Keith Urban reflects on past substance abuse
Keith Urban has long been open about his previous struggles with substance abuse, and the country singer says he harbors no ill feelings toward his past.
In a candid interview with British newspaper, The Times, the Australian native shares how his father was an alcoholic and it took him a while to admit that he also had a problem, until he entered rehab in 1998.
"I realized I'm allergic to it. Someone said, 'You have an allergy? What happens when you drink?' And I said, 'I break out in cuffs,'" the musician told the outlet. "I don't talk a lot about it because I love my audience being able to just come and have a great time."
"I've nothing against drugs or alcohol," he continued. "Everyone does what they want to do to have a great time."
Soon after Urban and Kidman married in 2006, the country star went back into treatment at the Betty Ford Center, eventually learning how to live without being dependent on substances, he says.
"I'm glad it didn't change anything about my music. I wrote plenty of hit songs while drunk. I wrote plenty sober. I feel lucky it hasn't defined my creativity," Urban said.
The superstar is currently climbing the charts with his single, "Wild Hearts."
