Two summers ago, the metal world was shocked to learn that High on Fire frontman Matt Pike pulled out of all touring plans and checked himself into rehab. After a month stay, Pike was out and tried to stay clean and sober. While he said he didn't drink, nor smoke, he did admit to eating marijuana edibles on occasion. Pike discussed his rehab with a fellow recoverer, comedian Rob Delaney in a video posted earlier this year. Both men agreed that staying on the wagon is a difficult day-to-day journey.
Pike, not one to hold back, recently revealed in an interview with AndrewHaug.com that he's fallen off the wagon a few times since exiting rehab:
“I’ve fallen off the wagon a few times since I went to rehab,” Pike begins. “[But] I get better and better at, like, when I do have a drink or mess up, not being too hard on myself, but getting right back on the wagon. That’s kind of part of the process in getting sober. Every now and then, you have a flaw and you’ve gotta accept that you can’t be good at anything without practicing it.”
“You know, practicing being sober in my life, there is a lot of clarity, and with a lot of clarity, there sometimes comes depression and anxiety and you’ve gotta just accept that part of it too. So there is a lot to it, but I’m definitely a lot healthier and I definitely don’t write all my music in a blackout, like I used to, although I did come up with some good stuff in a blackout. I just have a different approach nowadays.”
I think it's very courageous of Pike to admit his mistakes and not be too hard on himself for it. It certainly seems like he's trying to improve. High on Fire are currently hard at work on a new album.
