Shinedown singer Brent Smith has opened up about his battle with substance abuse and says he's finally kicked his addiction to alcohol and cocaine. The rocker dropped 70 pounds over the course of four years after his hard-touring and heavy partying lifestyle led him to put on weight.
"The weight came on about four years ago. I've toured for over 12 years, and for the first two records I was addicted to cocaine, OxyContin and alcohol. The coke and Oxy kept my weight down. But for the third album I quit the opiates and started to crave sugar. I was still drinking a lot of alcohol and started to pack on the pounds," he explained to the Los Angeles Times.
He also says that his girlfriend gave him the wake up call he needed to get clean and sober:
"Teresa sat me down in November last year and said, 'Listen to me. I love you and I'm not going anywhere. But this lifestyle that you're leading is not going to work.' Teresa had told me it was time to get my life back. I felt like I'd been in a death spiral and I realized I needed to be healthy and strong for my family."
For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com
Entertainment News
June 05, 2026 16:18 ET A busy week for economic news flow saw a slew of reports being released that reflected the trends in the U.S. labor market. In Europe, economic growth and inflation data gained attention as the European Central Bank and Bank of England head for policy session later in the month. In Asia, the monetary policy session of the Indian central bank was in focus as the country, a major oil importer, reels under the pressures of a weaker rupee and rising inflation.