Placeholder Content Image

Elle Macpherson marks major 20-year milestone

<p>Aussie supermodel Elle Macpherson has celebrated two incredible milestones this week. </p> <p>The 59-year-old, nicknamed "The Body" during her modelling years, took to Instagram to celebrate her one-year anniversary with her American musician boyfriend, Doyle Bramhall. </p> <p>''Life beyond my wildest dreams they say," she captioned the series of photos of the pair travelling the world together. </p> <p>The post also marked 20 years of sobriety for Macpherson, who recently shared her <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Cwp_ytApolL/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&amp;igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Alcoholics Anonymous badge</a> to celebrate the milestone. </p> <p>"As I celebrate my 20 years anniversary this week… I am also celebrating 365+days of heart expanding bliss," she continued in the tribute dedicated to her blossoming relationship with Bramhall. </p> <p>"Our friend @ninamorris calls us Nomadic Lovers - So I've chosen some of my favourite images from around the world," she added. </p> <p>She then listed all the different places they've been to together, which matched the photos on the slide. </p> <p>Among them, we see a picture of the pair kissing underneath the Eiffel Tower, exploring the Sahara desert in Morocco, and one of the shrines in Tokyo. </p> <p>"Real travel requires a maximum of unscheduled wandering, for there is no other way of discovering surprises and marvels, which, as I see it, is the only good reason for not staying at home," she added. </p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/Cw0CS5OM4yu/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Cw0CS5OM4yu/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Elle Macpherson (@ellemacpherson)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>Friends and fans alike took to the comments to congratulate the couple on their one-year anniversary, and celebrate Macpherson's sobriety. </p> <p>"My heart is SO full seeing you love &amp; being truly loved by @doylebramhall2," wrote Dr Simoné Laubscher , the formulator for Macpherson's wellness brand WelleCo. </p> <p>"Gorgeous photos capturing your essence ❤️ Here is to many more years of wild adventures," wrote another. </p> <p>"Congratulations my friend! These are the rewards of sobriety 🙏🏻" commented a third. </p> <p>"So very happy for you both. A beautiful celebration of pure love!" added another.</p> <p>"I’m so happy for you!!! You are the ultimate example of changing your world from the inside out!" commented a fifth. </p> <p>Macpherson and  Bramhall went public with their relationship in December.</p> <p>Macpherson shares two sons, Flynn and Cy, with her French financier ex Arpad Busson, while Bramhall shares daughter India with American vocalist Susannah Melvoin. </p> <p><em><span style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;"> Images: Instagram</span></em></p>

Body

Placeholder Content Image

Chris Smith reveals new gig after 75 days sober

<p>Broadcaster Chris Smith is set to return to radio with a new position at <em>TNT Radio</em>. </p> <p>The news comes only two months after the 60-year-old radio host lost his positions with both <em>Sky News </em>and <em>2GB </em>for <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/news/news/chris-smith-suspended-after-christmas-party-allegations" target="_blank" rel="noopener">misconduct</a> at a work Christmas party. The update coincides with Chris’s 75th day of <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/news/news/chris-smith-breaks-silence" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sobriety</a>. </p> <p>In a post shared to his social media accounts, Chris shared what the career lifeline meant to him and promised to share more information with his supporters that same night, writing, “a new job, a new start, a whole new opportunity”.</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/Co87UA3v17o/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Co87UA3v17o/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Chris Smith (@thenewchrissmith)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>It was later revealed that he would be joining the team at <em>TNT Radio</em>, returning to air every weekday at 3pm. Many were thrilled by the news, celebrating alongside the disgraced host, and asking where they could tune in for the content they’d been missing. </p> <p>One, however, had a different take, sharing his exasperation at how many times he’d heard about the new opportunity. Chris, who had tweeted multiple times about when and where he could be heard in 2023, responded that it was “2 stories.” </p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Just twice David. 2 stories <a href="https://t.co/OYP2XPn0n3">https://t.co/OYP2XPn0n3</a></p> <p>— Chris Smith (@chrissmithonair) <a href="https://twitter.com/chrissmithonair/status/1628361763359191040?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 22, 2023</a></p></blockquote> <p>Chris also spoke to <em>The Daily Mail </em>about his return, and opened up to them about his sobriety journey in the wake of his December scandal. </p> <p>“In previous times where I've stuffed up binge drinking,” he said, “I never had the guts nor probably the guidance to be able to give up drinking.</p> <p>“I never had the advice, I'd never had the guts to do what I should have done, which was to give it up completely. I've never given up more than three weeks. I could never do it. I thought I could control it, as I thought I could control it in December, but I can't.”</p> <p>When asked if he would ever touch alcohol again, he stated “never, ever.” </p> <p>“I don’t need it. I'm angry with it,” he continued. “It's not just the big incidents that have occurred in my life. It's also the reliance on alcohol - on an almost daily basis - which I've also had.</p> <p>“It negatively impacts my family, my wife, my kids. I don't need that anymore.”</p> <p>He went on to explain that he has learned his lesson when it comes to mixing his medication with drink, and that he has “​​removed the wild card prospect of behaving like an adolescent.” </p> <p>Of his new mentality, and what it could mean for his work ahead, he said, “it's a great relief for me and it's a great start to hopefully another stage of a career without drama … I feel as if I'm on a really positive trajectory now and I don't feel as if I'm a danger to myself or a danger to anyone else.”</p> <p><em>Images: Instagram</em></p>

News

Placeholder Content Image

Chris Smith breaks silence

<p>Former TV and radio presenter Chris Smith has taken to social media to provide an update into his sobriety journey, marking a 50 day milestone. </p> <p>Smith lost his positions at Sky News and 2GB due to <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/news/news/chris-smith-suspended-after-christmas-party-allegations" target="_blank" rel="noopener">misconduct</a> at a work Christmas party, where he is alleged to have groped a co-worker, as well as making a series of inappropriate comments to others at the event. </p> <p>He was accused of harassing four female colleagues at a staff party in 2009, blaming his actions on alcohol and medication he was taking at the time. </p> <p>His departure from Sky News was confirmed in December, the same month in which the 60-year-old voluntarily sought treatment and issued a <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/news/news/chris-is-at-rock-bottom-chris-smith-releases-statement-after-christmas-party-furore" target="_blank" rel="noopener">public apology</a> for his actions. </p> <p>CEO of Sky News Australia Paul Whittaker released a statement that confirmed Smith’s contract had been terminated due to his misconduct, and said, “following an investigation into allegations of serious misconduct, we have today advised Chris Smith that his contract with Sky News Australia has been terminated as a result of inappropriate behaviour that is in breach of his contract and company policy.</p> <p>“We continue to offer support to affected staff members whose welfare remains our primary concern.”</p> <p>This time, Chris has taken to social media to make a statement: that he is, in his own words, “50 days sober”.</p> <p>To Instagram, Smith shared a picture of himself outdoors, smiling and sporting a green Minecraft hat. On Twitter, his statement attracted almost four thousand likes. </p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/Cn_Ns0lPIN3/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Cn_Ns0lPIN3/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Chris Smith (@thenewchrissmith)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>Viewers took to Chris’s posts to share their support for his journey, with some even opening up about their own challenges and experiences.</p> <p>“Congrats, Chris,” wrote one, “I wish you well on your sober journey. As one who left alcohol behind 456 days ago, it’s the best thing I’ve ever done. All the best.”</p> <p> “Well done Chris. I know how hard it is. 4yr 9m 19days for me,” shared another, “wanting days are few and far between now, normally driven by good weather and stress.”</p> <p>“Onwards,” added fellow Australian entertainer Catherine Alcorn, punctuating her comment with the emoji of a pair of hands raised in praise. </p> <p>“I have a recurring problem with alcohol,” Chris admitted at the time of the Christmas party incident. “I am in a facility receiving professional help, to deal conclusively with my abuse of alcohol and solve this once and for all … it can and will be done.”</p> <p><em>Images: Instagram</em></p> <p> </p>

News

Placeholder Content Image

David Campbell celebrates 8 years of sobriety

<p>David Campbell celebrates eight years of sobriety this week, and he couldn't be happier.</p> <p>The presenter took to Twitter to mark the milestone by announcing, "Been sober for 8 years this week. Best decision I made for myself, my family and my mental health. If you are thinking of it, know that it's wonderful."</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Been sober for 8 years this week. Best decision I made for myself, my family and my mental health. If you are thinking of it, know that it’s wonderful</p> <p>— David Campbell OAM (@DavidCampbell73) <a href="https://twitter.com/DavidCampbell73/status/1514009764153688065?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 12, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p>David was quickly flooded with Tweets celebrating his news that resonated with their own experiences.</p> <p>One fan wrote, "Congratulations David. I'm considering giving it up completely myself (anxiety is always worse when I tipple)," and another commented, "Agreed. Three years for me. Hardest thing I've ever done. But also the best that thing that I've ever done."</p> <p>"It's been two years for me now - huge congratulations to you sir!" shared a Tweeter.</p> <p>When David decided to become sober, he shared the moment he knew his drinking was an issue.</p> <p>It was when his then four-year-old son, Leo, commented, "That "Daddy isn't well."</p> <p>"I felt shame. I couldn't stand by and watch this be normalised with the next generation. I wanted to be a role model for him. I wanted to be the best father I could - I still do.</p> <p>"So I quit alcohol, and I have never been happier. Now a year on, I have tripled my number of children and my resolve," he told the publication.</p> <p>David's rocker dad Jimmy Barnes has also openly spoken about his addictions in his memoir Working Class Man. During an interview with Now To Love, Mahalia Barnes revealed why her family is so open to sharing their stories.</p> <p>"I think that being in the public profile, you do have less privacy, obviously. That's just how it works; it sort of comes with the territory.</p> <p>"And obviously, there are things that you can choose to keep private, or you can speak openly. But when it comes to talking about things like alcoholism and drug addiction or domestic violence, that are generally kept secret and kept in the shadows, I think the more people that can publicly talk about that stuff, the better.</p> <p>"It's not easy, it is vulnerable, but it's also really powerful and really important to do that because I think that there's a lot of stigmas that we have around those sorts of issues," said Mahalia.</p> <p>If you or anyone you know struggles with topics raised in this article, contact lifeline at any time on 13 11 14.</p> <p><em>Images: Instagram</em></p>

Body

Placeholder Content Image

Low or moderate drinking might not be good for us after all

<div> <div class="copy"> <p>While the evidence on alcohol consumption <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/health/wine-decreases-heart-health-risk-still-bad/" target="_blank">varies from study to study</a>, it’s generally thought that people who drink in moderation live longer than people who abstain entirely. But new research casts doubt on this, finding no difference between the lifespans of moderate drinkers and those who’ve never had alcohol.</p> <p>Instead, the German study suggests that previous research on abstainers’ shorter lifespans fails to take into account that many of those abstainers had recovered from alcohol use disorders, addictions and other ailments which increase mortality.</p> <p>“It has long been assumed that low to moderate alcohol consumption might have positive effects on health based on the finding that alcohol abstainers seemed to die earlier than low to moderate drinkers,” says Ulrich John, a researcher at the University Medicine Greifswald, Germany, and lead author on a paper describing the research, <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="http://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmed.1003819" target="_blank">published</a> in <em>PLOS.</em></p> <p>“We found that the majority of the abstainers had alcohol or drug problems, risky alcohol consumption, daily tobacco smoking or fair to poor health in their history – ie, factors that predict early death.”</p> <p>The researchers began their analysis with data from a survey of 4,028 German adults, taken in 1996 and 1997, on their alcohol consumption.</p> <p>They followed this data up, 20 years later, by retrieving the death certificate information (or vital status) of each participant in 2017 and 2018.</p> <p>Of the 447 participants who were alcohol abstinent, 322 had previously either had an alcohol or drug dependence, had tried to cut down or stop their drinking, were smokers, or self-rated their health as poor. These people did have a lower life expectancy than moderate drinkers.</p> <p>The 125 abstainers who’d never drunk alcohol, or only in small amounts, showed no difference in mortality to the moderate drinking population.</p> <p>The researchers say that this data speaks against recommendations to drink alcohol for health reasons.</p> <em>Image credits: Shutterstock  <!-- Start of tracking content syndication. Please do not remove this section as it allows us to keep track of republished articles --> <img id="cosmos-post-tracker" style="opacity: 0; height: 1px!important; width: 1px!important; border: 0!important; position: absolute!important; z-index: -1!important;" src="https://syndication.cosmosmagazine.com/?id=171488&amp;title=Low+or+moderate+drinking+might+not+be+good+for+us+after+all" alt="" width="1" height="1" /> <!-- End of tracking content syndication -->          </em></div> <div id="contributors"> <p><em>This article was originally published on <a rel="noopener" href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/health/body-and-mind/low-or-moderate-drinking-healthy-alcohol-use/" target="_blank">cosmosmagazine.com</a> and was written by Ellen Phiddian. </em></p> </div> </div>

Body

Placeholder Content Image

"I was terrified": Elton John recalls performing sober for the first time

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Iconic singer Sir Elton John has revealed that he was worried he wouldn’t be able to perform sober after taking a year off music to get treatment for his addiction issues back in 1990.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">He attended Narcotics and Alcoholics Anonymous meetings in order to get sober but admitted going back to performing was difficult.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">He spoke to </span><a href="https://variety.com/2019/music/news/elton-john-sober-addiction-recovery-1203392566/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Variety</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">’s</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> recovery issue about the fear he was facing. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“After I finally surrendered and decided to seek treatment for my addiction, there came a point when I wondered if I would ever go back to work as Elton John again. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“But at that time, I wasn’t thinking too much about being an artist. I had reached the lowest ebb in my life – the absolute bottom. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I hated myself so much. I was consumed with shame. All I wanted to do was get well. I put all of the energy I had left toward my recovery.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">John made a point of clearing his diary in order to give him time to focus on his recovery but realised there was one charity concert he didn’t want to back out of.</span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/BoULFFHloU_/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BoULFFHloU_/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Elton John (@eltonjohn)</a> on Sep 29, 2018 at 8:33am PDT</p> </div> </blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This made him realise that he would be able to perform again. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“When the day arrived, I was terrified, but I did manage to get through the performance. It was the only time I stepped on a stage that year, and I had to do it on my own without the band. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“In retrospect, I’m glad I went straight in at the deep end… That show gave me confidence to know that I could still perform sober.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">John went onto write his 1992 album </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">The One</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> and worked on </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Lion King</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> soundtrack for which he won an Oscar after his treatment.</span></p>

Music

Our Partners