Jonny Craig- Sobriety or Subsisting?

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Jonny Craig is an amazing vocalist, an awesome artist who has been part of many bands including Dance Gavin Dance, Emarosa, his own solo project and now his newest group Slaves. In the past few years Jonny Craig has also had quite a public battle with his drug addiction. After stints in rehab, living in a halfway house and going to support group meetings all while writing music he still has moments where his past is dragged out to be picked apart. While he maintains the he is sober, he tends to make the distinction ‘sober from drugs’, and his Twitter account features posts from friends implying drinking alcohol, so the question is- is Jonny Craig sober? Or is he just substituting?

Recent Relapse Accusations

After being accused recently of using heroin again after videos were released publicly by an ex-girlfriend Craig addressed the issue saying,

“Just woke up to a nice surprise from the ex, so I’m headed right down to the office to prove to you guys without a doubt I’m not using,”  and later went on to state, “I have nothing to hide”.

Shortly after making his initial statement on April 2^nd Craig also posted a video showing a drug test he had taken that tested clean across the board! He has made it a personal mission since the initial accusation to prove he has not used, and maintains he has been ‘sober from drugs’ over a year.

His girlfriend claims her Twitter account was hacked, and after the photos and videos have been examined by several publications is has become apparent that the footage is older footage, and this attack on Craig’s character would not be unmotivated given the long and gruesome break-up he and his ex-girlfriend have had over the past year.

The MacBook Incident

Back in February 2011 several of Jonny Craig’s fans openly accused him of being involved in an internet scam that reached up to thousands of dollars. According to the alleged victims, Craig had claimed to be selling a used MacBook computer through his Twitter account. Craig was accused of accepting online payments that on average ranged between $600.00 and $800.00 for the hardware, and there were allegedly at least 16 individuals who had paid these amounts. He supposedly discontinued communication with the buyers, and no products were ever distributed, the transactions basically dead-ended after the payments had been made.

Johnny Craig initially denied all these accusations, and claimed that his Twitter had been hacked and he had no involvement. However, the following week it was announced that Craig had dropped off his current tour for the band he was performing with at the time, Emarosa, and entered into a detox facility in order to confront his long term battles with drug addiction. Financial responsibility for the incident was dealt with by Rise Records and the Artery Foundation in regards to the internet scam, and the company worked to reimburse anyone who had been a victim of the claims. Craig later issued a public apology admitting to his involvement after his detox treatment was completed on March 8, 2011.

Craig Caught Again

In October 2011, Craig was arrested. This time he was jailed and charged with two counts of possession of narcotics, two counts of possession of drug paraphernalia, and one count of failure to appear on a felony charge. His bail was set at $15,000.00. Craig was later released a few weeks later and at that point was scheduled to enter a court-ordered rehabilitation facility. Craig surpassed a 30 day court-ordered detox program and was then released March 30, 2012.

Still Sober?

While Jonny Craig has been interviewed several times since his stay in rehab, even while in a halfway house taking personal time to develop his recovery strategy, he has maintained that his sobriety is strong. He does not pretend to be in perfect spiritual condition in many of his interviews he openly admits his music is the driving force behind his recovery now.

The question is, with posts as recent as July 26^th of this year with a picture of his face entitled ‘Drinkin with my boy’ by another artist, does Jonny Craig not believe that alcohol should be included in his ‘no drugs’ policy? It may be that the artist feels that he does not have to stop drinking in order to avoid using heroin and other narcotics like he has had trouble with in the past. So where will he draw the line? If he is drinking (and I have no direct proof he is at all) then the honest answer is he does not necessarily have sobriety, but substitution.

Substitution is a dangerous game to play. For addicts, it is not truly a safe life-style. A drug is a drug, and if you admit it or not, alcohol is one of the worst drugs there is. I have already went on in another article to discuss that alcohol by DEFINITION is a drug, and is so dangerous mostly because it is a legal drug!

Honestly, I’m rooting for the guy. I’m a personal fan and that is why I took the chance to write this article. With all the back and forth and ups and downs he has faced especially in the past 2 years as a result of his drug addiction and struggles to cope with his recovery and his fame, is it going to be possible for this recovering addict to stay sober? If he’s drinking alcohol that point is void because he isn’t sober, but I’m still holding out hope for him. His new band recently released an album that he has put a lot of the pains of his battles with heroin addiction into, and it makes for great music, but hopefully he is able to keep making music without that kind of ‘inspiration’.

 Addiction is a disease that destroys lives, and it comes in many forms and affects all walks of life. There is help for those who suffer from the disease of addiction, and successful recovery is possible when the individual makes the first steps necessary to get help before it is too late. It takes a program of active recovery to maintain lasting sobriety. If you or someone you love is struggling with substance abuse or addiction there are people waiting to help! Please call toll-free 1-800-951-6135