By: Lakeview Health
You have heard of plenty of rock stars leading the wild and glamorous life. So many times you see these rock gods touring the world, playing to packed stadiums, being paid the millions just to spend it all on drugs, alcohol and parties. These stories usually end badly: broke, jobless, sick, overdose and sadly death. However, there are some rock stars who turn things around and get clean and sober. For Everclear’s lead singer, Art Alexakis, things were different. His struggle with addiction almost killed him before he even hit stardom. Tough Beginnings Alexakis didn’t have a charmed childhood. His father left his family when he was 6 years old, he was sexually abused by neighborhood kids, everyone in his family did drugs, his older brother died of a heroin overdose and his girlfriend committed suicide. All this happened before he turned 14! He turned to drugs at an early age to help him deal with all these traumas. The Dark Winding Road of Drug Addiction Alexakis did it all: Marijuana, alcohol, acid, cocaine. By 22, he barely survived a cocaine overdose and was still wandering in the world of drug addiction. He smoked marijuana and drank alcohol to deal with anxiety, a sign of a dual diagnosis disorder, but his substance abuse pushed him to his limits. On June 15, 1989, he finally got sober. Sobriety and Rock ‘n Roll Today, Alexakis has been sober for 23 years and counting. He states that as an addict, he is never “out of the woods” of addiction. Recovery is something he has to work at every single day. His offers some advice to staying sober: “Stay present and be very aware.” He also recommends therapy and maintaining healthy relationships with people who genuinely care for your recovery.
