Lola Young Opens Up About Addiction Treatment and Joining AA After Stage Collapse
British singer Lola Young has candidly discussed receiving treatment for addiction and revealed she has been attending Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meetings following her dramatic collapse on stage last year. The London-born artist, who shot to international fame in late 2024 when her song "Messy" went viral on TikTok, cancelled her autumn tour dates after the incident at the All Things Go festival in New York.
Rehabilitation and Relapse
Young, now 25, had previously spent five weeks in rehabilitation for cocaine addiction around the time of her viral success. However, during the following summer's packed festival schedule, her manager confirmed that the former Brit School student had relapsed and returned to treatment. This period of struggle culminated in September, just one week after the release of her third album, when Young collapsed on stage in New York.
The singer subsequently cancelled all her tour dates for the foreseeable future, stating she was "going away for a while." In a new interview with Rolling Stone, Young disclosed that after her on-stage collapse, she checked herself into a holistic treatment facility for two months. She has since been regularly attending AA meetings and has secured a sponsor to support her recovery journey.
A Turning Point in Recovery
"It was a decision... that I had to make, and it was sad that I had to do that," Young reflected about cancelling her tour. "What else was I going to do, die? That was the reality of where my addiction was heading." While the experience of collapsing was deeply distressing, Young – who has been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder and ADHD – expressed gratitude for the incident as a crucial turning point.
"It was, what do you call that? Like, a breaking point which allowed me to then be able to be here today, allowed me to be better for my fans, better for the future, and better for myself," she explained. Addiction has been a recurring theme in Young's music, from the explicitly titled "D3aler" to lyrics where she refers to herself as a "dumb little addict" in "Not Like That Anymore."
Honest Songwriting and Career Resurgence
"I'm just writing what I'm feeling, and then I'll realise later, 'Oh, f***. I shouldn't have said that I'm a raging drug addict,'" Young told Rolling Stone. "Then I'm like, 'You know what? I am. What the f*** am I trying to hide?'" Following her treatment, Young made a triumphant return to the stage at the Grammy Awards in February, where she performed "Messy" and won the award for Best Pop Solo Performance.
Last week, on 4 March, she played her first headline show since the collapse at the prestigious London Palladium and was also spotted on the front row at Paris Fashion Week, signaling a positive return to both her musical career and public life. Young's openness about her struggles with addiction and mental health continues to resonate with fans who appreciate her authenticity in both her music and personal journey.
