{"id":21302,"date":"2025-06-13T13:39:31","date_gmt":"2025-06-13T17:39:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/inspirationreport\/?p=21302"},"modified":"2025-06-13T13:40:32","modified_gmt":"2025-06-13T17:40:32","slug":"keith-urban-shares-the-life-changing-moment-that-helped-him-get-sober-after-years-of-addiction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/inspirationreport\/2025\/06\/keith-urban-shares-the-life-changing-moment-that-helped-him-get-sober-after-years-of-addiction.html","title":{"rendered":"Keith Urban Shares the Life-Changing Moment That Led to His Sobriety After Years of Addiction"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
Kathy Hutchins \/ Shutterstock.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Country music star Keith Urban is getting real about the moment that changed everything in his long struggle with addiction\u2014and how love, grace, and faith played a role in his road to healing.<\/p>\n

In a recent interview on The Zane Lowe Show<\/em>, the 57-year-old singer shared that for years, he lived with a voice inside him saying a final choice was coming.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll through the years of drinking and doing drugs\u2026 I always had this very specific voice inside of me that goes, \u2018One day, you\u2019re gonna come to a crossroads,\u2019\u201d Urban said. \u201cThere won\u2019t be a next time. And you\u2019ll know when it comes.\u201d<\/p>\n

That moment came in 2006, just four months after he married actress Nicole Kidman. She staged an intervention, and Urban knew it was the moment he had to choose life\u2014or lose everything.<\/p>\n

\u201cI knew that was it. I\u2019m like, \u2018Oh, this is that fork in the road,\u2019\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Urban, now sober for almost 19 years, said he didn\u2019t come to America to end up in rehab or courtrooms.<\/p>\n

\u201cI came to America to make music and grow as an artist and as a human being\u2026 What am I doing?\u201d<\/p>\n

But his battle with addiction didn\u2019t start overnight. After moving from Australia to Nashville, he felt like an outsider in the country music world. Despite past success overseas, he struggled with self-doubt and heartbreak, leading to heavier drinking and drug use.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I was onstage, I felt good, but if I was not onstage, I was very, very insecure,\u201d Urban recalled. \u201cI felt like I didn\u2019t have much of anything to offer. I was just an alien.\u201d<\/p>\n

A painful breakup in the late \u201890s pushed him even further into addiction.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe said, \u2018The novelty of you has worn off,\u2019 and that cut me to the core,\u201d he said. \u201cThe whole back end of the \u201890s was just awful.\u201d<\/p>\n

After two failed stints in rehab, Urban finally committed to recovery after Kidman\u2019s loving intervention. He later told Oprah, \u201cThat\u2019s the point where she really should\u2019ve just walked. I\u2019m just so glad she didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Today, Urban gives credit to his wife for saving not just his marriage, but his life.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you want to see what love in action really looks like, give that a whirl,\u201d he said during a 2024 tribute to Kidman. \u201cShe chose love. And here we are tonight, 18 years later.\u201d<\/p>\n

The couple has two daughters, Sunday and Faith, and Keith says putting family first keeps him grounded.<\/p>\n

Urban has also used his journey to help others. In 2017, country singer Brantley Gilbert said Urban helped him make the decision to stay in rehab.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf it weren\u2019t for him, I don\u2019t know if I\u2019d be sober\u2026 I\u2019d probably be dead,\u201d Gilbert shared.<\/p>\n

Now, Urban says the word \u201chigh\u201d has a new meaning for him\u2014and it\u2019s the title of his latest album.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt means something different now than it did 19 years ago,\u201d he said. \u201cPlaying live\u2026 that\u2019s always been my safe place.\u201d<\/p>\n

Urban\u2019s story is one of redemption, love, and choosing the light. And for anyone who has walked through dark seasons, his honesty offers a powerful reminder: it\u2019s never too late to turn around\u2014and God\u2019s grace is bigger than any addiction.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Country music star Keith Urban is getting real about the moment that changed everything in his long struggle with addiction\u2014and how love, grace, and faith played a role in his road to healing. In a recent interview on The Zane Lowe Show, the 57-year-old singer shared that for years, he lived with a voice inside…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":462,"featured_media":21305,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21302","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-inspiring-messages"],"yoast_head":"\nKeith Urban Shares the Life-Changing Moment That Led to His Sobriety After Years of Addiction<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Keith Urban reveals the pivotal moment that led to his sobriety after years of addiction, following an intervention by wife Nicole Kidman.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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