Get by with a little help from your friends.
Earlier this year, Justin Moore announced that he was taking some time off from touring to focus on his health. And after he returned to the stage, he opened up with his fans and revealed that he had spent 30 days in rehab after his alcohol use had gotten out of control.
During an appearance on TL’s Road House with Tracy Lawrence, Justin opened up on his struggle, revealing that being locked down during the COVID pandemic accelerated his drinking:
“I didn’t drink until I was 21. Don’t ask me how or why. Almost 20 years, [I] never had any issue whatsoever. And then COVID hit, we were doing our podcast at the time and literally nothing else. Man, ‘Idle hands are the Devil’s workshop’ is a real thing. A drink at 5:00 turned into 3:00 and noon. Then, before you know it, it’s all day, every day. [It was] not even really getting smashed, just constantly having a cocktail.”
As he explained, he began noticing how much time and energy he was putting into drinking over the past two years, and finally decided it was time to get help:
“The last year, in particular, maybe two years, I just noticed I was putting so much energy into drinking and all that kind of stuff that it was taking away from not only my professionalism, but my family, most importantly, church, that kind of stuff.
I came home one Sunday as we do… I walked straight upstairs [and] told my wife, ‘I gotta go get help.’ I just gotta do it. I have to do it. It wasn’t fun, but I just looked at it like a business trip.”
At the time, Justin was on the road with Riley Green for his Cowboy As It Gets Tour, and ultimately he ended up missing 5 of the tour dates that he was supposed to play with the “Way Out Here” singer. But during a recent show, Justin opened up on just how supportive Riley was when he made the decision to step away and go to rehab:
“We were on the road with him and I talked to him and said, ‘Man, I need to do this.’ He didn’t bat an eye, he just said, ‘Dude, go help yourself and your family, and your spot’s ready to go when you come back.’
I say that to say this, his folks have been very kind and supportive to me and said some very nice things to me as well, and I just want them to know that I appreciate that. And I want them to know, I told them this personally, but their son is obviously as big as it gets in this business right now, but I’m proud to call him a friend, and he’s a damn good friend and a damn good man. All you guys that are fans of him and all you guys and gals that have kiddos that are fans of him, you should be damn proud that you do.”
You love to hear that Riley was so supportive of his decision to get sober, in a business that all too often revolves around drinking to have a good time. There’s a lot of pressure on artists for the show to go on no matter what, but it’s more important to take care of yourself. There are plenty of artists who have faced the same battle as Justin, but unfortunately there are some who have lost the battle too, so it’s great to see Justin able to get things under control before it was too late – with the help and support of some friends.
I’ve seen Justin in concert quite a few times, including just a couple months ago, and I can unequivocally say he’s the best he’s ever been on stage now that he’s sober. He sounds great, looks great, and puts on one hell of a show.
Good on Riley for supporting him through that.
