Stone Sour guitarist Josh Rand has opened up about the “downward spiral” he suffered after getting sober in a new post on his social media. He further provided an update about how his mental and physical health have been since then.
Just before Stone Sour set out on tour in early 2018, the band released a statement that Rand would be absent from the group as he was checking into a rehab center. A few months later, the guitarist shared in a social media post that he’d been abusing alcohol and Xanax to treat anxiety. He admitted he secretly used the drug for roughly eight years prior to checking into rehab.
Xanax is a benzodiazepine used to treat anxiety and insomnia, but is highly addictive and is only meant to be used short-term. Addiction Center notes that it can be extremely dangerous to try and quit the medication abruptly, as the withdrawal symptoms can be fatal — and the withdrawal symptoms of alcohol can be as well.
Rand announced his return to Stone Sour in June of 2018, and the band played their last show later that year in December. They’ve since gone on hiatus, but Rand has shared a new update regarding his health on his Instagram. It’s his first post on the platform since late April.
“It’s been a while since my last post and I just wanted to update you all with what I’ve been up to and to say I’m alive and doing well. There’s really two parts to my journey in 2023, mental health and physical health,” the guitarist wrote.
Rand explained that his mental health took a “downward spiral” when he kicked the alcohol and the Xanax in 2018 because all of the negative thoughts and feelings he’d used the substances to self-medicate with rose to the surface.
“Looking back now, by the end of 2019 I had lost the ability to control my emotions,” he continued. “The highs were high, and the lows were low except there were no highs. I had hit rock bottom; I had become someone else and not in a good way. In the beginning of 2020 after several events known as ‘explosive behavior’ it became very apparent to me I needed help.”
As a result, Rand started going to therapy, which is something he says changed his life and is one of the greatest things he’s ever done. However, he’d also been suffering from chronic back pain, and in March of this year the pain had become so severe that he was nearly immobile. In August, he underwent a spinal surgery, which fused several of the discs in his back together, and he’s still in recovery.
READ MORE: 10 Rock Stars Who Got Sober… and Stayed Sober
“I’m hoping to start PT soon and get back to playing,” Rand wrote. “I want to stress this is not a sympathy or ‘poor me’ post, but my 1st on the importance of mental health. Be safe, be well.”
See the full post below. Loudwire wishes Rand the best as he continues to recover from the procedure.
If you or someone you know is struggling with drug and/or alcohol dependence, help is available through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website. To speak to someone on the phone, dial 1-800-622-HELP (1-800-622-4357) or send a text message to 1-800-487-4889.
