How Rob Halford Fights Off His ‘Little Beer Devil’
Rob Halford, who marks 36 years of sobriety today, admitted he often thinks about alcohol and outlined his ongoing fight against his “little beer devil.”
In a recent interview with MariskalRock, the Judas Priest singer also explained why he didn’t want to wind up drinking again.
“I think about it all the time – it’s an addiction,” Halford said. “When I'm watching the Phoenix Cardinals play on TV the other day, there's constantly adverts for beer and for alcohol and stuff. And I know it's there. And it's a temptation. ... So you have to have all of the mental tools ready to get you through that instance … it's all about instances. And I live one day at a time. I've lived one day at a time for 35 years now. And that's all that matters. It's the moment – you live in the moment, not yesterday, not tomorrow. It's now.”
You can watch the interview below.
Halford noted that constant vigilance was essential to avoid drinking again. “You have to be ready for when that little beer devil comes on your shoulder and goes, ‘Come on, Rob, have a little drink of beer,’” he said. “Fuck off! Because I don't wanna feel that way again, man. I don't want to be that person. I was miserable; I wasn't happy. I was bad to people. I don't want to go through that again, so that's also part of my finding a balance in my day-to-day life."
In 2019 Halford said: “I wish I could have a drink, I wish I could have a smoke and do a line. I wish I could do all that, but I can't. I've done all that. I've done all that, and it nearly killed me.” In another interview, he told UCR that he’s “probably been more honest and truthful about myself than I ever have been” as a result of cleaning up.