so suppress it all of alcohol excess what you do when the cheering ended Tony Adams was left with a void the only drink would fill woke up the next day to Saturday howl over and pretty lonely actually and if I'd if I'd stopped to feel the loneliness for two minutes but I did and I just branded up a few guys because we needed to celebrate and got drunk all day Saturday and then got a cab late at 4 o'clock on the morning and to Highbury and slept on the marble stairs inside the Grand before we prayed the cup in the morning I was the first one there with the thick like that opened up the stadium Patagonia and congratulations Adams joined his teammates to tour the streets of North London in celebratory mood cheering fans through him cans of beer it was the Scottish managers finest hour Graham had played for Arsenal two decades earlier and gave his young team a sense of history he was a disciplinarian who would make Arsenal great again the squad dubbed him Gaddafi I think and every walk of life whether a sport or business there's got to be an element of fear that people say right if we the bosses walked at all we were working to mark someone were old near that will you know behave yourselves now if there's no fear then you get people do not only thing you get a bit of anarchy you know about the place see I was very frightened of my boss and I used to drink on that one I used to keep the anger down because I was afraid of it because afraid if I didn't drink on that one I would hit him I wouldn't have laid the thing that I've hit me because I think it was too big for me Biggers know we had hit him back I was very scared of him I couldn't confront him I couldn't assert myself I used the anger he gave me with my own anger and threw it out of the upper boys and I never stood out to him on any issues put a lot of pressure on players verbally and with his presence he did have a very very big aura about him way that was he was domineering but that's the way he managed and that's the way he molded a team of kids really into winning a championship twice and knowing the success he did Grahame was a remote figure and liked it that way adams was his voice and it suited both of them that much of the team-building took place at the bar my way of bonding with the team of the past would be to take him down the pub and get him drunk and to try to get some of their true feelings out we used to go out now and again for a drink after training on the Tuesday there was a little younger players who would because we were really hard on the gorge and Monday Tuesday was two really hard days especially Tuesday and then we had the Wednesday off some of them went out but five had been to their wife's and family so I couldn't really understand some say toe-to-toe all night and ended up the girl with me forget you know it's threes and fours in the morning and but that was general and I think I mean I choose inland we would meet Spurs players and QPR and everybody else the manager demanded a professional approach to play on and off the pitch the drink is on the squad resorted to old tricks to hide their boozing and get their wet tops on and you'd be out there on the pitch whether other bin bags whether it was and you'd sweat it out and you would really work and punish your body and what you thought was sweating out the alcohol and getting rid of it all through your system we banned that a few years ago where our players were put a bin bag on to try and sweat out the night before a lot of players do it to try and reduce their weight and they'd we have been line underneath their training kit we wouldn't know they were doing it because it be underneath their kit so they're going to the toilet put it on put their kit on when they coming from training going to the toilet rip it off and frighten the bin atoms learn to time he's drinking bouts to stay sober for matches but he miscalculated at Swindon and Everton I was drunk it you don't die path or and I got up on the day of the game and I recall still feeling a bit wobbly you know a bit shaky and I had one for the road he used to say but it was more in desperation because I was thinking maybe this might help settle me down a bit because I knew I was never going to sober up in time that's a recall I think we're all having a bit of a laugh and a joke about it and in turn was laughing and joking and the gaffe I didn't know or if he did know he didn't say and it'd be interesting if he if he had to know would he have said anything I don't know again Sheffield United he was over the limit and was still made man of the match could we have won a lot more trophies I mean that's just sad thing about it you know I mean we did win a lot he is six-six Nate years major trophies in eight years and I mean that's with him and Paul Masson towards the end he wasn't drinking well I don't believe it they couldn't have done not go on I remember playing at Leuven I was well drunk yeah and Luke and I run down the wing there's no one near me I fell over at all it's January and Adams is touring health farms his charity will tailor therapy to individual athletes battling a variety of addictions and finding the right environment for treatment is essential so what sort of people come here apart from footballers like yourself who comes here I think anybody and everybody I think and people that want to chill out there's numerous things that they offer here massage there's a pool I think we're gonna see a few things Tory ladies ah look at this it looks like one of those vibrating beds doesn't it I'm sorry we Facebook would this really be ideal for your purposes then they would send someone to a place like this I think there's everything that I need here you know I'm not a psychotherapist I'm not like you know but in my judgment in my judgment there's a tennis court there there's a swimming pool there there's a lake and it's a peaceful environment there's good food there's nutritionists this you know great people that I love and trust in the therapists and Ana counselors and the families can come up weekends and and chill out nothing no one's going to be out of place here no one's going to know that they're here numbers gonna know that what they're here for and it just creates a lovely environment if someone wants to get well then they possibly can here if charity had enough money would you be interested in setting up a place like this big grounds big house no I think he's got the drawbacks I think is I think you've got the Betty Ford Clinic no disrespect they've got people clean and sober and they've done their stuff the years and the priority up as well you know I'm not taking nothing or why it's just in my judgment that I feel that this environment constitutes a better place for people to get well I'd shift them around you know as well I think I don't think I wanted to be one one kind of area right you know and it seems silly to bring a flyer from the Midlands for instance or a person you know from the Midlands all the way down south to here when he's family you know I'm looking to fami therapy and things like that back in 1990 Adams could have used some peace and quiet after a known goal against Manchester United and some lackluster games for England he was suffering the taunts of hostile elements in the crowd and the press the donkey noises and the showers of carrots caused anguish that led to yet more drinking we went to this pub that I know we drank all night and then we drove on and we went in he stayed on the sofa bed and that morning girlfriend brought the papers up and he had he or everywhere and everything you had the donkey zeroes that's when it first come out the donkey won and I didn't take the papers down to him I wish I didn't know because he'd piss myself of it weed all over the south of it that was his party tree couldn't stop William Beane's I wasn't particularly life forever country you know the donkey label was there you know I had that pretty much everywhere I went I lived in a West Ham area and I got that at the school I got that everywhere and it was another reason why I have a reason why I drunk I drank but it was an aberration I couldn't handle that so I drank more and I think we play West um not not long after that away et cetera will abuse but he never seemed to trouble him it fueled me with resentment and with battalion and my retaliation to do well at football I thought if I prove myself or do my job well then the rest of world would accept me you know if I thought that I'd be number one that I've wind that do you realize what I was doing to myself by thought I could add the last laugh on everybody else the season over Adams was laughing but the joke was about to wear thin the day was to leave Britain to tour the Far East vid arsenal he went on a bender one he'd never forget my seasons ended you know active alcoholic you kind of I'm drinking you know football Stan it doesn't constitute as sobering up for us suppose all getting myself together for because tours are tours and it was kind of a justified time to drink and I've got a 13 hour flight and if I let that one come up anyway I'm scared of flying so there's just get out of the game but the problem with that is that I've lost my car and it's in candy island and I've got to got it back and it's a roast do not die and I said I tell what I do I mean I you picked us up and taught me to find me car I said listen let's have one on the way back I never drink on the way back so I went into the pub and had several and befriended some other drinking people and they were having a barbecue looked at me watch and it was like three yes and I knew the flight was about 7:00 at Heathrow so I'll come for a couple so we went round and people were getting drunk and then I was getting drunk and I looking at me watching it was six o'clock after actually lift myself an hour to get from Billericay to Heathrow I got in my car and I drove about a hundred miles an hour ever fast I was going and lost control because it was drunk and crushed him and how I survived god only knows I put my seatbelt on I don't know why it was an era of my life why never used my seatbelt police came and said I shared a drink which I thought was a bit and there is because I couldn't hardly stand up the people that at the house that I'd wrecked the brick wall that had wrecked actually said you want a drink and I just thought whiskey Scotch brandy but I could see they probably meant tea now or coffee but looking back I thought it was hilarious that they would offer me a drink now in the state of me you know the police came Tommy to the cell was more concerned about doing way to do to get on the plane to go to Singapore because I know I was enormous ly late now they took a breath test and then they released me with called dial I got in my mate who'd followed me to the PlayStation got me in the car on and driven me round the m25 as his teammates checked in at Heathrow a journalist got first reports of a sensational road accident in essex tony adams was once again travelling at high speed bound for an uncertain future having gone from national hero to criminal via a brick wall tony adams was driven to Heathrow in an attempt to join Arsenal's 1990 tour of the Far East he mister the coach that clear the stadium we would all meet up meet up and go on a course to a London Airport and I thought well we're actually going to go to Singapore with home because they you know he was even late coming there and eventually turned out a bit what's but we're I don't glass in my hair still we're about the car crash and I'd flip-flops an Arsenal uniform on and that's it I managed to get them bits together and I got a plane and they're just the directors were there the chairman was there and George was there and they just absolutely sure you know ignored me I fell very low very normally sad and alone I didn't realize a seriousness all that when he was telling me I mean you know when please tell you that specially to the manager to their tried to don't play it he came and said I've got a court day of two days before Christmas or something ridiculous and it was like Tony Adams up drink-driving there were fears that an example would be made of the soccer star they were justified he was jailed for four months George Graham's Fury was directed at the judiciary not Adams chunk was the most angry at anyone when I was at the core he really did go mad he was very protective of me he hurt you know him as well everybody could see the other players ahead of course he was speaking in his behalf I thought the judgment was more than harsh extremely house only because they were sending a message to everybody else this is what's going to happen if we get any more drink-driving prior to over the Christmas period and there was a lot of other people telling me that I didn't deserve to be in there for what I did and I'm not a proper quipping or criminal when it in and all this stuff which whether it's true or not doesn't really bother me today the point of the matter is that alcohol me abusing alcohol coming to prison similar sir Adams was sent to Chelmsford prison he served 58 days and I was scared and I was lonely and I was in a cell but I also had a lot of tools that made me a very successful footballer and I used them I played games as in card games calling games jokes anything you know to avoid the way to Al's failure it was a short sharp shock and it failed it didn't stop me drinking it wasn't a turning point yeah it was pain but it had me alcohol led me I had to go a lot lower there were those that called for Adams dismissal for George Graham's stood by his captain and within weeks of his release his captain lifted the first division championship trophy if you got an Austin Morris and embrace name for our way that for a rolls-royce or you know ours why it's silly you know you seen on one of the best center offs of all time in English football you know and he breaks down with you that you don't throw it away today like many recovering alcoholics Adams regularly attend sessions where addicts tell their stories Forex prisoner number le one five six one meetings of the rehabilitation of addicted prisoners trust have a special resonance my name's Tommy Armour alcoholic addict and it's really good to be here actually I feel where Phil okay and why am I here why am I here no because I don't want to pick up me drink or drug again you know I don't want to get complacent I've got a great life today and it wasn't always that way it was important to me to go back into an environment like that sober basically and to walk out of there sober and to see air it fell because I pretty much shut down when I went into Joan's furred and is important for my recovery and to give back I know what it feels like to be in prison and there's a lot of guys in there that have picked up a drink and found himself in prison I used to have so much self-loathing inside surrenders self-hatred Isis mash bottles on me I'd like that you know I don't have to do that today I don't have to do that today and that's all because I got saved a few years ago when some guy said to me Jeff as you know I mean and I was willing and ready and beaten enough to accept it and and try to work a program of recovery and I'm like I said I'm really pleased that you've you've given me the time to share me stuff and it keeps me well thanks very much when Adams went to prison in 1990 he just started a relationship not surprisingly James Shay work behind a bar the only women are mean relationships wise is when I'm drinking I'm sorry I'm drinking to excess so how do you make you know when you've got all that suppression order failings around there you know how do you know if you're acting out of last or actually out of love for acting out of you know whatever Jane and Tony were married in July 1992 always a man in search of a celebration the groom drank heavily from breakfast time and was in blackout for much of the service and miss reception today he has this video in place of memories is another excuse when you're allowed to drink excessively you know in my head I was I was allowed to drink excessively which was you know red red rag to a ball and I went through I was at 12 o'clock wedding and I was drinking brandy about 11 o'clock and I can't remember the evening that's what I did the 1993 season was a good one for us George Graeme's methods were bearing fruit and the back for of Adams bold Dixon and winterberg seemed impregnable the Londoners took both League and FA courts football was still Adams first drug of choice and it could keep him on the straight and narrow for up to 90 minutes but by now the drink was taking its toll on the 26 year old captain a year into his marriage it was falling apart and his baby son wasn't seen enough of him nine years on Adams is back where he started out as a bar a windy playing field and a Sunday League semi-final Oliver Adams is now the start his father just another voice on the touchline cheering for Felton Wanderers making up for the lost year with the Dodgers inherent in the games not be encouraging it no it's wonderful new innocent you can see him and they're just loved every minute of it and those kids love it so now if you want to I'm really pleased that he's nothing like me we only have not physically but the whiteflies you know he's not interested in like Ovilus it never but you know I used to be the back kicking everyone he doesn't seem to want to do that don't want to be at the back but you're kind of plays with Rooney Oliver did you have a chance weave your head so our societies to be like did you blow that thing no all we used to go it now very sensitive I don't know enough we've got enough do you get more than a thousand interesting what gets fascinated with learning as well 10 if there's a good at birthing what's that baby I don't know got enough for food and stuff anyway we used to have a joke Ray Palmer maybe used to say like you know we'd stand outside the hospital waiting for people to you know have children so we can come with their babies it don't matter where it was and it was all right what's your baby called right okay thank right great and then we go run to the pub and go oh this one jolly Adams began his drinking career as a youth and sporting chance wants to reach out to young players like these in the Ipswich Town Academy before they're led into temptation spreading the word about damage to health and career sporting chance education officer Peter Kay is on tour with wolf star and recovering alcoholic Alex ray sober for three years so addiction is a big word it can cover what we're going to deal with mostly today as alcohol but usually what we have found is that people who have become addicted to alcohol also across addicted to other drugs alex is going to share with you as well some of his experience alex is a professional footballer who has lived what I'm talking about I've just seen a PA run away doing here I thought God have some lives cleaning and I was about 17 or 18 I was torn and talking to drinking either went bollocks and water than the rest didn't orbitrim and I think when I when I looked back I got my foster pretty sharp up at Rangers and an absolute 16 and even before then I see like a good drink and I remember banana and then a club but my first nightclub there was we a few their top players and I'm strolling now and one of his senior guys whose presence and will come up to me and said to me oh you didn't hear I thought I'm doing it the all use I think I've been he realize at that time the young boys were only supposed to be enough and was that number 18 months I was getting kicked to AI Brooks as a young young lad and I was absolutely devastated as you can imagine because I know a lot of boys are under pressure to get that first contract and just by pure luck Falkirk about big team Scotland Kevin and they offer they actually offer there's a few quite sane and um fee and I my thought process there was anyways I'll just get and enjoy my cell because at that stage I was right drop more than eight clubs another nothing to changed I wound up in the Priory just over three and a half years ago and I was a tall tall mess fat ball why he's marquee has been prayin or bad but I often wonder what it really could have been like in August 1996 when Tony Adams had finally faced a pint of beer he just couldn't stomach he was alone in a bed wet with bitter tears with nowhere to go and no one to turn to how do you know where to go what to do for some reason I got in the car I went into work even though I was injured I went into work and was met by Paul Merton and the guy caustic Jacobs in the car park who I muttered the words to pawn I said the boss said Paul I think of her car drinking and he said join the club you know you can just come in the car part so I've got a drink from them you know that's the it soon as you say that yeah you're there you they you know if you as soon as you admit to yourself that you you've got a problem you know you're free cause of the way there my experience of surrender was I think I can call it it's only my explanation but a spiritual a religious thing maybe you know I knew that I was beaten and I knew I couldn't get out I knew I you know calling in my description again my end my my I don't know where to go my moment of clarity you know and I asked a deep level of a higher power for help and palmerston walked into my life Merson was then football's most famous ex drinker he took his teammate to Alcoholics Anonymous and within a month Adams felt ready to come out to those around him he faced them on the training ground Antonia knows I'm alcoholic I think it was somewhat since I said that to that effect and walk straight off out and we all just sat there dumbfounded we went got a clue and it was like oh we know you like a drink town but you know you're not that bad but you could see in his emotional state that it really it was a real big thing for him to own up to it these problems and actually tell his teammates and and that it wasn't just the you know I liked a couple of drinks on a Tuesday it was a real rule and life-threatening problem calling with the support of his teammates there was one more hurdle to face the press were waiting in the car park having told his teammates about his addiction Tony Adams face the press which was in the wrong place I'll give you two minutes honestly I can't put me in sups you've got two minutes obviously did a good day for you but it's not just happened it's been a long time and I'm on the road to recovery now it's not just opened overnight I'd like to make that point clear how hard was it telling the other words so that was a very big obstacle for me I'm not living a lie anymore which is great so a lot better for it 29 years always been fantastic for me obviously he understands me he knows what I'm going through and he's been there for me in the feeding frenzy that followed the announcement reporters scrambled for their checkbooks and the moment I did that it was like a shift inside something happened you know that I've tried and tears come out like tears of years of of her and sadness and loneliness and anger to show they all kind of came in as you probably the first time I've ever had not got emotional with the Ashley's home there so time heals a lot of healings gone on in the last five years but it still hurts me and I have to hang on to it and the reason I do is because I'm a human being and I forget and if I forget that bomb I'm gonna think that I'm cured I'm gonna think that I'm old chi I'm gonna think that I can drink again hello it's the eunice that tells you that you haven't got it which is baffling and cunning I never actually knew the full extent of it until he came out and you came out of the closet so to speak how about his drinking I didn't know it was that bad until then nobody noticed he was an alcoholic do you find that hard to believe yes yes find that hard to believe because sometimes he tells me now usually we had two ends day off but sometimes he left Tuesday afternoon he went to the pub and came to the training on the first day morning still drunk so maybe people found that normal at the time February 2002 a celebrity face and a wax icon of an icon law a well-heeled crowd - a chic London hotel the gala dinner is the money-spinner Tony Adams need if he's going to make the charity work there's been much agonizing about wining while dining but it's been decided that in this culture and at this time it's still hard to sell a gourmet meal without alcohol this Widow Adams drinks water this is the biggest so far and it's the launch and I always think that people are little more reluctant to win them and when it gets established and people have heard about how good this one was then next year will obviously be a lot better I would have thought but even so so saying it's still raised I would say in the region about 40,000 that it's possible to organize a footballer's dinner in celebration of sobriety and have more than enough for a five-a-side match ternal is a sign of the times inevitably there will be some who feel a sense of loss a footballs coming home from the pub I was raised very much in an era that saying was win draw lose must boot and it was very much to drink drinking culture and he used to play the game hard and he'd drink her afterwards in every country you'll face a different problem in England the problem where it was a drinking problem but not only the players I think the whole society had a drinking problem so the football society only reflects the problem of a society a fee you know all the teams were going out and drinking you know you'd go out someone you'd see some players from another club and things like that if you done that now I don't care if you're one of the best teams you wouldn't finish anyway you know we come 6 7 for 8 for every season if we went out every week we'd need on get really good my idea of getting the boys together in a different atmosphere today if maybe through psychology or fruity meetings or oh go car in or you know or numerous things and I were the last laugh that these things in the past and say ah you go down there let's go down the pub I think he's quite strange for everybody because he was quoting poetry all of a sudden and going to the theatre during the michelin-starred restaurants and talking about all the Sloane girls and everything else that so never spoke about and did and yeah I think he has a little left to himself these days about how he has changed and some of the lad soul look at him sometimes I say you shoot him I've never seen anybody change too much ever ever the tape is long enough to describe how much he's changed it's been it's been a front not Frannie Longworth phenomenal change from what he was like when he was drinking to the work towards the end of his drinking and the change in him has been so big I mean he's a he's a nice he's a nice man when they seat on the atoms out there playing football they know that all the feelings that I go through they're getting an honest genuine person you know that wants to win for him what's the one win foot he's manager what's the win for Arsenal or what's the win for this point when in the FA Cup and the Premiership in the same year was the crowning achievement of Adams sober career and arson van Gogh's new management George Graham made Adams the player he was now the Frenchman had reaped the rewards and it was so important if we go back and to do everything for me and for Arsenal and for their supporters and for the club to win the double that was so important because they got the true me they got me as a as a human being and I went through anger because we lost one week you know pain her sadness love I think you know all emotions that I was meant to go through over the course of that year and came away with the trophy of yes the double but also of you done a good job they're all done I don't regret the past I feel that I've come to the place where I'm today because of it you know that that everyone with me every place we go every experience we have makes who I am today you know I pick up things and hopefully learn from things and move on and I don't regret the past it was it was part of my process and thank God I'm here today you know sharing it I personally feel that has gone through the most difficult period I'm very confident that will not fall back but you never know in life I don't know maybe I can start to drink tomorrow for any reason I don't know you never know about yourself anyway we are all always in danger in the possible addiction problem football stories returns in two weeks and the channel for book football stories bad boys and hard men is out now priced at $9.99 to order call Oh 8 7 Oh 1 2 3 4 3 double 4 or click onto channel 4 comm slash shop well next time for Monica's huge Joey's really successful and Ross is on for a threesome they're friends but not as we know them

Channel: AATV

Views: 381,160

Rating: 4.7884874 out of 5

Keywords: Channel 4 (TV Network), Documentary (TV Genre), Arsenal F.C. (Football Team), George Graham (Football Player), Lee Dixon (Football Player), Martin Keown (Football Player), Steve Bould (Football Player), Arsenal Stadium (Sports Facility), Football (Interest), arsene wenger, Alcoholism (Disease Or Medical Condition), sporting chance clinic, Alcohol Intoxication (Disease Or Medical Condition), Tony Adams (Football Player), Alex Rae (Football Player)

Id: qZ91CP7k7X0

Length: 39min 1sec (2341 seconds)

Published: Mon Mar 23 2015

Reddit Comments

[u/camoxa]

So good. check out 34.25 for an incredibly telling quote from Wenger about the effects of alcohol on society

[u/wires55]

Fantastic documentary. I recommend his book Addicted as well. Mr Arsenal through and through.

[u/Santiscoq69]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=DlYPmmAn7mc - Tony Adams "the art of leadership" watch this after

[u/[deleted]]

The fact that we did alright when this was ongoing is quite telling for the situations of other clubs

[u/Jchibs]

I got sober and stayed sober and Tony Adams was my role model. I have a signed picture of him with the league championship in my bedroom and would wake up each morning and say "I am not going to drink today Tone" :) I read his book dozens and dozens of times he planted that seed of recovery in my mind. If I wasn't an Arsenal fan I wouldn't have read his book and might not have got clean and sober. He will be twenty years sober in August. I have heard him speak at AA meetings he loves the club Arsenal is in his blood. Mr Arsenal.