Brantley Gilbert is proud to be living an alcohol and prescription drug-free life for over five years, after battling a very serious addiction. When he thinks back to his decision to get sober, he knows it was his now wife who played a pivotal role in helping him turn his life around. Brantley explains that when he and Amber were dating he would see her during the day and do everything he could to stay sober during that time. But then he says, “I’d drop her back off and before I got out of the driveway, I mean literally driving up her driveway I was in that bottle. And we had an argument one night and she said, ‘I want you know I love you but I’m terrified of being in love with somebody and talking about marrying somebody that rides around with two bottles of Jäger(meister) and a bunch of pills in the console of their truck.’”
Brantley didn’t think she knew about his stash that he had with him at all times, but he says, “I had this black bag that I toted everywhere with me, I mean into songwriting appointments, everywhere. I had two bottles of Jäger(meister), my ‘medication’ I called it, and it went everywhere with me and I had no idea she knew what was in that bag. And she did. And then I found out that what I thought was so secret wasn’t so secret.”
It was shortly after that conversation and the revelation that he wasn’t fooling anybody that Brantley decided to go to rehab to change his life. Since then he and Amber have gotten married and welcomed their son Barrett into the world and life couldn’t be better for “The Ones That Like Me” singer.
Brantley Gilbert – power of wife’s love on sobriety :55
“One of the few times that I would stay sober is when I got to spend time with her. You know I’d say alright, if I was getting to see her that night I’d try to make it so it was early in the day, cause her mom wouldn’t let her be out with me late. So I’d go pick her up we’d ride around or do whatever and I’d drop her back off and before I got out of the driveway, I mean literally driving up her driveway I was in that bottle. And we had an argument one night and she said, ‘I want you know I love you but I’m terrified of being in love with somebody and talking about marrying somebody that rides around with two bottles of Jäger(meister) and a bunch of pills in the console of their truck.’ And I had this black bag that I toted everywhere with me, I mean into songwriting appointments, everywhere. I had two bottles of Jäger(meister), my ‘medication’ I called it, and it went everywhere with me and I had no idea she knew what was in that bag. And she did. And then I found out that what I thought was so secret wasn’t so secret.”