Addiction News

Former Korn Guitar Player Faces Addiction

From heavy metal to heavy recovery, Brian “Head” Welch, the former guitarist for multi-award winning hard rock band Korn, has come through an addiction battle with methamphetamine and alcohol that is leading even his own fans to give up their addictions.

Brian Welch seemed to have it all just a few years ago. Korn, the internationally known rock and roll band he helped form, had reached a multi-platinum status and earned Grammy Award-winning credits. However, Welch stunned the music world in 2005 with the announcement that he would no longer be part of Korn – after two decades – but would instead turn his life over to his Christian faith and raise his daughter, Jennea.

In interviews, Welch describes his recovery journey as emerging from darkness. He explains having “everything” – money, fame and the reality of a lifelong dream to be a rock star – yet he still felt a void. Welch says he filled that void with drugs, including a methamphetamine addiction that spanned multiple years.

Brian Welch says he made various attempts to stop the meth addiction, but was unable to find success. His attempts at recovery included various trips to voluntarily enter drug rehabilitation. His wife, Rebekah, also became addicted to methamphetamine and left Welch to care for their daughter as a single father.

Welch also recalls trying not to take drugs or abuse alcohol in front of his young daughter, but because of the strong cravings, he would have to find a private place to use and then quickly return to the scene. Depression and anxiety were also serious problems, says the celebrity, and he continued to use the methamphetamines to escape the stress he felt to care for his daughter and help maintain the band’s status.

Welch’s days with Korn, laced with drugs and alcohol, were some of his unhappiest, the celebrity said. He even describes himself in an interview as trapped in a desert of drugs. In talking about his recovery, Welch says the 2005 turning point began with friends leading him to a spiritual encounter with Jesus Christ. He also gained fame for a picture he took of himself flushing his drugs down the toilet.

Welch plans to teach his daughter how to live a drug-free life, including explaining to her that drugs and alcohol can’t solve problems or bring satisfaction. His first solo album in 2008, “Save Me From Myself,” further details his battle through the darkness of addiction, as well as his memoir “Save Me From Myself: How I Found God, Quit Korn, Kicked Drugs, and Lived to Tell My Story.”

Brian “Head” Welch admits there are seasons to emerging from the darkness of addiction, but is constantly lifted up by fans who tell him they were inspired enough by his story to end their own addictions.

As Welch’s openness toward his recovery continues to reach thousands of fans, the impact of his message is likely to change the story for many others who also battle with substance abuse.