Steven Adler: "I've got Slash, Duff, Izzy and Axl behind me"

Adler's got an Appetite
Adler's got an Appetite

Looks like Sober Living, the Celebrity Rehab spin-off show in which celebs try to rebuild their careers without drugs and alcohol, didn't come fast enough for drummer Steven Adler.

According to Blabbermouth.com, the ex-Guns N' Roses skinsman was supposed to take part in the program, but a week before filming was to begin, the 43-year-old Adler was arrested for possession of narcotics.

Adler and his lawyer Barry Sands attended a court hearing in Los Angeles on Friday (July 25). Prior to the hearing, Adler said he was nervous, but looking to move on and sober up.

"I'm feeling much better," he said. "I made a recent mistake. I had a relapse after 37 days. I just wanna take care of this and move on. I'm back to seven days sober, so I wanna keep that going - seven days, seven weeks, seven months, seven years. It's the first day of the rest of my life right now. I wanna keep the sobriety going and keep my health going. I'm just glad I've got my friends behind me. I've got Slash behind me, Duff, Izzy, Axl… [they're] all behind me. I've got their prayers."

After the hearing was over, the rocker's attorney said that the court date was moved to August 20, and his client hasn't been charged with a crime.

Steven added, "The bottom line is, I made a mistake, I relapsed. You've gotta pay for your mistakes, and I'm just paying for it. And whatever I have to do to take care of this to keep this in the past so I can move on to the future, I'll do it."

"Whatever I have to do to take care of this to keep this in the past so I can move on to the future, I'll do it."

When asked what advice he had for young rockers who may be going through a similar ordeal while struggling to maintain a music career, Adler replied, "Have your loved ones videotape you using and then watch it when you're sober or not using and seeing how terrible you look and terrible you act, and I'm pretty sure that'll help you not wanna use anymore."

Los Angeles police spokesman Richard French told the Associated Press that Adler was arrested around 4 a.m. on July 18 by officers called to a home where a man reportedly was creating a disturbance and refusing to leave.

Last month, Adler underwent detoxification and treatment at a center in the Los Angeles. Let's hope the prayers of his former Guns N' Roses mates mean something.

Joe Bosso

Joe is a freelance journalist who has, over the past few decades, interviewed hundreds of guitarists for Guitar WorldGuitar PlayerMusicRadar and Classic Rock. He is also a former editor of Guitar World, contributing writer for Guitar Aficionado and VP of A&R for Island Records. He’s an enthusiastic guitarist, but he’s nowhere near the likes of the people he interviews. Surprisingly, his skills are more suited to the drums. If you need a drummer for your Beatles tribute band, look him up.