Virtuoso guitarist Nita Strauss opened up about her struggle with alcoholism and drug addiction during a recent interview with Metal Hammer. Known for her role with Alice Cooper and, more recently, in Demi Lovato's band, Strauss shared a poignant testimony about her journey to sobriety.
An insidious addiction
Strauss described her addiction as particularly insidious because she managed to maintain a semblance of normalcy: “I wouldn't say I hit rock bottom – I wasn't like Nikki Sixx – but I was a dangerous addict, because whether it was drugs or alcohol, I was very functional. I did things that could have gotten me in serious trouble, but I never missed a concert, I was never visibly drunk.”
However, his harmful habits began to affect his personal life: “It was insidious because it affected my personal life. Some people in the group had noticed, but it was my partner Josh, now my husband, who said to me, 'If you keep this up, I don't know how long I can stay with you. I can't watch you destroy your life like that.'”
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A daily challenge
Strauss explained that she decided to wean herself without outside help, out of fear of attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings: “I was too shy to go to Alcoholics Anonymous, so I did it alone, hanging on as best I could.”
For Strauss, sobriety is above all a question of personal integrity: “No one would know if I was drinking, but to me, sobriety is what you do when no one is watching.”
His latest solo album, The Call Of The Voidis available via Sumerian Records.
