A second of reflection. AJ McLean seemed again on his journey with sobriety as he approached the one-year anniversary of being substance-free.
“I’m gonna be one yr sober tomorrow, which is insane,” the Backstreet Boys member, 42, mentioned on his “Pretty Messed Up” podcast on Sunday, December 6. “So long as I’m holding my aspect of the road clear, I can’t fear about holding your aspect of the road clear. And all the things really labored itself out. I really feel significantly better.”
The “Bigger Than Life” crooner then took a second to thank pal René Elizondo Jr. for supporting him all through his journey, including, “I used to be hiding it from my spouse [Rochelle DeAnna McLean], or a minimum of making an attempt to, my bandmates and everyone else. However there was a sure consolation stage with René, the place he didn’t have to drag it out of me like everybody else did.”
Although McLean has had his spouse and bandmates’ help all through his journey, he admitted to being “terrified” about them deserting him. “I assumed the boys had been gonna be upset, or I assumed my spouse was gonna depart me. I might be utterly weak with René … I felt secure, I felt not judged,” he continued. “Not saying I felt judged by my spouse, as a result of she doesn’t choose me in any respect. However I all the time had this inkling of concern … like, ‘Oh, my God. She’s going to depart me.’”
AJ McLean. ABC/Kelsey McNeal
McLean has battled with drug and alcohol dependancy for the reason that age of twenty-two. All through his decades-long battle, he has checked in and out of rehab multiple times. He has additionally admitted to overdosing twice.
The Grammy nominee revealed in October that his “turning level” got here after a vital second together with his household final yr. On the time, his spouse and their younger daughters, Ava, 8, and Lyric, 3, smelled alcohol on his breath after he returned from a Las Vegas journey.
“There’s an excessive amount of to reside for at present — my stunning youngsters, my superb spouse, my profession, my brothers,” he advised Good Morning America on the time. “I’ve by no means felt extra grounded than I do at present.”
When McLean joined Dancing With the Stars’ twenty ninth season in September, he bonded together with his dance associate, Cheryl Burke, over their shared experience with alcohol addiction. Earlier than being eradicated from the collection, the Florida native was in a position to perform an emotional dance about his substance abuse struggles to “Manner Down We Go” by Kaleo.
In the event you or somebody you understand suffers from dependancy points, name the Substance Abuse and Psychological Well being Providers Administration’s Nationwide Helpline at 1-800-662-4357.
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