Keith Urban Helped Brantley Gilbert Overcome His Addiction

Keith Urban, who, at the time, was a recovering addict himself, paid Brantley Gilbert an encouraging visit while he was in rehab.

By Admin on May 10, 2018
brantley gilbert
(Photo by Rick Diamond/Getty Images for the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum)

Seven years ago, Brantley Gilbert suffered from addiction to alcohol and painkillers. A visit from Keith Urban helped Brantley while he was in rehab.

The “Bottoms Up” singer’s struggle with addiction started when he was a teenager. He told People that he carried bottles of Jägermeister or vodka with him in his bag:

“Every hour and a half to two hours it’d be time to get two or three good pulls on the bottle. And every three or four hours it’s time for a pill or two.”

In 2011, his alcoholism got so bad that he landed in the hospital with abdominal pain and pancreatitis. Doctors warned him that he’d likely not live to see his next birthday if he continued to drink. Despite that, it was still difficult for Brantley to quit cold turkey:

“I still put it off and was trying to slow down on my own, like, ‘All right I’m only gonna let myself take two pills today. I’m only gonna drink this much of my bottle and make a mark on the bottle.’ And it would work a couple days — and then somebody throws a party.”

Related: Keith Urban Praises Ed Sheeran For His Honest Songwriting

He finally checked himself into rehab that December, knowing he couldn’t fight his addiction on his own. While he was in rehab, Keith Urban, who was a recovering addict himself, paid Brantley a visit:

“[It was] one of the best things that could have happened to me in my life. I remember him telling me, ‘Hey man, it’s gonna be scary, it’s gonna freak you out, but it’s gonna be beautiful.’ That was the opposite of the way I felt, and it that gave me that extra kick to go, ‘I can do this.’”

Thankfully, Brantley is in a much better place now. After getting cleaned up, he married his girlfriend, Amber Cochran, in 2015.

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