Addiction and the Working Musician

By Francis Baptiste

For my entire life I’ve struggled with addiction. It’s been a central theme in my music. It’s been a daily battle since I was a teenager. Some years I do alright. Some years everything comes apart at the seams. Through it all, I can’t deny that the music industry can be a hard place to manage sobriety.

Over the years, I’ve spent countless hours in recovery circles: Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, SMART Meetings, Wellbriety, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Detox Centres. One of the things we talk about a lot in these recovery meetings is Triggers.

In this context, a Trigger is anything that you encounter that you know will tempt you to relapse. Triggers are different for everyone. Some examples might be: bar patios, casinos, hockey games, certain restaurants, liquor stores, seeing your ex, family dinners, or—and this is the case for a lot of musicians—concerts.

For as long as there’s been rock 'n' roll there’s been an association between rock music and a rock lifestyle—a live fast die young mentality that involves copious amounts of alcohol and drugs. And the list of rock stars who have died from drinking and drugs is far too long to include in this post. The connection is undeniable.

This can make things kind of tricky if you’re working in the industry, especially if you’re a touring musician, and you’re trying to get sober or maintain sobriety. For most of my life—and I’m sure a lot of musicians can relate to this—it’s been a tradition to go to see my favourite band at some club and get really drunk and high. So you have a lifetime of associating these three things in your brain: music, music venues, and getting drunk or high. If your situation is similar, then you’re already facing an uphill battle.

The main piece of advice I can give is that if you want to sober up while being a working musician, you have to take it one battle at a time. You need to always be thinking ahead. If I know I have a gig in my favourite bar next weekend, I’m going to go into that situation with a gameplan, and visualize what I’m going to be doing, hour-by-hour that night to keep myself busy and out of trouble.

The second piece of advice is to always make sure recovery is on your radar. Different methods work for different folks. Some people swear by AA. I found over the years that meditation and SMART Meetings work best for me. So find something that works for you and don’t let it fall off. It’s when we let our guard down that slip-ups happen.

The third thing is to not overwork yourself. Being an independent musician these days means wearing a lot of hats and trying to do everything yourself. You’re booking tours, photo shoots, rehearsals, session musicians, studio time, videographers, writing songs and press releases, sending and responding to endless emails. The avalanche of work can lead to burnout and stress. Stress and addiction go hand-in-hand. So remember to take a breath once in awhile.

I’ve got a song out that’s about addiction and my struggles. Check it out if you have a chance.

Francis Baptiste is a Vancouver-based singer/songwriter

Website: www.francisbaptiste.ca