Liam Payne is catching up with fans and followers after revealing that he conquered 100 days of being sober following his turbulent battle with alcoholism and mental illness.
Celebrating 6-Months Sober
On Saturday (July 8), the former member of the award-winning pop group One Direction, shared an eight-minute clip on YouTube, where he revealed that he has been continuing on his path of being alcohol-free, and now considers himself 6-months sober.
“I just needed to take a little bit of time out for myself, actually, because I kind of became somebody who I didn’t really recognize anymore,” Payne said in his video, adding, “And I’m sure you guys didn’t either.”
Spent Time In Rehab With No Cell Phone Access
Reflecting on his time in a rehab facility in Louisiana, Payne also shared that the downtime he experienced outside of the hustle and bustle of fame helped him readjust into the person he strives to be.
“I was in bad shape up to that point, and I was really happy more than anything when I arrived to kind of put a stopper on life and work,” Payne shared of his time in rehab. “I didn’t have my phone for nearly a hundred days [and] I didn’t connect with the outside world at all. And it was kind of preparing me for that moment.”
Also in the lengthy video, Payne discussed the difficulties he had after leaving the rehab facility.
“Upon leaving, actually, the hardest point was turning the phone back on, if I’m honest with you, because it was a little bit scary, but it was a nice world to come back out to,” he said. “Ever since then, I’ve just kind of been trying to learn to get to know this new guy. I’m very lucky.”
Alcohol-Free
Payne also shared that after treatment, he went to Dubai, where he attended a Hans Zimmer concert, which further inspired him to stop drinking.
“I was watching this beautiful symphony, I was having a drink, and I thought, ‘You know what? This isn’t really serving me at all. I don’t really need this right now,’” Payne recalled. “It’s the first time I’ve ever put a drink down and gone to someone else, ‘You finish this. I don’t need this right now.’ I haven’t picked one up since, which has almost been six months, which I’m excited about.”
“It’s good to be in this position. And then, yeah, I definitely don’t need those things anymore. The party’s over,” Payne reiterated.
Realize The Importance Of Being There For His Son Bear
Working through reconnecting and re-building some of the relationships that suffered before he decided to get well, Payne also emphasized how important his six-year-old son Bear is. He added that a big reason for his motivation to get sober was to be a better father to his baby boy.
“There’s no point trying to be a dad when you’ve got nothing to teach. And I don’t think up until this point, I really had much to say to him other than just caring for him deeply and loving him very deeply, which obviously are the most important things, but I just feel like I’ve got more of a grip on life now and everything that was getting away from me. I have got more of a handle on, let’s say,” Payne said. “And he’s awesome. I mean, he’s grown up far too quickly. He actually texted me the other day off his iPad saying, ‘Hello, dad, right?.’…He’s a wonder. But he’s definitely learning to talk at this moment in time, and it’s a lot of fun to be around to watch him grow.”
Plans To Return To The Stage This Fall
Now that he’s worked on himself, Payne shared plans that he will soon be heading back out onstage.
The 29-year-old singer will be taking the road in September for his North American tour. And he admits that he is “scared,” reasoning that “It’s kind of the only bit of performing that I haven’t road-tested in this new frame of mind.”
For a complete list of Liam Payne’s tour dates, visit his official website here.
