Billy Idol Is 'California Sober' and 'Not a Drug Addict Anymore'

Billy Idol claims that he's "not really the same kind of guy I was in the '80s," per a recent interview with PEOPLE. The rock icon reflected on his journey with sobriety over the past few decades.

Idol explained that it "took a long time" but he has now achieved "some sort of discipline" and is "not the same drug addicted person" that he once was.

The rocker has publicly struggled with alcohol and drug addiction throughout his wildly successful career. In 1994, Idol publicly overdosed twice, once outside of a nightclub and a second time in his home in the Hollywood Hills. He then began his journey into sobriety, claiming that his children would never forgive him if he died of an overdose.

Now, Idol is reportedly "California Sober."

California Sober is a fairly recent concept. This version of "sobriety" permits people to consume alcohol and marijuana in limited amounts while abstaining from hard drugs like heroin or cocaine entirely. (For another famous example, singer Demi Lovato was loud and proud about being California Sober before turning to being "sober, sober.")

Idot explained that, in his management of his sobriety, he tells himself, "'You can do anything you like.' But I don't actually do it."

Idol concedes that "Alcoholics Anonymous would say, 'You're always a drug addict,'" but that he doesn't "do anything that much anymore."

"I was really lucky that I could get over it because a lot of people can't," he added.

The singer says that he can "have a glass of wine every now and again" without any problems. He emphasized that he is "not the drug addict that I was in the peak '70s, '80s."

In the height of his '80s stardom, Idol was frequently using heroin and crack cocaine. He details his drug-fueled escapades in his 2014 autobiography, Dancing with Myself.

A horrifying motorcycle incident in 1990 put him on his path towards sobriety. Idol broke multiple bones when he was struck by a truck after running a stop sign.

"Once I had the accident, I really started to think, 'Should I try and go forward and not be a drug addict anymore?' Gradually, I did achieve some sort of discipline," he said in 2023.

"There were things about getting high that started getting in the way of what I really wanted to do," he noted at the time. For example, he was supposed to have a large part in the biopic The Doors, but missed out because of the motorcycle accident. Instead, he had only a minor role.

He added that he's surrounded by good influences nowadays. Many of those in his immediate circle, including guitarists Steve Stevens and Billy Morrison are sober.

"A lot of my friends from the old days are sober," he said. "There are people around me who are sober. That helps a lot."

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