Jamey Johnson Opens Up About How His Daughter Inspired Him To Quit Drinking 14 Years Ago

Jamey Johnson Speaks & Sings About His Sobriety

Wanting to set an example for his young daughter, Jamey Johnson quit drinking in 2011, doing so cold turkey.

Johnson has never shied away from speaking or singing about his sobriety. Last year (2024), he released a new song, “Sober,” which he dedicated to “those who struggle with sobriety.” He added, “I understand.“

“Sober” was included on Johnson’s latest album, Midnight Gasoline. The song is deeply emotional and somewhat somber as Johnson shares his struggles to stay sober in a town and world that make such a lifestyle incredibly challenging.

“Would you believe he’d give a sinner, like me ‘Amazing Grace?'” he sings. “How sweet that sounds. But it’s been h— crossing over. It’s so hard staying sober in this town.“

During a 2024 interview with Billboard, Johnson shared why he doesn’t drink any longer, telling the publication just how close he came to destroying his life.

“And with a sober mind, I’m able to do things like get a pilot’s license, manage a business, start a product line. I may still break out a joint if I’m writing or something like that. But I don’t play games with the alcohol. That’s what led me down a dark path of self-destruction back then and I barely survived.”

He added, “Alcohol was an incendiary way of destructing myself.”

Jamey Johnson’s Daughter Was Seven Years Old When He Quit Drinking In 2011

Jamey Johnson quit drinking over 14 years ago. During a more recent interview with Big D & Bubba, he shared how his daughter inspired him to give up alcohol for good.

When Johnson’s daughter was young, he was doing whatever he could to help pay the bills. But being a musician meant that he had a job with no strict hours, and one he “couldn’t be fired from.”

He confessed, “That is what I think led to drinking all hours of the day. You know, I used to only drink when I was playing, and then I started playing every day, and then I started drinking every day. And when you can’t be fired, there’s no reason not to start at 10 AM.”

Johnson said he remained in “that phase” for some time. But when his daughter was seven, he decided to quit cold turkey. He even remembers the date he had his last drink, September 8, 2011. He said, “The next day, I was just resolved, and I was done with it.”

Opening up, Johnson said his daughter inspired him to quit drinking. He wanted to be someone she could look up to and be proud of, as he explained:

“I realized I was going to be an example to my little girl, and what was I being an example of? I’m here to do way more important things than to get drunk.“

Hear Jamey Johnson speak more about his decision to quit drinking in the video below.

@bigdandbubba How Jamey Johnson got sober for his daughter… #jameyjohnson #sober #alcohol #fyp #fypシ @JameyJohnsonOfficial ♬ original sound – bigdandbubba