After a longtime battle of alcoholism, the country singer experienced a setback during a cruise journey.
- Jan 16, 2014
AceShowbiz - Trace Adkins has fallen off the wagon after 12 years of being sober. The country crooner had entered rehab "after a setback in his battle with alcoholism," a representative of him said in a statement. Adkins had been battling alcoholism for decades, seeking in-patient treatment in December 2001.
Adkins was celebrating his 52nd birthday on the Norwegian Cruise Lines Pearl, which was heading to the Caribbean, with several friends. He was scheduled to perform on the ship's main theater throughout the seven-day trip dubbed Country Cruising. The stops include Ocho Rios, Jamaica, Cozumel, Mexico, and Grand Cayman.
A day before his birthday, Adkins was still a happy guy, tweeting, "Up here in my suite, overlooking the pools. Behave yourselves." Three days into the ride, he got into an altercation with his impersonator who was singing in a karaoke bar on the ship. TMZ reported that the singer jumped ship in Jamaica before heading towards rehab.
Adkins has been open about his problem with alcohol, crediting his manager for saving him. "If you've ever been through one of those things, it's the most humiliating experience you'll ever have," he told The Hollywood Reporter in 2011. "To hear people you respect and love sit there and tell you the kind of pain you've been causing them ...and yeah, I'm an alcoholic."
He got into a treatment on Christmas 2002 after a tractor accident. "The program was an extremely positive experience for me," he told CMT in 2003. "This is something I needed to do for myself, my family and my career. I feel the best I've felt in years, both physically and mentally."
