Is the sport of darts ready for a sober generation? Adrian Lewis speaks out against alcohol use in professional darts

Adrian Lewis would consider it a good development if players stopped drinking alcohol before their matches in the future. 'Jackpot' expressed the hope that the new generation of stars will forgo the drink and focus entirely on the game.

Lewis himself was one of the stars of the first two decades of this century and suddenly quit darts two years ago. However, the Englishman is preparing for a return. He stepped off the tour in 2023 to care for his ailing wife Sarah and recover mentally from the pressures of tour life.

The two-time world champion hopes his colleagues will stay sharp and sober in the years to come as they compete for the big prizes on the big stage. “I think it’s best policy that they don’t drink. If they can drown that out. That’s what I’m hoping to see in the future,” he said to Escapist Magazine. He also referred to the example of Chris Dobey. “Chris Dobey doesn’t drink. That’s until he’s done playing and then he gets bladdered."

Lewis is looking forward to his return and is excited to be back behind the oche. “I can’t wait to return to the oche! I’m playing a pairs tournament, International Pairs, with Steve Beaton. I’m looking forward to it, I really am. I’m just gonna get up there and enjoy it and whatever happens, happens. That’s what it’s about for me. Just making sure I enjoy it. Then come January, see where we are in order to get a tour card back.” 

Lewis, who has won four majors, emphasizes that the calm approach of the new generation of darters is important. Just last month, this group was labeled "boring" by Gary Anderson.

However, the darts legend believes the modern era has evolved, with social media playing an important role in how players behave and interact on the tour. "It’s like in our house, the lads are always on their phones, gaming. I just think that’s how a lot of that generation are now, that’s how it’s changed with social media.  

“I bet the young lads can have a laugh. Otherwise it’d be a pretty boring place. Everybody’s different aren’t they, some people won’t want to talk because they’re nervous. A lot of people talk because they are nervous.”

Looking back on the recent World Matchplay, Lewis was very impressed with the performance of young Luke Littler, who won the title and broke Lewis' record for the number of 180s in the tournament with a total of 64 maximum scores. Lewis described the tournament as one of the best he had ever seen.

“I’ll tell you what, that’s got to be one of the best Matchplays I’ve ever seen. The standard and everything else. The amount of times Luke Littler went 5-0 down. I was there for the final. It was a great tournament. But the final was fantastic, it really was.”