Billie Joe Armstrong Talks Getting Sober! Spoiler: It's TOUGH!

Do you ever wonder what it’s like to go through withdrawal after a decade of substance abuse?
Well, we hope you never have to find out first hand, like Billie Joe Armstrong did after his meltdown at the iHeartRadio festival last year. We’re glad he’s open about it instead of having to find out for ourselves!
Here’s what he said:

“I was going through withdrawal. That was gruesome, laying on the bathroom floor and just feeling like… I didn’t realize how much that stuff affected me. And it’s not the stuff that is immediately in your system. It goes back to how long you’ve been using. It was working its way out.
I was going through so much sh*t. Even in the second week, I was like, ‘I don’t belong here. I’m not convinced.’ The sick part of it is I wanted to get all of the narcotics out of my system so I could start drinking. But that’s the insanity of the whole thing. You make excuses. You rationalize. You can take a sh*t in a mailbox — that doesn’t mean it’s the right thing to do.”

That sounds AWFUL!
The physical side of it isn’t the only side of it too. Billie opted to do rehab at his home instead of a clinic (he still employed a nurse) so he could be around his loved ones. The only problem is, why would you want your loved ones to see you like that?
Her continued:

“I kept it away from my sons pretty good. My dogs kept looking at me, wondering how I’m doing. They can sense that stuff. I could have gone to a facility, but this way I could be around my loved ones.”

The hardest part will be going back on tour, since he canceled a bunch of the last one, and avoiding temptation. There will probably be rules on alcohol backstage, and the looming fear of playing sober — something he’s never really done:

“Sometimes I’m not sure I’m ready. There is still the obsession for alcohol. There’s also sleepless nights. But I have to work on it every day. Because I know what goes on out there. I’m hosting this giant party for people. At least 70-75 percent of the people in the audience have been getting a drink on. I’ve got to watch my step.”

Good luck, Billie!
We’d say as long as you can keep the thought of losing it all and how much healthier you are in the forefront of your mind, we’d bet that you’re strong enough to do this!
We believe in you!
[Image via WENN.]