We tend to associate musicians with the “rock star lifetsyle.” For years, the stereotype has been that popular musicians are partying all of the time, and that their lifestyles of excess are fuel for the creative fires that give us the songs we adore. But many musicians have experienced the dark side of addiction, come out from under its cloud, and created amazing music without the psychoactive substances that we think of upon hearing the phrase “sex, drugs, and rock’n’roll.” Let’s take a look at 10 of their stories.
1) Elton John
The Rocketman will complete 30 years of sobriety this July, after decades of reliance on cocaine and alcohol. Sir Elton has stated that he was “consumed by cocaine, booze, and who knows what else.” He began using the drug as a way to battle his shyness and open up to others but ended up spending weeks at a time isolated in hotel rooms, alone with his addiction. He cites a 1990 encounter with a teen who had contracted AIDS from a transfusion of tainted blood as the life-changing experience which led him to sobriety. As he puts it “I knew that I had to change. And after he died, I realized that I only had two choices: I was either going to die or I was going to live, and which one did I want to do? And then I said those words, ‘I’ll get help,’ or, ‘I need help. I’ll get help.’ And my life turned around.”
2) Eminem
The controversial Detroit rapper began his career with songs that promoted drug use, but an addiction to powerful opioid painkillers changed his tune. A 2007 overdose put him in the hospital and forced him to take a long look at his life. His weight had ballooned, and his career and life were suffering from his reliance on pain pills. The rapper had some struggles with rehab, claiming that it was difficult to feel anonymous and honestly explore emotions as those around him stared. He has said that “people at rehab were stealing my hats and pens and notebooks and asking for autographs. I couldn’t concentrate on my problem.” But he persevered and beat his addiction with the help of frequent exercise and a private counselor. He’ll be 12 years sober this April.
3) Steven Tyler
The Aerosmith frontman is currently 9 years into his fourth “run” of sobriety, reminding us that for many addicts relapse is a part of the recovery process and not a cause for shame. Tyler worried that his creativity would be impacted by sobriety noting that “When you’re high and you create something out of thin air, and the whole world is singing your f***ing song that you wrote stoned, it’s hard to think that getting high wasn’t the reason that all that happened. But I’d get so high that I couldn’t be creative anymore.” Tyler claims he doesn’t regret his wild years, but notes that substance abuse “ takes you down. There’s nothing but jail, insanity or death.”
4) Lana Del Rey
Lana Del Rey began drinking every day as a teenager, which led her parents to enroll her in a boarding school, where she continued to drink and experiment with other drugs. A stint in a residential treatment facility turned her life around, and she now has over 16 years of sobriety under her belt. As she states “at first it’s fine and you think you have a dark side, it’s exciting, but then you realize the dark side wins every time if you indulge it.”
5) Tyler, The Creator
While many older artists cite the influence of drugs in unlocking their creativity, the endlessly provocative, genre-bending, Grammy winning artist Tyler, The Creator is evidence that edgy, dark, and creative music can be made while sober. Tyler identifies as “straight-edge” and has shared his opinions on the topic of drugs fueling creativity, tweeting: “if weed made people so creative why does everyone suck? That sh*t is not my thing, not knocking anyone who drink smoke or do whatever but some people like being in control of their head 100 percent.”
6) Vince Staples
Another rapper who defies the stereotype of the hard-partying artist is Vince Staples. Staples grew up in difficult circumstances in Long Beach California, surrounded by violence, and with a father who was an addict. He notes that “I never had time to think about whether my father’s addiction issues led to me not doing drugs, because I was too busy trying to cope with the reality of people dying and people trying to kill me.” In his quotes on addiction and pain, he echoes addictions expert Dr. Gabor Mate on the idea of living with pain: “People use drugs as a coping mechanism, and I’ve always held that reality. Reality hurts, but so does addiction—it’s just which pain you choose. That’s the reality of my situation.”
7) Eric Clapton
After years of abusing alcohol and a variety of drugs, Eric Clapton finally achieved lasting sobriety following the birth of his son Conor is 1986. When his son tragically died a few years later, his experiences in recovery helped him to cope with the monumental loss, and the memory of his son inspired his commitment to sobriety, and one of his greatest songs, “Tears In Heaven.” He wrote that “the year 1991 was horrendous on the face of it, but some precious seeds were sown. My recovery from alcoholism had taken on a new meaning. Staying sober really was the most important thing in my life now and had given me direction when I thought I had none.”
8) Calvin Harris
While most of us associate EDM with a hard-partying lifestyle, Calvin Harris, one of the genre’s most successful musicians, has opted for sobriety and health. He used to drink two bottles of Jack Daniel’s a night, but in 2014 he stopped drinking for the sake of his health and reports that his problems with arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat) have disappeared.
9) Trey Anastasio
As the lead singer of the immensely popular jam-band Phish, Trey Anastasio spent years composing anthems that encouraged and celebrated drug use. But the singer developed a severe case of opioid addiction in the ‘00s which left his career, health, and self-esteem reeling. An arrest for narcotics possession in 2007 led him to sobriety: “When I got arrested, I was very sick and I was in the process of losing everything that was dear to me. I had not played a show for two years and was out of communication with the guys in Phish. I was very sick and skinny and crazy and mean. It hurts my head to talk about this stuff, but it’s true.” Anastasio has been sober since 2007, but the struggle to find his footing again has been real: “It’s taken years—and it will probably be a lifetime—of unraveling how far I had strayed from my inner compass.” But he has found the inspiration and energy to make music and embrace life once more.
10) Ringo Starr
Ringo Starr suffered from alcohol addiction so severe that he estimates he was drinking 16 bottles of brandy a day at times, and refusing to leave his LA house because he would have to abstain from drinking while in the car. He eventually checked into rehab when he felt that he couldn’t stop drinking on his own, and he has been happy and healthy for over 30 years, making music with his “All Starr Band.”
If there’s one thing that these musicians can teach those of us in recovery, it’s that creative energy doesn’t come from the substances we imbibe or inject, but from within. The idea of creating while sober terrified many of these stars, but as substances robbed them of their powers, they began to understand just how harmful addiction could be. If you feel like you need help to rediscover your energy, creativity, and even yourself, get in touch with Tabula Rasa Retreat today!
For further information visit www.tabularasaretreat.com or call PT +351 965 751 649 UK +44 7961 355 530