# List of Rock Stars that have successfully made it back from the brink of self destruction? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 8, 2015, 9:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-of-rock-stars-that-have-successfully-made-it-back-from-the-brink-of-self-destruction/739809 "2015-12-08T09:34:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2015, 9:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-of-rock-stars-that-have-successfully-made-it-back-from-the-brink-of-self-destruction/739809/1 "2015-12-08T09:34:05Z")
Title say it all. I’m just trying to comprise a list of rock stars that have successfully beaten their addictions. Whether it be drugs or alcohol. (or whatever) ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2015, 10:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-of-rock-stars-that-have-successfully-made-it-back-from-the-brink-of-self-destruction/739809/2 "2015-12-08T10:24:09Z")
How can anyone but the artist really know? ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2015, 10:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-of-rock-stars-that-have-successfully-made-it-back-from-the-brink-of-self-destruction/739809/3 "2015-12-08T10:29:50Z")
Alice Cooper has overcome an alcohol addiction. ---
**Author:** ![Shakester](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shakester/32/437_2.png) [@Shakester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shakester)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2015, 10:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-of-rock-stars-that-have-successfully-made-it-back-from-the-brink-of-self-destruction/739809/4 "2015-12-08T10:31:17Z")
You’re going to have difficulty with definitions there. Plenty of rock musicians are still alive despite a once-prodigious drug/booze intake. But is someone who has, for instance, Hep C or alcohol-related cirrhosis really back from the brink of destruction or have they just temporarily postponed it? ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2015, 10:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-of-rock-stars-that-have-successfully-made-it-back-from-the-brink-of-self-destruction/739809/5 "2015-12-08T10:39:46Z")
Stevie Ray Vaughan did, and his music was better than ever. Then he got killed in a helicopter crash. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2015, 10:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-of-rock-stars-that-have-successfully-made-it-back-from-the-brink-of-self-destruction/739809/6 "2015-12-08T10:43:07Z")
Steve Earle, too. (ed: not the helocopter part) ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2015, 10:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-of-rock-stars-that-have-successfully-made-it-back-from-the-brink-of-self-destruction/739809/7 "2015-12-08T10:45:37Z")
Lou Reed, Bowie and Iggy Pop all seemed to be sailing off the edge at one point. They’ve all lived longer than I would have expected them to. Cris Kirkwood of the Meat Puppets was so gone his brother didn’t want to have anything to do with him any more, and he ended up in prison after being shot by a cop. These days, they’re playing as the Meat Puppets again, and everything I’ve heard points to Cris being back. His brother referred to it as a “Lazarus-type thing”. ---
**Author:** ![RobDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f07891/32.png) [@RobDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RobDog)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2015, 11:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-of-rock-stars-that-have-successfully-made-it-back-from-the-brink-of-self-destruction/739809/8 "2015-12-08T11:00:18Z")
> [@scabpicker](#): > > Lou Reed, Bowie and Iggy Pop all seemed to be sailing off the edge at one point. They’ve all lived longer than I would have expected them to. > > Cris Kirkwood of the Meat Puppets was so gone his brother didn’t want to have anything to do with him any more, and he ended up in prison after being shot by a cop. These days, they’re playing as the Meat Puppets again, and everything I’ve heard points to Cris being back. His brother referred to it as a “Lazarus-type thing”. That’s an interesting one; I was going to mention Lou Reed too, but before doing so, I read \*\* Shakester’s\*\* post, which gave me pause. Certainly Reed lived to an advanced age given his history with drugs and alcohol, but then again the enjoyment of his later years must have been severely affected by the same. I guess in the final analysis, yes, he made it back from the brink, but at what cost? Bowie is probably a better example, but I’m not sure how hard-core a user he was. Not to trivialize, but I get the impression he was more of a dabbler than a serious addict. ---
**Author:** ![RobDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f07891/32.png) [@RobDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RobDog)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2015, 11:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-of-rock-stars-that-have-successfully-made-it-back-from-the-brink-of-self-destruction/739809/9 "2015-12-08T11:03:21Z")
On the other hand, Lemmie from Motorhead seems to not so much have come back from the brink, but to be running up and down it, flicking V-signs and spilling Jack Daniels and Coke over the edge. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2015, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-of-rock-stars-that-have-successfully-made-it-back-from-the-brink-of-self-destruction/739809/10 "2015-12-08T11:25:39Z")
Umm, almost everyone? Haven’t you watched _ **Behind the Music** _? 😉 Aerosmith, with its Toxic Twins, broke up in large part due to drugs - uh, got new guitarists. They got lucky with the crossover Walk this Way remake and throwing their lot with some great songwriters for Permanent Vacation… ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2015, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-of-rock-stars-that-have-successfully-made-it-back-from-the-brink-of-self-destruction/739809/11 "2015-12-08T11:43:26Z")
> [@RobDog](#): > > That’s an interesting one; I was going to mention Lou Reed too, but before doing so, I read \*\* Shakester’s\*\* post, which gave me pause. Certainly Reed lived to an advanced age given his history with drugs and alcohol, but then again the enjoyment of his later years must have been severely affected by the same. I guess in the final analysis, yes, he made it back from the brink, but at what cost? Well, we believe it generally beats the alternative. > [@RobDog](#): > > Bowie is probably a better example, but I’m not sure how hard-core a user he was. Not to trivialize, but I get the impression he was more of a dabbler than a serious addict. There’s more than a record or two that he doesn’t really remember making because of the coke. Nile Rodgers says Bowie specifically doesn’t remember _Pin Ups_. ---
**Author:** ![GoodOmens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d26b3c/32.png) [@GoodOmens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GoodOmens)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2015, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-of-rock-stars-that-have-successfully-made-it-back-from-the-brink-of-self-destruction/739809/12 "2015-12-08T11:45:59Z")
Several members of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Basically all of Metallica. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2015, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-of-rock-stars-that-have-successfully-made-it-back-from-the-brink-of-self-destruction/739809/13 "2015-12-08T15:13:21Z")
David Crosby is the poster child for this. But the number who had cocaine or heroin or booze addictions in the 1970s was gigantic. Every big name in Britain seems a likely candidate for the list: Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, Elton John, John Lennon, Ringo Starr… ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2015, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-of-rock-stars-that-have-successfully-made-it-back-from-the-brink-of-self-destruction/739809/14 "2015-12-08T17:05:20Z")
I know of a once-successful rocker who beat her drug problem, but she also got out of the business and was never heard from again. But she is alive. Does that count? ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2015, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-of-rock-stars-that-have-successfully-made-it-back-from-the-brink-of-self-destruction/739809/15 "2015-12-08T17:20:57Z")
Eric Clapton and James Taylor are the two I immediately thought of. [Taylor battled severe depression](http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/rockandpopfeatures/11679104/James-Taylor-A-big-part-of-my-story-is-recovery-from-addiction.html)and a heroin habit. His recovery and career is pretty amazing. [Eric Clapton](http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=15412830) also battled heroin, cocaine and alcohol addictions. He’s been sober 20 years now. But sadly, it seems like very few pop or rock stars didn’t have drug and alcohol problems. The severity varied from person to person. But very few escaped addiction’s clutches. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2015, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-of-rock-stars-that-have-successfully-made-it-back-from-the-brink-of-self-destruction/739809/16 "2015-12-08T17:33:26Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > But sadly, it seems like very few pop or rock stars didn’t have drug and alcohol problems. The severity varied from person to person. But very few escaped addiction’s clutches. Ehh, I disagree. There’s been entire movements in rock based around being clean and sober. News isn’t made when a pop star is well-adjusted, deals with conflict rationally, and doesn’t go to rehab. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2015, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-of-rock-stars-that-have-successfully-made-it-back-from-the-brink-of-self-destruction/739809/17 "2015-12-08T17:56:38Z")
The media should profile more musicians that avoided drug and alcohol problems. The perception is that its extremely wide spread throughout the industry. [The lifestyle of Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll is changing…](https://www.thefix.com/content/look-myth-sex-drugs-and-rock-n-roll?page=all) A talented young musician today could benefit from positive role models in the music business. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2015, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-of-rock-stars-that-have-successfully-made-it-back-from-the-brink-of-self-destruction/739809/18 "2015-12-08T18:19:37Z")
> [@RobDog](#): > > Bowie is probably a better example, but I’m not sure how hard-core a user he was. Not to trivialize, but I get the impression he was more of a dabbler than a serious addict. David Bowie did so much cocaine that there are entire albums of his that he has no memory of ever working on. A dabbler, he was not. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2015, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-of-rock-stars-that-have-successfully-made-it-back-from-the-brink-of-self-destruction/739809/19 "2015-12-08T18:55:51Z")
Barry McGuire never made it back after “Eve of Destruction”. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2015, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-of-rock-stars-that-have-successfully-made-it-back-from-the-brink-of-self-destruction/739809/20 "2015-12-08T19:07:55Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > Barry McGuire never made it back after “Eve of Destruction”. Barry McGuire has been a hard core Christian since the early 1970’s. I have his first 2 Christian rock albums and he’s influential as a Christian music producer. He produced albums for a group called 2nd Chapter of Acts that’s really good. AFAIK he’s still very much clean and sober and has been for at least 40 years. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-of-rock-stars-that-have-successfully-made-it-back-from-the-brink-of-self-destruction/739809.md?page=2)