Jamey Johnson On Addiction, Sobriety & Finding Hope Again

Jamey Johnson, the renowned country musician known for hits like In Color , is opening up about a part of his life that nearly ended it all—his battle with addiction.

In a recent interview with Billboard , Johnson shared the struggles he faced and how choosing sobriety allowed him to rebuild his life and career.

The Struggles with Alcohol

Johnson’s problems with alcohol were serious. He called it “an incendiary way of destructing myself,”meaning it was like setting himself on fire.

Things got so bad that his life felt like it was falling apart, and there was no way to fix it quickly.

“Everything just went up in flames and you couldn’t put the fire out,”he said. He had to wait for everything to burn down to ashes before he could start rebuilding his life.

This hard lesson taught him that he needed to make a change for himself. He realized, “I owed myself a better way to live.”

Choosing Sobriety and a New Start

Johnson made the decision to quit drinking in September 2011. It wasn’t easy, but it was the start of a new chapter.

In 2015, he also stopped smoking marijuana, staying away from it for about eight or nine years. This time of being sober changed his life for the better.

He was able to do things he couldn’t before, like getting a pilot’s license, running a business, and even starting his own product line.

Now, Johnson says he is “sober for the most part.” While he sometimes uses marijuana when he’s writing music, he’s clear that alcohol is not an option.

“I don’t play games with the alcohol,”he said firmly. It’s just too dangerous for him to take that risk again.

A Loss That Changed Everything: Toby Keith’s Death

Johnson also talked about the death of his friend and fellow country music star, Toby Keith.

Keith passed away at the age of 62 in February 2024, and it hit Johnson hard. Before this, Johnson hadn’t thought much about making a new album.

“The writing was already coming back to me, piece by piece, but I still didn’t have any ambitions on making a record,” he shared.

But losing Toby Keith changed that. “I realized that that was the end of his discography, that we weren’t getting another Toby Keith record,”Johnson said.

This realization made him think about his own music. It pushed him to start working on new songs and get back into the studio.

“It’s what made me understand that I’m nowhere near done, and so it’s time to get busy,” Johnson added.

A New Album: ‘Midnight Gasoline’

Johnson’s new album, Midnight Gasoline , will be released on November 8.

This is a big deal for fans because it’s his first full album of new songs since The Guitar Song , which came out in 2010.

After Keith’s death, Johnson felt the urgency to act. “I immediately started talking about this session and started trying to get all the particulars in order,”he explained.

It was a way for him to honor his friend and also continue his own music journey.

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Jamey Johnson’s Song “Sober” Highlights His Personal Fight with Addiction

Jamey Johnson is not just telling his story through interviews; he’s putting it into his music, too.

His new song Sober , released on August 30, dives into his battle with addiction and how hard it is to stay away from alcohol, especially in a world that often celebrates drinking.

Johnson, who grew up in Enterprise, Alabama, shared that staying sober is a daily struggle.

Even after 13 years without a drink, he admits, “I know that could end this afternoon.”

For Johnson, who performs in bars and is surrounded by friends in those settings, staying sober takes constant effort.

“ Sober ” captures the reality of trying to stay grounded in a lifestyle where drinking is everywhere, including in the songs that play night after night.

This theme of fighting for a better way of life echoes Johnson’s recent reflections in his interview about addiction, sobriety, and how he’s found strength through hard choices.

Just like his personal journey, Sober is honest, tough, and full of hope, showing that even in a challenging world, change is possible.

Jamey Johnson’s Career Highlights

Year/Period	Career Milestone
2005	Signed to BNA Records and released debut album The Dollar .
2006	Dropped by BNA Records after the second single, Rebelicious , failed to chart.
2006	Co-wrote Give It Away , which became a No. 1 hit for George Strait, setting a record for Strait’s 51st No. 1 single.
2007	Co-wrote Ladies Love Country Boys and I Got My Game On for Trace Adkins, with the former becoming Adkins’ first No. 1 hit in 10 years. Co-wrote Another Side of You for Joe Nichols, which reached the Top 20.
2008	Signed with Mercury Nashville Records. Released That Lonesome Song online, then on CD in August, with In Color reaching No. 9 on the charts. Album certified Gold by the RIAA.
2009	Released single My Way to You . Nominated for CMA Awards New Artist of the Year and ACM Top New Solo Vocalist.
2010	Released critically acclaimed album The Guitar Song , which debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 and No. 1 on the Top Country Albums chart.
2010-2011	Toured as a supporting act on Kid Rock’s Born Free Tour and performed on Willie Nelson’s Country Throwdown Tour .
2012	Released Living for a Song: A Tribute to Hank Cochran , featuring collaborations with artists like Willie Nelson and Emmylou Harris. Nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Country Album.
2014	Released The Christmas Song EP, featuring both original and cover songs.
2015	Launched his own label, Big Gassed Records, and released the song Alabama Pines as a free download, followed by You Can .
2017	Revealed struggles with songwriting due to a head injury sustained years earlier.
2019	Participated in The Last Waltz Tour , celebrating The Band’s famous 1976 farewell concert.
2024	Released four singles: 21 Guns , What a View , Trudy (cover), and Sober . Set to release new album Midnight Gasoline in November.

Conclusion

• Jamey Johnson’s journey shows that even in the toughest moments, people can find hope and start fresh.
• He battled addiction, struggled with alcohol, and almost lost everything, but he chose to fight for a better life.
• His choice to stay sober helped him rebuild his world, step by step.
• The passing of his friend Toby Keith pushed him to get back to making music, leading to the creation of his new album, Midnight Gasoline .
• Johnson’s story is not just about music; it’s about having the strength to change, even when things seem impossible.
• It shows that with courage, it is possible to recover, grow, and find new reasons to move forward.
• His message is simple but powerful: no matter how difficult life gets, there is always a way to choose a better path and keep going.
• His story encourages others who may be facing hard times to believe in themselves and know that it’s never too late to begin again.

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