FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH Frontman Is Seven Months Sober

September 5, 2018

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH frontman Ivan Moody says that he has been sober for a little over half a year.

Moody opened up about his struggles with alcohol addiction during a brand new interview with the WEBN radio station.

Saying that it's been "seven months" since he stopped drinking, Moody admitted that he was "back and forth for a while; I'd do three months, then relapse." He added: "Recovery, you have to be commited; it's an honest program, and I wasn't being honest with myself at the time. I'm very, very proud of the progress I've made."

Moody went on to credit several of his friends and musical peers with helping him get through some of his darker moments. "Rob Halford [JUDAS PRIEST] is the person that I called a lot of the time when I was in recovery," he revealed. "I think he's been sober now for going on 40 years — maybe, I think, a little longer than that; I could be wrong. But Jamey Jasta [HATEBREED] — another one. Jamey's been sober now for 18 years; Jonathan Davis [KORN]; so on and so forth. So these were all people that I looked to when I was struggling, and I was very, very lucky and blessed to have them on my team."

Ivan said that there has been a significant improvement in his physical and mental health since he gave up the bottle. "I feel I took a nap for about four years and I woke up one day and I saw somebody else wearing my skin," he explained. "It was like Rip Van Winkle; it was really odd. I feel better than I felt in years, which is really… it's a plus."

Back in May, Moody told the Green Bay radio station Razor 94.7 that he nearly died due to an alcohol-related seizure and woke up surrounded by EMTs and his daughter holding him while crying. He also admitted that he went to rehab five times before the last time finally stuck.

Moody revealed that he was sober but massively hung over during his onstage meltdown in Europe last year, with the band sending him home after that and later welcoming him back on a "probationary" basis after both Phil Labonte from ALL THAT REMAINS and Tommy Vext from BAD WOLVES filled in on a couple of tours.

According to Ivan, his latest battles with alcohol abuse heavily inspired the lyrics on FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH's most recent album, "And Justice For None". The follow-up to 2015's "Got Your Six" was originally delivered to Prospect Park in December 2016, but a legal battle with the record company delayed the LP's arrival.

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