Sober 21

I stumbled on Sober 21 this morning, which describes itself as “a compendium of essays by, and interviews with, sober musicians”.

The editor’s introductory essay describes the project as follows:

It’s a free resource for musicians who want to begin the journey, or are new to the path of getting clean and sober from drugs and alcohol. … Few professions are as incessantly perilous to the potential alcoholic/drug addict as that of being a musician. You are literally paid to be in rooms with alcohol every night you perform, and are plied with drink tickets and booze in the green room. Alcohol and drug abuse is quite often not only normalized, but expected, encouraged, and even celebrated. … While there are shelves of truly wonderful books dedicated to sobriety, a dearth of material exists that specifically addresses the unique challenges musicians face in getting clean. … Sober 21 brings together a group of musicians that varies in age, gender, race, sexual orientation, musical styles, amount of time sober, and years in the music industry. What they have in common is that they were actively addicted to alcohol and drugs, and that they share here that they are now free from that addiction.

I found the essay by Peter Hook (Joy Division / New Order) interesting and really enjoyed the interview with Darryl “D.M.C” McDaniels (Run-DMC).

I’m looking forward to reading the rest. Enjoy!