Deryck Whibley finds it "frightening" being in social situations without alcohol.
The Sum 41 singer was hospitalised for alcoholism in May 2014 and although he has subsequently made a "100 per cent" recovering from his addiction, the rocker has admitted to being scared without booze – which served as his "crutch".
He shared: "Just being in social situations, being around people … every little thing that you used alcohol as a crutch to get through – for me, pretty much everything – all of a sudden is there, again, but you don’t have that crutch anymore. So it was really frightening.
"I mean, I remember at one point, thinking, ‘I don’t even know how to get on the phone and talk to someone without having at least a drink or two already.’ And then that was the realisation of how bad it had really gotten, ‘Man, I can’t even make a f***ing phone call without having a drink.’ "
The 36-year-old musician – who was married to pop star Avril Lavigne from 2006 until 2010 – was aware of his alcohol problem prior to his medical emergency, but delayed seeking treatment for his addiction.
Deryck, who is now married to Ariana Cooper, said that his spell in hospital convinced him to address the problem.
He told People magazine: "Before I went into the hospital, when I was still drinking every day, the clearest thought that I could have was that, ‘This is probably not good, and I’m going to have to deal with this eventually – just not right now.’
"So I knew that it wasn’t great, I just thought I was going to fix it, like, tomorrow. When I woke up sober in the hospital, I knew instantly how bad it was and what had gotten me there and that I wasn’t going to drink anymore. I was so done with it. If anything, it almost felt like a bit of freedom: ‘Finally, something has stopped this whole cycle.’ "
Deryck Whibley: Being sober in social situations is frightening
