Elton John is opening up about his sobriety. Appearing on Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's podcast, "Archewell Audio," the "Candle in the Wind" singer said he managed to stay on track during the coronavirus pandemic by participating in regular Alcoholics Anonymous meetings on Zoom.
"I'm a recovering alcoholic so I have an AA meeting from this house every Sunday. I connect with my friends who I've known for about 30 years in the program, and that's great," John said. "If it hadn't had been for Zoom, I don't know what we would've done. It's been a lifesaver."
Now the pop icon, who is vulnerable to contracting COVID-19, is focusing on staying safe and healthy. "I'm 73 years old and I'm a semi-diabetic so I'm in a risky area there," he explained.
John celebrated 30 years of being sober earlier this year. Taking to Instagram, the star said he would not be around if he hadn't gotten sober. "If I hadn't finally taken the big step of asking for help 30 years ago, I'd be dead," he wrote. "Thank-you from the bottom of my heart to all the people who have inspired and supported me along the way."
John also spoke out about his addiction during an interview with Variety in 2019. "There were times I was having chest pains or staying up for three days at a time," he recalled. "I used to have spasms and be found on the floor and they'd put me back to bed and half an hour later I'd be doing the same. It's crazy."
John is in a much healthier place now and said he felt more confident to face any hurdles he may encounter. "I am a survivor," he said. "I've survived a lot of things. Life is full of pitfalls, even when you're sober. I can deal with them now because I don't have to run away and hide."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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