It’s no secret that the life of a rock ‘n’ roll artist is often one of excess.
As many of these people will tell you, there’s a lot of trouble one can into on the road, and it isn’t always as glamorous as it appears on the surface.
For some, drugs and alcohol eventually led to their deaths, often at a young age: Jimi Hendrix, John Bonham, Janis Joplin and Keith Moon died as a result of addiction. But others have stared substance abuse in its face and overcome it. Getting sober, sometimes after years of being an addict, isn’t easy, and neither is sticking to it. But for those who accomplish it, it can feel like a weight has been lifted.
“I managed to save myself,” Stevie Nicks noted in 2021 about her cocaine addiction. “I got through some pretty scary moments. But I saved me. Nobody else saved me. I survived me. I survived my cocaine. I survived it myself.”
For National Sobriety Day on Sept. 14, we take a look at 37 Rock Artists Who Have Achieved Recovery and have spoken about their journey to get there. To be clear, not everyone on the below list is entirely sober; some have quit drugs altogether while some still use marijuana, while others have ditched hard drugs but occasionally still drink. But all have found a path to an overall healthier and happier lifestyle.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. You can call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org where trained counselors are at hand 24/7.
Sobriety Stories: 37 Rock Artists Who Have Achieved Recovery
These musicians faced their substance abuse issues head-on.
