Former Beatles drummer Ringo Starr has checked into rehab to continue to keep ahead of his lifetime battle with alcoholism. Starr, 76, voluntarily checked himself into a residential rehabilitation program for help in keeping his disease in check before he heads out on the road for his upcoming tour this fall.
Ringo Starr continues his decade-long battle with alcohol
Sources close to Ringo stated that Starr is a long-time recovering alcoholic, but he spends each day worrying that he will become weak and once again fall off of the wagon once again.
It is a constant day to day battle for Ringo. There is always booze and drugs at every turn, Ringo wants to make sure that he feels strong enough to steer clear of all temptations.
Earlier this month, according to Radar Online, Starr was spotted with a sober coach outside a meeting facility for Alcoholics Anonymous. Starr has previously admitted over the years that following the break-up of the Beatles he turned to alcohol because he felt "absolutely lost" without the band. He also claims that after becoming a solo artist he was so lost to the booze that he recorded several of his solo hit songs drunk. He also stated that for many years he lived in denial of the problem, telling himself that he could handle a few drinks, but those few drinks turned into several drinks, every day, becoming a never ending cycle.
Keeping ahead of the fight
Ringo thinks back to those days and remembers how he wouldn't go out during that time in his life because it interfered with his drinking. He recalls how he began to experience blackouts, unable to recall where he had been, or things that he had done. The first time Ringo reached out for help was in 1988 when he checked into an Arizona rehab, he recalls showing up extremely drunk, but several days later he said he finally realized he needed help because he was very sick.
Decades later Starr reveals he tried to live as healthy a life as possible, revealing he is a vegetarian, stays active, and has been throwing himself into his music, creating new songs. He reveals that he also knows that no matter what he does, or where he goes, he will always have to continue daily fighting off his desire to drink.
In hopes of keeping his demons far, far at bay Starr feels that a stay in rehab as a refresher course will be just the ticket to help him continue his day-to-day battle with alcoholism.
