Former Soccer AM star Tubes opens up on devastating impact alcoholism had on his life – and how he was able to overcome it – on Soccer A-Z podcast
Football AM legend Peter ‘Tubes’ Dale has detailed the extent of his alcoholism during the show’s heyday, and how he managed to overcome it.
After initially joining the long-running Saturday morning act as an assistant producer, Tubes became one of the most beloved on-air stars for his comedic timing and hilarious celebrity questions.
During that time, however, he admitted that he struggled with alcoholism before he was finally able to kick the habit.
The 42-year-old appeared on Mail’s Soccer AZ podcast alongside his former co-stars and revealed that at the height of his problems he was forced to plan his life around the addiction both inside and outside of work.
“My whole life, the last few years of drinking, was planned around drinking,” he said.
“So I would look at what interviews I had, what Chelsea’s fixture list was, and it would all be like, I can drink then, I can drink then.
Former Soccer AM star Tubes has detailed the extent of his alcoholism before he got sober
Tubes was one of the key figures of the long-running Sky Sports program during its heyday alongside current Soccer AZ hosts Helen Chamberlain and Tim Lovejoy
During his time at Soccer, AM Tubes revealed that he would hide his addiction from his colleagues
‘So when I went to the pub, I always went to the off-licence beforehand and bought a lot of small vodkas, so that I could keep going when the last order was taken, but also for the next morning.
‘I got up in the morning and drank the vodka to get back on track. It was a very strong addiction and I’m so glad I decided to quit.’
Helen Chamberlain revealed that she had tried to broach the subject with Tubes during their collaboration, but was rebuffed.
“I mean, alcoholics are really good liars,” Tubes continued.
‘I just lied for years. I remember you asking, and I was always careful that I would stink because I drank in the morning.
“Some mornings when you picked me up, I’d have had a few vodkas to keep me going. But I would lie. I lie every week, like I have so many tactics to hide it too.
“It got to the point where, when my father died, I went back to my mother’s house to take care of my mother, but if I had forgotten my vodkas for the next morning, if I had gone out the night before, I would discover ways to get alcohol back into the house.
‘I was going to leave early. I got up at 4:30, looked under the bed and said, “Oh no, there’s no vodka,” or “there’s no beer.”
The 42-year-old Chelsea superfan admitted that at the height of his problem he would go to an off-licence as soon as he woke up
“So I go to the liquor store, the poor lady just said, ‘You’re back. I know what you want.’
‘So I used to wear football socks and buy the football socks, you know, you take the socks and put vodka in the football socks, because obviously my mom knew I had a problem, so she would I searched the bag, but I had so much stuff to get vodka back into the house.
‘You lie all the time as an alcoholic because you care. So yeah, it was exhausting.”
After years of abuse, Tubes revealed that he realized he had reached an ultimatum and had to make a change.
He continued, “I stopped, stopped completely. I went to an AA meeting, which I always say helps millions around the world.
“But for me personally, when the guest speaker came over and talked about what happened to him because of the alcohol. I thought, “This is what’s going to happen to me. I’m going to lose everything.”
“So that really helps. But I didn’t like the other things so much. I just didn’t think it would help me. I thought if I don’t drink that first drink, all hell won’t break loose afterward. So that’s how I live. Don’t touch the first one.’
When asked what he would recommend to others in a similar situation, Tubes emphasized the need to rely on others for support.
Tubes was a fan favorite on Soccer AM before leaving Sky last year after more than two decades
“Talk to people, let people know how you feel,” he added.
“Let people know you have a problem because you’ll be amazed at the support you’ll get if you admit you have a problem.”
‘The number of people who now say to me: ‘well done’, such as on social media or my friends.
‘If you’re struggling on your own, it becomes a lot more difficult. A problem shared is therefore a problem halved. So I talk to people, make sure we people know you’re having a hard time.’
For support, call the Samaritans 24-hour helpline on 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org, visit a Samaritans branch or visit the Samaritans website.