The Rolling Stones rocker remembers getting ridiculed and mocked by his bandmate for checking into rehab for the very first time in an attempt to fight his addictions.
- January 2, 2020
AceShowbiz - Ronnie Wood was branded a "weakling" by The Rolling Stones' bandmate Keith Richards when he went to rehab for the first time.
The 72-year-old guitarist has been sober for the past decade, but recalled the first time he tried to quit alcohol and drugs back in 2005 during an interview with Mojo magazine.
Remembering his bandmates' reactions to his attempts to get clean, Ronnie said, "I do remember going on stage clean for the first time, it was at this club in Canada for the start of a tour (in August 2005).I was like this, (terrified), and Mick (Jagger) whispered, 'It's alright, you can do it, don't worry.'
"And Keith's going, 'Rehab's for quitters!' Trying to make out I was the weakling. But it takes a lot of strength to do this if indeed I'm gonna be able to do it at all because there's no guarantees."
It was only after an intervention in 2009 that the "penny dropped" and Ronnie got the help he needed to get and stay sober. And instead of going back to rehab, the musician committed to a programme.
"You sometimes wonder if they want you to go out and drink again… It's big money for them," he explained. "Do they want you to fall off the wagon and come back and pay them another huge amount of money?"
"So I left rehab and did it for myself I felt I knew what to do - Fellowship. I did 90 meetings in 90 days and I did the same again. Didn't need the rehab place - I did it through the meetings."
