David Seaman reveals how boozing teammates ‘went past the point of no return'

Goalkeeper David Seaman shared a dressing room with players who were known to be battling alcohol issues. Now he’s urging people to take Drinkaware’s free Drinking Check to ensure they are not putting their health at risk

Former Arsenal goalkeeper David Seaman still remembers the most surprising team talks of his long football career.

They weren’t the usual motivating call to arms. Instead, club captain Tony Adams and midfielder Paul Merson had much more personal messages to share with the players.

“They were struggling with alcohol,” recalls the ex-England keeper. “They actually stood up in front of all the team and told us what problems they had.

“When I was at Arsenal we had what we called the Tuesday Club. We knew we were off on a Wednesday, so more or less the whole team would go out and have a few beers. It was a bonding time – we were together and having fun. Not everybody got drunk, but some people did, and took it too far.

“Sadly, some of my teammates went past the point of no return.”

Seaman, now 61, retired from football in 2004 after making over 400 appearances for the Gunners and winning 75 caps for England.

As well as experiencing fellow players battling with alcohol issues, since hanging up his boots the legendary keeper has also witnessed problematic drinking among fans.

In 2021, Seaman was caught up in the disorder at Wembley Stadium during England’s match against Italy in the final of the Euros. He remembers seeing ticketless supporters, many of whom had been drinking, trying to storm the national stadium.

“There were people fighting and charging barriers – it was a scary moment,” he recalls. “I had my wife Frankie with me. My children were already in the ground, but even they weren’t safe.

“I was working as a pundit and fans started throwing cans up into the studio. It got really dangerous and we were actually forced to go off air.

“It was supposed to be a celebratory event, but it went too far. People like to go and be entertained, and they like to have a drink – it’s part of football. But it’s about control; knowing what’s too much.”

Seaman is now backing a campaign that encourages people to take the free Drinkaware Drinking Check to find out how alcohol may be affecting their health.

The quiz features 10 multiple-choice questions, including how many alcohol units you drink on a typical drinking day, and whether you can stop drinking after starting.

Answers to each are scored from zero to four, depending on the level of risk suggested by your response. The scores are added together to give a total score between zero and 40. The higher the score, the greater the likelihood that you are drinking in a harmful way.

Between zero and seven indicates lower risk; eight to 15, increasing risk; 16 to 19, higher risk, and 20 or more indicates possible dependence. Seaman’s score placed him in the lower-risk category.

However, the most recent statistics from the Drinkaware Monitor 2023 – an annual survey of the nation’s drinking habits – reveal that over 30% of UK drinkers are in the increasing risk, high risk or possible dependence categories. They also show that 20% of adults across the UK drink two or three times a week, while 15% do so four times or more.

“Often you don’t know how many drinks you’re having a week,” says Seaman. “One week might be different to the next, but when you look back and check the numbers, I think it might surprise a few people.

“It’s finding out the facts, and finding out what’s going on with your body. The Drinking Check is easy and it takes less than three minutes.

“I get regular health checkups, and this is another one that I will be doing, especially at my age. But even if you’re younger, you need to know what levels of alcohol you’re putting into your body.”

Drinkaware’s research showed that two-thirds of adult drinkers in the UK – an estimated 30 million people – have never been asked to check their drinking.

As well as helping to identify risky drinking behaviour, regularly taking the Drinking Check on the Drinkaware website can help you keep track of your alcohol consumption. It also offers tips and advice on how to stay within the chief medical officer’s low-risk guideline of 14 units a week – around six pints of beer or medium-sized glasses of wine.

“I enjoy having a glass of wine with a meal, or a couple of beers at a game,” Seaman says. “I’ve got a lot of friends now who can’t have a drink – ex-teammates and friends as well. I don’t want to be like that; I still want to enjoy having a drink.”

Karen Tyrell, CEO of Drinkaware, says, "We are used to regularly checking our eyesight or going to the dentist, so we should be doing the same for our drinking.”

Join thousands of people checking their drinking with the FREE, quick and easy Drinkaware Drinking Check

When company director Sol Curry, 51, from Bristol, took the Drinkaware Drinking Check six months ago, he was shocked by the results…

“When I did the test, the results showed that I was at increasing risk of damaging my health,” he says. “I was surprised. When you actually start counting anything and making a record of it, that’s when the mist clears and you usually discover it’s more than you expected. You can be talking an absurd amount of booze.

“Drinking is just something that’s been running along as a theme through my whole life. It almost became as normal as having breakfast.

“Before, I would quite happily get through three or four bottles of wine with my partner during a weekend. If I was in the pub with mates, I might have four pints, or even a couple more.

“I’m definitely drinking less now because I’m hyper-aware of it. I still go out to catch up with friends, but we’ll have two or three pints maximum. I’m much closer to being within the guidelines.

“Keeping on top of my drinking is also directly linked to how well my business is doing, and how good I’m feeling. I’m now more productive and less tired.”

“The Drinking Check is encouraging people like me, who are social drinkers, to step back and take a look at their alcohol consumption. Once you know about it, everything changes.

“But it’s a journey that only you can start. You can be nudged towards it by friends, family or partners. But people don’t like being told what to do, especially if they are in denial about something.

“For me it’s been a gradual process and making small changes. You’re not going to start drinking at 15 and get to the age of 51 and suddenly decide you’re going to turn it off like a tap. You can make incremental changes, and as long as you keep improving then that’s great.

“I’ve lost quite a bit of weight too. Recently I’ve been at my lightest since my 20s.”

Alcohol consumption in the UK

• Two-thirds of adult drinkers have never been asked to check their drinking.
• 30% of UK drinkers are currently shown to be at increasing risk, high risk or possible dependence.
• Two in five UK drinkers have tried to reduce the amount they drink over the past 12 months.
• One fifth of adults across the UK drink two or three times a week.
• 80% drink within the UK chief medical officer’s low-risk drinking guidelines of 14 units per week, up from 77% in 2020.
• 26% of UK adults are concerned about someone else's drinking.

^{Drinkaware Monitor 2023. UK wide sample of 10,473 adults aged 18 to 85 were interviewed, including 6,948 in England, 1,302 in Wales, 1,565 in Scotland and 658 in Northern Ireland.}