FOOTBALL | TONY ADAMS INTERVIEW

Tony Adams: The new drug of choice for the Premier League footballer is gambling

The former Arsenal and England captain is taking to the stage to spread his message of hope for those in need

Adams has helped more than 1,200 sports people tackle addiction since forming his Sporting Chance charity in 2000
Adams has helped more than 1,200 sports people tackle addiction since forming his Sporting Chance charity in 2000
ALAMY
Jonathan Northcroft
The Sunday Times

At the start of an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, one of the group tells their story, prompting the rest of the room to share feelings and thoughts. That person is the “chairman”, and Tony Adams sees it as the role he’ll play in his theatre tour, beginning later this month.

The first 45 minutes will be Tony, wandering the stage, describing his journey from first childhood panic attack, to being bullied at school, to becoming so deep in a world of drink that he once left his young son in a pub for three days, to go on a bender.

There were drugs, prostitutes, fights, regular times of soiling the bed; there was prison, a car crash, depression. He’ll tell self-deprecating stories of those times “that