Members at Forward Trust say having 'Mr Arsenal' as the new Chair, will help settle their score with addiction
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00:01Maybe this is the sweetest of all given what he's been through.
00:05Including drug addiction, alcohol abuse and even time in prison.
00:10Tony Adams is considered one of Arsenal's greatest ever players.
00:14But off the pitch, life wasn't quite kicking in the right direction.
00:18It was nearly 30 years ago when he became one of the most high-profile recovering addicts in the country.
00:24And now he's supporting those facing that same battle here in the county.
00:29You've got people here that are no different from me.
00:33We're in the same kind of, you know, whether it's a footballer.
00:36This illness doesn't discriminate. It doesn't matter who you are.
00:39Whether you're the groundskeeper at Margate or you're a postman or a doctor or a nurse or a professional footballer.
00:46It's the same illness and there's a certain way out of that illness.
00:50And we need connection. We need friends.
00:52And there's a lot of people in this that I've met today that have got that connection.
00:58That have been through the same process. Some of them has gone through quickly. Some of them slowly.
01:04My journey was now 29 years of recovery, you know, a day at a time.
01:09So would the Tony in your addiction recognise the Tony now in recovery?
01:15Jesus, I was scared of that man. He was a frightened little boy. And when you're frightened and scared, they're quite dangerous.
01:25We've got this thing in recovery. We say like that little boy wanted a big hug, but I was putting up the face.
01:31You know, you come and talk to me. I wouldn't have done interviews like this. You know what I mean?
01:34I was like, oh, go away. You know what I mean? Too scared. Too scared.
01:37But now you can see me, you know, you can see who I am. Warts and all.
01:42Well, he might be Mr. Arsenal and a captain for England on the pitch. But the legacy that Tony wants to live on is that help and support offered to those facing addiction and now in recovery just like him, especially here in East Kent.
01:57I've struggled with addiction for years, really. And I think I've been born. I was born one, but I lost my mum to suicide in 2008 and sort of struggled ever since, really.
02:10I know that's not an excuse, but I just never knew, never really knew what to do. And I went into rehab in July last year. And yeah, I've been really lucky with it, really.
02:22To be honest, when I was in addiction, I didn't really know much about it, about recovery. And as a man, to ask for help is quite difficult.
02:33Now, I would ask for help for anything because I know that it's there. And while I was in prison, a full trust come to me and I went to fellowship meetings and stuff like that.
02:45And then I realised that this is my opportunity. So I took it with both hands. It's been a very difficult year. It's been one of the hardest years of my life.
02:56While each journey is different, many say they've only been able to bench their addictions with guided support from charities like Forward Trust and idols like Tony, both on and off the pitch.
03:07Abbey Hook for KMTV in Margate.