SCOTT STAPP On His Sobriety: 'I Have Had Two Or Three Slips In 10 Years'

In a new interview with the “The Johnny Dare Morning Show”, CREED front man Scott Stapp spoke about what it has been like to reunite with his bandmates after publicly grappling with substance abuse problems and mental health struggles in the mid-2010s. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “This is very cliché, but it's so true. It's not how many times we fall. What makes a man or a woman is getting back up. We're all gonna get knocked down, no matter whether it's by our own choices or by life circumstances, but you've gotta keep getting up. And I think that doing that and having that will — it doesn't make me special; we all have it in us — to not let life defeat us, to keep getting up, I think it just continues to build a strength inside of you that ends up inevitably leading to good things happening. And hence me and the boys getting back together again and everything that's happening now of experience that I hope I can continue to share with people and let them know they're not alone and that, man, if I can do it, anybody can do it.”

Stapp went on to say that he is enjoying performing now more than he ever has in the past.

“That's one thing that I've learned over the years, is just stay in the moment, stay in the present, appreciate these good things in life because they can all be gone tomorrow,” he said. “And I think that's one thing that we've all learned in the band as well as in our personal lives, is to cherish relationships, nurture relationships, and don't take anything for granted because it can all be gone tomorrow, especially when good things are happening in your life.”

As for how long he has been sober now, Scott said: “Oh, man. I have had two or three slips in 10 years. And so when I say slips, it's three or four hours and then I'm, like, 'What am I doing?' and then [get] right back on track. So, I say I've had three or four bad days in 10 years. So that's serious progress for me. And this whole thing, they say, it's about progress, not perfection. But needless to say, that's a win for me and I'm sober today. And I plan to be sober tomorrow. And so I just take it one day at a time and keep moving forward.”

Asked if it is scary to walk out on that stage a hundred percent sober or if it is better than ever, Scott said: “No, I love it. I love it, man. I mean, you feel and see and process everything. And the energy that is happening up there between the audience and the band, to be in it and living it and experiencing it with a clear mind and a clear body and a healthy mind and a healthy body, it's the only way to do it, Man. And it allows me to deliver the best performances of my life, in my opinion, and then also be fully present to engage in the audience and to seize moments as they come up. And I think it just makes for an unforgettable experience for all involved.”

Scott previously discussed his sobriety last month in an interview with Stereogum. Asked if it is difficult staying sober on a cruise ship, like on the band's two sold-outs “Summer Of '99” cruises earlier this year, he responded: “No, it's not. I create my own world. And I have my own, my entire situation laid out for me and a big 5,000-square-foot cabin. And I actually brought my sponsor out , just because he's my friend. Not because I was concerned about having a drink. But my sponsor was there with me. And that's what I do. my own sober environment.”

He continued: “Drinking, at this point in my life, it's not an option. That's where I'm at. I wake up every day and have notes on my phone that remind me throughout the day, drinking is not an option. And I stay in touch with my sponsor and try to surround myself with other people trying to stay sober. And in doing that, I've only had two or three slips in the last 10 years came. And hoping the next 10 years there'll be no slips.”

Back in 2019, Stapp credited his family with helping him achieve sobriety after years of abusing alcohol, Xanax and Percocet.

“My [then-]wife and my kids were critical in helping me get sober,” he said Meltdown of the Detroit radio station WRIF. “It got to the point where it was either get sober or lose my wife and kids, man, and that's about the lowest rock bottom that I could possibly have gotten to. So they were critical.”

According to Stappthe rock and roll lifestyle “definitely” contributed to him “going down that wrong path. I just had so much in front of me, and being so naïve, walking into it, I just didn't know how to handle it, and it got a hold of me,” he explained. “And around the same time, I had my first onset of depression. And you combine that with self-medicating, with alcohol and whatever else you can find, and it's a bad scenario, man. And it took me years to really find out what was going on. I had to go to the other side of it. And it's so nice to be … on the other side of a wild ride.”

This past May, People reported that Stapp and his wife Jaclyn were headed for divorce after 18 years of marriage.

The 51-year-old rocker and Jaclyn are parents to daughter Milan and sons Daniel swear Anthonywhile Stapp is also father to son Jagger with ex-wife Hillary Burns.

CREED played his first two shows in 12 years in April as the headliners of the “Summer Of '99” cruise. The band performed aboard a second cruise, the “Summer Of '99 And Beyond”traveling from Florida's Port Canaveral to Nassau from April 27 to May 1. A full-fledged tour, also dubbed “Summer Of '99” tour, produced by Live Nationkicked off on July 17 and wrapped on September 28. Another tour, “Are You Ready?”kicked off earlier this month and will run through December.

photo credit: Matt Akana