It’s been a long road to recovery for Creed frontman Scott Stapp.
Last fall, the 41-year-old singer and father of three’s life began to spiral out of control after abusing prescription drugs, alcohol and marijuana.
As a result, his wife of nine years, Jaclyn, kicked him out of their Florida home and threatened to divorce him.
He landed in a Holiday Inn room, where he filmed a video claiming he was under attack.
“I had a psychotic break,” Stapp told People. “I had delusions. I thought an angel was sitting on the hood of my car. I grew a beard to look like Jesus. I made threats that had the Secret Service coming to my door. My behavior became dangerous.”
Jaclyn recognized her husband’s need for help. “I was watching him die a slow, painful, public death,” she said. “And I was terrified.”
She reached out to the Grammy Associations’ MusicCares program and asked for their assistance. Stapp would eventually check into a Malibu clinic treatment center for drug and alcohol abuse. He was also diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
“I finally got some answers,” said Stapp, who has struggled with mental illness. “But there was a fear in me since there is a stigma associated with it. I wondered, ‘How will my kids and wife look at me?’”
Stapp, who says he has followed this source of treatment “four or five” times in the past, says he’s determined not to relapse this time. In addition to taking medication, he’s in a 12-step program and does therapy and meets with a sponsor.
In order to maintain his sobriety, Stapp is willing to sacrifice the one thing that catapulted him to fame.
“I would give up music tomorrow if I had to,” he added. “Nothing is more important than my continued sobriety. I love what I do, but that doesn’t define me. The only thing that matters is preserving and protecting my family. I had to be broken and split into a million pieces in order to come to my senses. I’m trying to be a good man.”