Thomas Rhett may be a country music star, but as with anyone else, he has had his fair share of bad habits. The 33-year-old singer/songwriter recently sat down with Bobby Bones on the Bobbycast Podcast to discuss various topics, including some of his vices — or, in his words, “crutches” — that he has managed to relinquish.
Reveals Reason He Stopped Using Nicotine
During the more than hour-long conversation, Rhett admitted that he enjoys nicotine and added that he has made a conscious decision to quit the stimulant drug this year.
“I’ve quit a couple of things this year that, I mean, I quit nicotine this year, which I love so much,” Rhett confessed, adding that he has gone cold turkey for three weeks and counting. “….For like five days, it really sucked because you kind of start to [think] after coffee, ‘Oh, this is a good time [to use],’ after a meal, ‘This is a fun time.’ Oh, during golf, ‘This is a great time.’ And then you start to figure out that it’s every part of your day where you wanted one. And so I think I’m okay now.”
Been Using Nicotine For Over A Decade
Rhett’s decision to say ‘no’ to nicotine was a big deal as he shared that he began dipping when he was a teenager and used the stimulant for over a decade, exploring different flavors. But, even though he had gotten used to the pleasant feelings that nicotine provides, he felt it was holding him back from handling his emotions on his own. In fact, at one point, he revealed that he “felt like a drug addict,” who “would go rummage through all my old camouflage from duck hunting season just to see if there was a freaking can.”
“I started dipping when I was 18 years old, grizzly wintergreen. Then, when I turned like 28, I started using this stuff called Zen. It’s just nicotine and mint,” Rhett said before adding. “It kind of just became, I’m trying to quit things that are crutches for me. You know what I’m saying?… Nicotine was like that crutch for me. It was just like, when I felt nervous, [I’d use] nicotine, when I felt weird, nicotine when I felt happy, it was always just a thing. So I mean, I haven’t been off of it that long, but it’s been three weeks, which is the longest I’ve ever gone.”
He Also Quit Social Media
Nicotine aside, Rhett also revealed that he hasn’t spent any time on social media since the top of the year.
“Social media was a crutch. It was the place, where I needed validation, but then it was the place that I hated when it didn’t validate me,” Rhett said. “I haven’t been on social media since January. It was getting to a point where, I mean, it sounds super cliché to say it, but it was just taking up so much of my time, and I was finding so much of my worth in a post.”
Vulnerable To People’s Opinions And Questioned His Music
Rhett explained that he became so vulnerable to other people’s opinions that he started questioning his music and whether or not people enjoyed it.
“Especially since all the algorithm stuff changed, you started to be like, man, I used to post videos, and they’d get a million views, no doubt. And then you start to see this thing of, okay, my views are starting to go down. Does that mean that I am starting to suck more? That’s what my brain would tell me. Then you would put songs out, and some people would think they were really cool, and then some people would just hate on ’em. And then you start to see all the people in our genre, the bloggers be like, this is trash Thomas Rhett music,” he said. “This is not what he’s best at. All these kinds of things.”
“Angels” Climbing Charts At Country Radio
Despite that, Rhett’s success seems to say otherwise, as his current single, “Angels,” continues to clip up the charts on Country radio. The track, which belongs to his 2022 album, Where We Started, pays tribute to his wife Lauren Akins, who has often been Rhett’s muse for previous hit releases.
“You shoulda slammed the door, changed the lock, and said, adios / To my selfish heart, tore it apart and left me alone / Don’t know why you were patient and wasted good savin’ on me / Maybe angels don’t always have wings,” Rhett sings the chorus of the song he wrote alongside Julian Bunetta, Teddy Swims, and Josh Thompson.
Additionally, Thomas Rhett is currently on the road as part of his Home Team Tour 2023, which includes 40 cities across 27 states. The trek, which kicked off on May 4 and features Cole Swindell and Nate Smith as openers, will wrap with back-to-back shows at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Sept. 29-Sept. 30.
For more information on Thomas Rhett’s upcoming tour dates and new music, visit his official website HERE.
