1stepup

Was speaking to a fellow alcoholic today and we were discussing the HUGE impact music and rock bands had on our drinking growing up, for me it was the Oasis era and then theres that whole 60's, 70's stuff. It seemed cool to live fast and die young type attitude, it definitely accelerated my drinking. Lets face it Keith Moon, Jimi Hendrix, John Bonham, Kurt Cobain, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison... the list is endless, what is it with the excitement of living on the edge knowing where it all leads? By the time Id had enough of it all I discovered I couldn't stop and that I was an alcoholic.

sugarbear1

Try dating a musician.....who's brother is the biggest local dealer....

Dee74

I know I thought I was immortal, impervious and made of titanium throughout my 20s.

I really didn't think it would end badly for me.

It took my 30s to bring me back down to earth.

I suspect it was the same for many other, celebs or not.
Sadly lots of them never made 30.

D

Twinings

Been in bands since I was 15, was obsessed with Richie Manic and Kurt Cobain. I was young dumb and wanted to live fast die young. Was already drinking too much and would only get on stage drunk. I probably won't get on stage again which saddens me a lil.

Dee74

I went back to music after I got sober Twinings - it's possible

D

PhaseTwo

Yeah Jim Morrison was somewhat of an idol to me. I took a lot of mushrooms lsd and drank, tried other drugs and continued to drink, and then really dedicated my focus on drinking all in some lame attempt to discover the meaning of life through drug use. Thankfully I' ve snapped out of it. Live fast and die young sounds cool until you actually see the writings on the wall.

PhaseTwo

I loved the song ' roadhouse blues' when I was an alcoholic. Now I hate it, and when I see my dads band playing it and all the alcoholics falling over belting out that line "woke up this morning and got myself a beer" it is sad because that was me.

ReadyAndAble

I go to a lot of concerts; it's one of my main forms of entertainment. And I have to say, I am impressed by the professionalism of the acts I see these days. Big rock bands, little indie bands—those people are there to perform. Out of all the shows I went to last year, I saw exactly one performer so much as drink during a show—and it was a cellist who sipped her red wine so slowly, it was still half full at the end of the show. (And don't let the cello fool you, it was a rock show.).

I've also been struck by the fact that while there are inevitably some drunk or high people at shows, it's not nearly as prevalent as I thought it was. I think when I was drinking, my mind seized on everything it could—a lyric in a song, celebrity drug and alcohol abuse, a fellow drunk at a concert—to rationalize and romanticize my own drinking.

If I'm going to romanticize any rock stars, I'll go for someone like Clapton. Dude's weathered addiction and some horrible personal tragedies, and yet here he is today, one of rock's true class acts.

SkyeSea

I was in a folk band and used to drink to get myself on stage (never got over stage-fright), then of course, after would be 'celebrating' blah de blah.
All seemed acceptable back then, even in literature, they were all 'stones/pi$$ed - the Victorian writers/poets/artists I mean (not that i'm THAT old)

SweatyHands

Yeah, that pretty much sums up my experiences. Now that I'm sober I find it harder to put a band together. I attribute this mainly to the fact that I don't hang out at bars all day anymore, surrounded by other musicians who had nothing better to do than sit in the bar all day looking for the perfect musical partner. For those who are not musicians, "the personal musical partner" is code for a drummer with a van, a pa and a heated practice space.

My guitar playing, singing and songwriting is the best it has ever been so I am content to wait until I find the right people to play with.

Some more observations: I always foolishly thought that my credibility as a rocker depended in my ability to get shockingly smashed and barely limp my way through a set while babbling incomprehensible gibberish that I thought was brilliant and incredibly profound in between EVERY SINGLE SONG. Also, it still seems a little odd to hear the opening notes of "Brown Sugar" while refreshing my drink and watching the sun rise. With one eye closed so as not to needlessly add that second wobbly sun to the sky. Sticky Fingers is a way better record without a gaggle of loud drunks slurring over top of the whole record and then playing it again because no one really noticed that it had just played.

I can honestly say that I can in no way look back fondly or romanticize those days. In reality, it makes me nauseous and embarrassed to think of any of that.

Banquo

My favourite band is Queen but I can't say I hosted many parties with dwarves carrying cocaine on silver platters. If the music is good you could enjoy it sober or drunk.

And thank you for reminding me that Rock and Roll Star is a fantastic song and has to be played LOUD!

SixStringZen

I'm embarrassed by some of the half-assed shows I've phoned in...couple that with the spectacle I've been known to make of myself, and I don't romanticize it at all anymore...I'm happy to play sober...I even enjoy the thrill of the stage fright now...

mecanix

Some survived , Clapton , Halford ..

I am far more creative and prolific now i'm sober
Sing better since i gave up smoking,
My timing has improved since stopping drinking .. also being clean and clear give you the best chance of doing a great performance imho ..

Bestwishes, m

SkyeSea

Eric Clapton is the reason I got my first guitar, when I was 8

jdooner

I was never musically inclined. I love listening though, Pink Floyd, Grateful DEad, Bob Dylan, Neil YOung, Jimmy H, then Paul Simon, Simon and Garfunkel...later my tasted morphed into Samples, Widespread Panic, Blues Traveler. Recently I went through a phase of Electronic Dance Music and began learning and producing Progressive House. I have met with Afrojack and played at clubs/bars. I think this was a way to feel young, constantly live the club scene with drugs and booze. However, it opened me up to learning about music - I use Ableton and started to learn about synth etc. In short it taught me that I could not just listen but participate and open up this side of my brain as mis guided as the reasoning may have been.

For my month sober present to myself I am heading out to buy a Taylor 514e-FLTD - yeah, I know its way over the top for someone that can't play but I can't wait to learn. I pick it up today and have lined up a teacher to work with me three days a week and plan to learn how to play.

My point is my tastes have come full circle. I know I needed to change routines and find new activities from what I had before. I am excited to learn how to play and provide a voice to express myself.

I hope I did not hijack the threads intended purpose but thought this fit.

croydonlad

Well, not sure I grew up in a better time for music but the big bands for me and my friends were the likes of the Spice Girls, All Saints, Five, 911. Bad times (although, secretly brings back very happy memories - first big concer I went to was Spice Girls at Wembley Stadium when I was about 13 lol).

Anyway, if you're in the UK, think ITV2's The Big Reunion. We see those bands enjoying a drink or two on a night out but they were squeaky clean back in the day lol. No drink or drugs (or so we were told at the time).

1stepup

Ive read claptons autobiography and it is an inspiring read, its encouraging to know that he didn't make it the first time and that he had to go into rehab twice for the penny to finally drop, how he stayed sober when his son died shows the power of recovery for me, well worth a read.

SweatyHands

Greg Allman's autobiography "Not My Cross To Bear" is another very inspiring story of a creative life pulled back out of the abyss. His description of getting a ride to the liquor store in the morning for his two pints of vodka and fresh squeezed orange juice as his "gate shot". Brought back uncomfortable memories and reminded me of how far I've come in such a short time. Pete Townsend's "Who I Am" was another cautionary tale of keeping it on the rails. As a confirmed Stones fanatic, Keith Richards' "Life" was a different kind of reminder -- I'm not built out of the same stuff as him. Although not really a rock biography, but written like one is Steve O's "Professional Idiot." I read that right out of detox and felt it compelling, inspiring, and for the most part, the kind of funny that only a recovering addict could laugh at.

I was personally scared s$&@less when Amy Winehouse died from Detox. That single event was what got my mind thinking that supervised detox was going to be in my future. Luckily, it was. Suddenly the cost of going in for detox seemed minuscule in comparison with the alternative.

SkyeSea

Yes, I think Amy Winehouse was a shock to a lot of us, bless her