Rascal Flatts guitarist Joe Don Rooney is celebrating three years of sobriety on his birthday. The musician revealed he decided to get sober on his birthday. In a social media post, Rooney notes how far he's come.
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"It's been a heckuva journey for me the past 3 years. Not only is today my born date - but today is also my 3 year sobriety date," he writes.
"I'm grateful and my heart is so full of love and appreciation today. God is so GOoD!!" Ronney adds. "Anyone out there who might be struggling with addiction, please know there is light at the other end of that long seemingly endless small tunnel."
Rooney said that he suffered from alcoholism for years. It affected how was as botha husband and as a father. He wrote, "I was not a good father — I was not a good husband — and I was not a good bandmate to my business partners ... I probably would've never taken responsibility for any of this if it hadn't been for my car wreck on Sep 9, 2021."
Jon Don Rooney Doesn't Look Back
Previously, Rooney opened up about alcohol factored into his 2021 accident that almost killed him. The guitarist ended up crashing into a tree. It was a near-fatal accident.
"My life and career took a major detour at 4 [a.m.] in the early morning hours of Sep 9, 2021 when I ran square into a tree and about killed myself," Rooney tweeted. "I was drunk and I was so far gone with my life - I was completely out of control and finished with trying to fight the fears, depression and anxieties that had spun me out in a way I've never experienced before. My drinking had been an issue for many years - and as they say in AA and treatment, it's a progressive disease. I am living proof that the progressive nature of drinking can really ratchet up and as I grew older as an adult my drinking grew worse."
Following the accident, Rooney decided to get his life straight. He began seeking treatment for his addiction. It's a battle but the musician hasn't looked back.
