Adams turns his back on alcohol

Paul Whitaker reviews "Addicted" by Tony Adams. Collins Willow £16.99

"Today I am not just Tony Adams the footballer. I am Tony Adams the human being."

Tony Adams thus concludes his roller coaster journey through his footballing and drinking life. Early in his career few would imagine that Adams would be a candidate for Renaissance man, yet he now spends his leisure time playing the piano, visiting the theatre, and reading poetry and philosophy. Before he faced up to his demons, he was addicted to playing football and getting drunk.

The recent intense media interest and speculation surrounding Paul Gascoigne's problems has provided an interesting contrast to that aroused by Tony Adams' public confession and subsequent publication of his autobiography "Addicted". Adams has bared his soul even further recently by sharing with Radio 5 Live listeners that hitting his own "rock bottom" had led him to even contemplate suicide.

Typically the aspect of the book that the tabloid press concentrated on was Adams' assertion that he, not Alan Shearer, should have captained England during the 1998 World Cup finals. What they didn't concentrate on was that one of the country's most successful modern footballers has relentlessly pursued his career whilst at the same time regularly drinking to excess and eventual self confessed alcoholism.

Football-wise the book is a fairly interesting gallop through a very successful career during some exiting times with Arsenal and England over the last two decades. Unfortunately for Adams, his response to both triumph and disaster was to get seriously drunk and what is amazing is that Adams has managed to, by his account, consume vast quantities of alcohol and still manage to win every domestic honour, a European Cup Winner's medal as well as amassing over 50 England caps. On the down side was the failure of his marriage, his prison sentence following a conviction for drinking and driving, and many lonely hours drinking himself into oblivion. Adams eventually found his way to, and salvation in, Alcoholics Anony-mous, to which he pays glowing tributes. For him his alcoholism is an illness that his addictive personality was unable to control. What is obvious is that the lifestyle of the modern footballer is a lethal cocktail of immense pressure combined with ludicrous amounts of money and seemingly endless spare time.

Football clubs appear to provide little guidance as to how young players should successfully cope with the intense pressures of the modern game. They have a responsibility few face up to,Wimbledon FC being an exception, to ensure the pastoral well being of their players. Adams' own heavy drinking began as a young player well before he was a first team regular.

It is obvious that at many clubs a drinking and gambling culture is tolerated if not encouraged by the management as a macho approach to team-building. For example the recent claim by Bryan Robson, the Middlesbrough manager, following Paul Merson's departure to Aston Villa, that his team were "near teetotallers" and that Gascoigne is suffering from "stress" rather than an alcohol problem is perplexing to say the least. By contrast the current England manager, Glenn Hoddle is derided for his belief that the use of a faith healer can play a role in the spiritual and physical well being of his players.

Adams has faced up to his own challenge and seems to be faring well, he arguably put in some of the best performances by an English player in the France 98 World Cup.

He will face further challenges when his career comes to an end. A poignant reminder came recently in the shape another former Arsenal star Malcolm MacDonald who, struggling with his own alcohol problem, recently emer-ged from a treatment clinic. Paul Gascoigne could do worse than to make Adams' book his bedtime reading over the next few weeks.