Corey Taylor on Sobriety: ‘It’s Stronger to Be That Guy Who Doesn’t Need That Party’
Corey Taylor has been on his own path of recovery and sobriety for many years now, and was recently honored at Rock to Recovery for doing so. The Slipknot and Stone Sour frontman was given the event's Icon Award for his continued support of sobriety, and his positive influence in music.
He spoke about the organization in an interview with the You Rock Foundation before the event saying, "Besides it being a great way for me to get together with my friends and have a good time, it's really cool that it is promoting the positivity of being sober, especially in this industry. Because lot of people miss the mark sometimes and think that if you're into this kind of music, if you're into this way of life, it has to be that constant party, that constant barrage of chemicals and drugs and alcohol. And people only really see the magazine side of that — they don't see the reality of it until it's too late."
"I love the fact that this organization is breaking that down and showing that being sober can be very empowering," he said. "It's stronger to be that badass — to be the guy who sees it all, remembers it all, feels it all, and, at the end of the night, doesn't need that 'party,' you know. Because it's hard in this industry; people are made to feel like they don't belong, because they're not a part of that. And it's a shame."
Corey gave a very emotional speech at the event itself, speaking about becoming a better person through his sobriety for himself and those around him, as well as the power of the program. "So the great thing about this program, this organization is it takes away all of that s–t. It takes away the stigma of trying to be a better person, trying to be a stronger person, a healthier person," he said. "It takes away the feeling of being alone, surrounded by people who are doing the exact same stuff that you do. And it lets you enjoy it again, which is a f–king hard thing to do when you’re force-fed an idea that it’s only cool if you’re f--ked up. It’s not. It’s actually better once you get your head together, or try to.”
Rock to Recovery is an event born from a recovery program founded by Korn touring guitarist Wesley Geer in order to help support musicians in their sobriety, using songwriting as a method to help meet their needs.
"In each session, program participants form a band, write a song together, and record their work, offering an uplifting, therapeutic release to patients recovering from PTSD, alcoholism, drug addiction, depression, cancer treatments and more, by organically helping improve body/brain chemistry by stimulating the natural release of serotonin, dopamine, endorphins, and oxytocin," the program states. "Rock to Recovery typically operates as an adjunct service to a treatment center's curriculum, and in just four years, the program has grown to become an integral part of the weekly treatment curriculum for nearly eighty programs."
Watch the interview with Corey above.
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