Keith Urban is opening about his past struggles with alcohol, as he is about to hit 15-years of sobriety in October 2021. The country singer spoke about his past addictions, revealing that he hopes his battle doesn't' stop fans from drinking at his shows. The artist insisted that his struggles don't necessarily mean he has a "negative" opinion about alcohol and drugs and would hate to think his audience doesn't feel they can have a good time at his shows.
Speaking with Australia's Rolling Stone magazine, the former American Idol judge stated, "I don't want people at my concert looking at the stage and thinking about sobriety. That would be the death of a gig for me. The reason I don't really talk much about sobriety is it's a very personal thing and I don't want anyone thinking that I have a negative opinion of drugs or alcohol. I don't have any at all, none. I want people to come to my concert and do whatever the hell they want to do."
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The country singer did openly admit that it took him some time to realize that he had a big problem with substance abuse since he didn't necessarily depend on alcohol. He noted that he didn't feel the need to drink on a daily basis like his late father Robert once did. He noted, "It took me a long time to get sober. Took me a long time to recognize my alcoholism. A long time because I didn't drink like my dad, so I compared everything to him. But I was able to finally make the right choice in my life, that I wish my dad would have made."
The "Blue Ain't Your Color" singer admitted that he is grateful to his wife, Australian actress Nicole Kidman, after forcing him to confront his addiction issues and enter rehab for the third time after they married in 2006. He noted, "My wife put an intervention together - it was love in action." He stated that the actress' decision to stay with him after his third rehab stay in eight years ultimately ended up saving his life.
The country superstar continued, "That's the point right there where she really should've just walked. I'm just so glad she didn't, and she made a decision to turn around and ultimately initiate this intervention and it was done in such a way that the love in that room at that moment was just right. I was like, 'Put the cuffs on, let's go.'' Despite his struggles with addiction, Urban has become a successful country music artist with multiple accolades including several CMA awards and four Grammy awards.
