Elton John is marking 36 years of sobriety after checking into rehab in 1990. The music legend, now 79, has been open about his past struggles with alcohol and cocaine addiction.
Battling Addiction in the 70s and 80s
From his early days in London, Elton rose to global fame, but with success came temptations. He turned to cocaine heavily during the 1970s and 1980s, leading to a drug-fuelled haze. Reflecting on that time, he recalled: "This is how bleak it was, I’d stay up, I’d smoke joints, I’d drink a bottle of Johnnie Walker, and then I’d stay up for three days."
He described a cycle of bingeing and purging, saying: "Then I’d go to sleep for a day and half, get up, and because I was so hungry, because I hadn’t eaten anything, I’d binge and have like three bacon sandwiches, a pot of ice cream and then I’d throw it up, because I became bulimic and then go and do the whole thing all over again."
The Turning Point
In a 2010 interview with Piers Morgan, Elton said: "And I’m not being flippant when I say that, when I look back I shudder at the behaviour and what I was doing to myself." He also revealed that cocaine was initially used to overcome shyness, but it eventually isolated him.
His recovery was inspired by Ryan White, a teenager who contracted HIV through a contaminated blood transfusion. Elton said: "I had the luck to meet Ryan White and his family. I wanted to help them, but they ended up helping me much more. Ryan was the spark that helped me to recover from my addictions and start the AIDS foundation."
Celebrating Sobriety
Now, 36 years on, Elton celebrated his milestone on social media with a photo of himself holding a glass of his non-alcoholic sparkling wine. He captioned the post: "36 years sober today. Raising a 0% glass to life. Grateful for every single day."
He also shared the post on Instagram Stories with his hit "I’m Still Standing" playing in the background.
