Andrew Lloyd Webber has just revealed that even though he announced in 2016 that he had not had a drink in two years, he quietly relapsed into alcoholism after he quit while producing School of Rock on Broadway at the time and sought help just over a year ago.
The great musician, 78, admitted The Sunday Times According to the newspaper, “I was doing what they call ‘white-knuckle’, without any back-up, and I started to worry that I wasn’t being creative.”
“And I thought, ‘But I’ve told everyone I’m not drinking.’ So, I started drinking secretly…” he confessed.
Andrew admitted, “I’m a recovering alcoholic. Sixteen months ago, I decided I needed help and it’s the best thing that ever happened to me.”
cats The musician opened up about going into a “downward spiral” in 2024 before getting sober and his family was deeply concerned.
He recalled, “You think it’s a secret, but it’s not. Everyone knows. I started going downhill and about 18 months ago the family was in a desperate situation. My wife felt like she couldn’t go on.”
Andrew visited an Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meeting in Switzerland, and then attended others’ meetings in the UK, and he “loved” the sense of community he found within the support groups.
“People always said, ‘Oh no, you won’t like it,'” he said. And you get the idea that there are a lot of meth users coming onto the streets. Not at all.
“What I love about it is that you walk into a room and everyone is equal. I’ve made friends I never thought I would have,” evita The musician is mentioned.
Andrew – who now attends a meeting every day – said his turning point came when he heard someone else talking about the “stupidity” of addiction.
He said, “It was about the ridiculous limits you go to, the hiding and pretense. When you’re a drinker, you don’t think of yourself as… well, drunks drink spirits.”
“That was shocking to me when I realized I was drinking vodka to cover it up,” Andrew said.
He added, “You don’t really think. It’s just, ‘How am I going to get through the day?’ I started to seriously worry that I wasn’t writing and I panicked. ‘Maybe I’ll have a drink. Okay, I have written something. Because it frees you a little bit – but then it happens more and more and more.”
“I’m lucky that nothing went terribly wrong. I didn’t have any terrible accidents. But then you start to think about near-misses… I thought I was getting away with it. The point is that I’m deeply sorry and I can only apologize to people if I’ve messed up,” Andrew Lloyd Webber said, apologizing for any injuries he caused while under the influence.
