In a recent interview, Gilbert joked that he is “allergic” because it causes him to “break out into handcuffs.”
Country music star Brantley Gilbert talked sobriety and spending time with people who drink in a recent interview with PopCulture.com. Gilbert, like many musicians, found himself pulled into substance abuse and addiction as he gained fame and fought hard to reclaim control of his life after years of alcoholism and prescription drug abuse.
Today, he’s seven years sober and is not only able to spend time around people while they drink, he says he enjoys it.
“It’s just one of those things where I’ve decided it wasn’t for me,” he said. “It’s just a thing that’s just not a part of my life any more. It’s around everything I do, and my career is around it. I enjoy being in the environment, I enjoy being around people that drink.”
This includes his wife “when she’s not pregnant,” Gilbert says. He also joked that he’s “allergic” to alcohol, saying it causes him to “break out into handcuffs.”
The singer has joked being arrested multiple times in the past. In an interview with Taste of Country, he responded to a question about Spring Break by saying that his police record in Panama City says he’s been there, “but I don’t recall it.”
“My arrest report says I’ve been to Panama City a few times,” he said, laughing.
All jokes aside, Gilbert’s addiction disorder likely would have killed him if he hadn’t gotten the support and treatment he needed.
In an interview with PEOPLE last year, he revealed that in 2011 his doctors told him that if he didn’t stop drinking, he would be dead within a year. Even then, he didn’t take recovery very seriously.
“I still put it off and was trying to slow down on my own, like, ‘All right I’m only gonna let myself take two pills today. I’m only gonna drink this much of my bottle and make a mark on the bottle.’ And it would work a couple days — and then somebody throws a party.”
Thankfully, fellow country music singer Keith Urban gave Gilbert an unexpected boost of inspiration when he needed it, explaining that creativity could still thrive without alcohol. Now Gilbert is enjoying a growing family with his wife, one-year-old son, and their yet-unborn baby girl. He’s only worried about one day having to explain his addiction disorder to his children.
“It’s one thing now for me and my career,” he said. “It’s another thing when these little ones get old enough to hear stories. They’re gonna know I’m not a super-hero like most kids do. We’ll cross those bridges when we get to them.”
