Deryck Whibley: Sum 41 frontman still re-learning to walk following collapse from alcohol abuse
'Partying like that becomes the norm, that’s all you know and you don’t see any way around it'
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Your support makes all the difference.Deryck Whibley has opened up about his struggle with alcohol addiction and the painful rehabilitation process that followed his collapse last spring.
Once best known for his outgoing pop-punk persona and teen-movie-soundtrack music with band Sum 41, Whibley was pictured last April in a hospital bed looking frail and sick.
Whibley, 35, had nearly died five times after his liver and kidneys collapsed and doctors told him that just one more drink could kill him.
He told Vice's music channel Noisey that he's still learning to walk again following his dramatic hospitalisation 12 months ago.
"I still have trouble with my walking, because being in the hospital for that long, everything just depleted," he said.
"My muscles, everything. I couldn’t walk for the longest time, and I’m still re-training myself to walk normally. The doctors say it’s been going quickly, but it feels pretty slow to me."
Whibley told the website that he was unable to break his habit of doing shots of Jack Daniel's when he was hungover. He added that a contributing factor to his downfall was the fact that a tour for one album lasted three years, which meant he was burned out and just wanted to party afterwards.
"Usually, I start writing a new record right away, but this time I just said f**k it and started a party that kinda went for a year," he said.
"Partying like that becomes the norm, that’s all you know and you don’t see any way around it."
Speaking of his recovery, the singer said: "Mentally, I don’t even want to drink again anyway."
"If I literally hadn’t done it to death, I might feel like I’ll be missing something, but I’m not missing anything. I’m done with it," he added.
However, the singer is optimistic, saying: "I’m glad it happened now and not when I’m like, 50, because my body wouldn’t have been able to handle it. But it's unfortunate that it had to even come to that. However, now I’m feeling better than I’ve ever felt. I’m healthier. I’m in the best shape of my life."
Speaking last year, Whibley said that doctors weren't sure he would survive after being admitted to hospital when he fell down in his house.
“I remember a doctor coming in and saying, ‘I’m going to be honest – we don’t know if we can save you. You could die. We’re going to do our best, but we can’t promise you’re going to live,’” he said.
“Things were failing while they were trying to fix me. I almost died five times. They’d take me to intensive care and bring me back to life again.”
For more information on the risks of excessive drinking, visit Drinkaware.co.uk.
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