A Transformative Tale of Overcoming Addiction
Kentucky native and rising country music artist Tyler Childers first reached mainstream success with his 2017 album Purgatory, gaining recognition for songs like “Feathered Indians,” “Lady May,” and “Universal Sound.” Known for his narrative-driven songwriting style, Childers’ music has drawn critical acclaim for its combination of bluegrass, folk, and neotraditional country genres, making him a frontman for country music’s renaissance in recent years.
The lyrical content of Childers’ music ranges from stories about the declining coal mining industry his hometown once thrived on to tales of love, loss, and struggle.
Drug and alcohol abuse take the stage throughout his discography, particularly in tracks like “Whitehouse Road” and “Nose on the Grindstone.” But when Childers released his album 2022, Can I Take My Hounds to Heaven? listeners saw the singer-songwriter’s tune on substance use change.
Typically private about his personal life, Childers shared details about his sobriety journey with fans in April during a performance in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Keep reading to learn more about Tyler Childers’ journey to sobriety in 2020 and how it’s influenced his career since then.
Tyler Childers’ Struggles with Addiction
Childers is typically entirely private about his personal life, which extends to his relationship with alcohol. In a 2020 statement about his new album, Long Violent History, Childers described himself as “a recovering alcoholic who was drunk and drugged himself around the world playing music for the better part of 11 years.”
Childers said at his show in Knoxville, TN, on April 16, 2024, that getting high and drinking to excess became an easy way to pass the time while on the road touring for the last decade, especially when trying to cope with being away from home for long periods. These themes surface in Childers’ earlier discography, particularly on Purgatory, Country Squire, and Live on Red Barn Radio I & II.
On “Whitehouse Road,” the Appalachian artist describes his lifestyle on the road as he forged a career in country music:
Get me drinkin’ that moonshine
Get me higher than the grocery bill
Take my troubles to the high wall
Throw ’em in the river and get your fill
We’ve been sniffing that cocaine
Ain’t nothing better when the wind cuts cold
Lord, it’s a mighty hard livin’
But a damn good feeling to run these roads
Childers said that he wrote “Whitehouse Road” about a guy he knew back home who used to get drunk and spew nonsense at every opportunity. Perhaps this “wild cat” warned Childers, “Keep this livin’, and you’ll wind up dead,” on the contemporary outlaw anthem.
“[I] always tried to steer clear of that when I was living back home, as far as getting into that much orneriness,” Childers said, alluding to the widespread substance abuse issues and unique struggles many Appalachian people have historically faced.
“Then I ended up moving to Lexington and getting into different kinds of orneriness, but orneriness nonetheless,” Childers said about finding his vices. “I ain’t too much different. Same game, different baseball field,” he said.
“I’ve been sober for three years now. I never really got into pills so much. I just was always a really heavy drinker,” he said in a June interview with ABC News Nightline.
Childers’ Decision to Pursue Sobriety
In 2020, in his statement about Long Violent History, the “All Your’n” singer told fans he was six months sober. Three years later, Childers has opened up about his decision to get sober on occasion.
During a New Year’s Eve performance at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky, in December 2023, Childers told the crowd that the last time he’d played at Rupp in 2020 was his first time performing after his last beer.
“It [was] the first gig after the last beer I had. It was the day before me and [Sturgill Simpson] played here,” he said. “I woke up feeling real, real bad,” he said.
Childers described his decision to get sober that day, getting emotional:
We were gonna be on the road away from home for like 36 days, and I was terribly, terribly, terribly, terribly hungover. And I remember sitting at the house, and I remember thinking, ‘Man, this is the one place in the world that you want to be. This is the last day you got to be here, and the only thing you can do is sit here and nurse this f*****g hangover, you sorry ass.’ So I was like ‘I’m done with that.’
Childers told the story in more detail in April 2024 at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, explaining to fans that he found better ways to spend his time sober.
“I will tell you that, like, I just found things to do other than [drinking and taking drugs] because that’s the biggest thing that you get back…time,” Childers said, getting choked up as fans cheered him on.
“There’s a short amount of time where I just, uh, became absolutely obsessed with cleaning my shoes,” the “Lady May” songwriter said jokingly.
In his newfound sobriety, Childers said he also learned to play the fiddle, or “play at fiddle,” as he described to the crowd.
“There [were] years and years where I was playing music and getting wasted…and then relearning how to interact with music, re-evaluating my relationship with it,” he told Nightline, “It’s more rewarding, really and truly.”
Impact of Sobriety on Childers’ Music
After getting sober from alcohol, Childers’ outlook on time was not the only thing that changed within the 33-year-old. A newfound sense of clarity and introspection entered the Kentuckian’s new music.
In 2020, Childers released Long Violent History, a collection of instrumental fiddle tracks leading up to the title track, “Long Violent History,” which presents a commentary on the history of police brutality and systemic racism in America.
“I have no soapbox to stand on to talk preachy to anyone on anything, be it the word of God or the condition of the world,” Childers said about his motivation for the project, citing his six months of sobriety.
“But as a person who has been given a platform…I would feel undeserving of the grace this world has given me, and I would find it a waste were I not to try and use it to make some good,” Childers said, calling for more empathy and unity between diverse communities.
In 2022, Childers released Can I Take My Hounds to Heaven? a gospel album that significantly shifted his lyrical direction. “Way of the Triune God” garnered widespread popularity on TikTok when users were struck by Childers’ intensity when singing the song live, particularly the lyrics, “I don’t need the pills you take / Just to feel the spirit movin’.”
In a December 2022 TikTok of Childers and his band, The Food Stamps, performing the song at the Healing Appalachia festival in 2022.
The video features text that reads, “I love how crazy his eyes got crazier when he got sober,” alluding to Childers’ fierce and focused expression while delivering some powerful vocals.
“[H]e looks so much happier!” one fan commented on the video, along with many others who expressed excitement at Childers’ new music and onstage presence.
“Liquor deadens the soul…he is literally coming back alive,” another fan commented with a red heart emoji.
Childers as a Sobriety Advocate
As someone who prefers to make music about his personal life instead of talking about it publicly, Childers may not consider himself an outspoken advocate for addiction recovery. However, he seems more focused on making a difference in the recovery space through his work.
“I don’t really talk about my sobriety because I don’t like to,” he said at his Knoxville show in April. “I like to write songs, and I’m not like some motivational speaker or anything like that.”
Though Childers may not talk much about his sobriety, his journey and change in creative direction have inspired many fans who are also in recovery. When clips of the speech at the concert in Knoxville began circulating on TikTok, thousands of fans commented on their love and appreciation for Childers’ vulnerability and honesty.
“Finding out Tyler was sober too was a big turning point in my sobriety. Some of the coolest people are truly sober. Changed my perspective a lot!” a fan commented on one TikTok from the concert.
“I feel his tears,” another fan commented. “I sometimes find myself crying of both joy and sorrow over my sobriety. Sorrow bc of all the bad I did, but joy that I was strong enough to come through. I’m so v[ery] proud of him+me+us.”
Childers’ Advocacy and Philanthropic Work
With a discography peppered with stories about the Appalachian experience, Childers authentically represents his community in and outside music. In 2020, he and his wife, Senora May, founded the Hickman Holler Appalachian Relief Fund to raise awareness and money for philanthropic efforts in Appalachia.
Hickman Holler currently uses donations to support education and civil rights efforts for people of color and the LGBTQIA+ community, as well as addiction recovery efforts for victims of the opioid crisis in the Appalachian region. When Childers released Long Violent History in 2020, all proceeds from the album were donated to the Hickman Holler fund.
In 2023, Childers also headlined Healing Appalachia, a West Virginia music festival dedicated to providing resources, spreading awareness, and raising funds to combat opioid addiction across the region. Healing Appalachia has raised more than $700,000 in donations toward recovery groups across the region.
“It’s exciting to see where we started with this festival and what it’s turned into,” Childers said on Nightline about its success. “[Appalachia] raised me. You know, it’s my home.”
Begin Your Path to Sobriety
Tyler’ Childers’ journey serves as a reminder that sobriety and healing are possible, no matter how daunting the obstacles may seem. If you or a loved one is struggling with alcohol or prescription opioid addiction, know that help and support are available.
Contact The Summit Wellness Group, which provides comprehensive addiction treatment and resources tailored to the needs of the Appalachian community.
To learn more about our programs and how we can support your journey towards lasting sobriety, call (770) 609-2663 or email ContactUs@TheSummitWellnessGroup.com anytime.
Rob Anderson
4 months ago
Tyler your story is familiar. I love how your roots held you firm! Thank your family! I walked a similar road years before you did on the other side of the Appalachian Mountains in Lynchburg, VA. We both ended up giving up on ourselves and clinging to the ✝️! We are working on the same project now; to spread the seed of the gospel, water seeds others have planted, or on the occasions we are highly favored lead a soul into the prayer of salvation! Keep up the good work sharing the Good Word! God bless you brother!