Papa Roach frontman Jacoby Shaddix recently opened up about his spiritual journey and sobriety. He shared candid details about his transformation in an interview with Dumb Blonde One.
The rock vocalist discussed his unexpected path to faith and sobriety. He revealed the internal struggles he faced along the way.
“I’ll tell you this: my faith walk, it’s been like a wrestling match. It started with my sobriety. I started going to meetings and going to recovery houses and stuff like that. And they’re, like, ‘You need to find God or a God of your understanding.’ And it was a journey for me for years,” Shaddix said. “I’ll tell you: the two things I never wanted to be in my life was sober and a Christian.”
The singer described the challenging process of surrendering control and finding faith through repeated failures and moments of desperation.
“And here I am now — a follower, a sober guy. But it was a rocky path to find that, and a lot of failure and a lot of questioning. Turning my will over to God and following and then taking it all back and then living my way and then repeatedly finding myself just in that deep dark hole,” he continued. “And when I finally put the bottle down and really, it was like that foxhole prayer, where I’m just, like, ‘God, do you just hear me? Can you hear me? I need a miraculous change. I need something beyond what I can do.’ ‘Cause I kept trying to control the change in my life. And it just — the walls fell.”
Shaddix credited a close friend with helping guide his spiritual transformation. He initially approached faith with skepticism.
“I had a fellow that I was real close with that kind of walked my faith journey out with me, and I was very skeptical and very, like, ‘These church people are weird.’ And then when I saw this faith walk alive in front of me and somebody talking the talk and walking the walk, and I saw the transformation, it became alive to me,” he said. “And I was less fearful of, ‘All right. I’ll try to believe.’ And then it became, like, I’m a full-blown believer now.”
The frontman now participates in Bible study and continues to experience personal growth through his faith journey.
“I’m doing a bible study with a buddy of mine, and it’s tripping me out because I’m starting to experience different levels of freedom, of bondage of self. And things that maybe I once thought were acceptable in my life, now I’m, like, ‘Ah, man, that ain’t serving you, man. It’s not not working for you anymore,'” Shaddix explained. “And the more that I purge these things and turn it over and just walk in the light, I feel like it’s the way, it’s the path. ‘Cause I’ve tried the other way, the whole rock and roll [lifestyle].”
Shaddix’s journey to sobriety has been a long and challenging process. It spans over a decade of commitment and personal growth.
Spin reported that Shaddix has maintained sobriety since 2012. His first attempt at getting clean began in 2005 during what he described as a rock bottom moment where he blacked out and threatened to burn down his house. The singer’s struggles with alcohol were deeply rooted in family history, with addiction issues spanning multiple generations that nearly destroyed his marriage before he fully committed to recovery.
The Papa Roach frontman’s dedication to sobriety has only strengthened over time. Blabbermouth noted that by February 2024, Shaddix celebrated 12 years alcohol-free. He marked the milestone with gratitude and humility. He acknowledged the support system that helped him maintain his commitment throughout the journey.
The transformation in Shaddix’s perspective on sobriety has been dramatic. Louder Sound revealed that after ten years of sobriety, the singer stated that staying clean had become “way easier.” He expressed his complete rejection of alcohol in stark terms.
“I’d rather put a gun in my mouth than a drink in my mouth,” Shaddix said. This demonstrates the complete shift in his relationship with alcohol and his unwavering commitment to his sober lifestyle.
His ongoing sobriety journey continues to influence both his personal life and his approach to touring and performing. He has developed new strategies and routines to maintain his commitment while navigating the challenges of life as a rock musician.
