(NewsNation) — Country singer Zach Bryan, 29, revealed he quit drinking alcohol two months ago after he realized the impact it had on his mental health.
The “Heading South” singer opened up about his sobriety journey in a post to Instagram on Tuesday, writing that he decided to make the lifestyle change after he went on a 20-day, cross-country, solo motorcycle trip.
“At the end of this ride, I was sitting in a parking lot in Seattle, Washington, thinking ‘I really need some f—— help,'” Bryan wrote.
“Being in the military for a decade and then thrown into a spotlight that I hadn’t fully comprehended the scope of, had some subconscious effects on me as a person,” he added. “I was not content but I also feared showing weakness because that’s not who I am or how I was raised.”
Bryan said he faced “perpetual discontent” and used alcohol to deal with that feeling.
He said he was “always reaching for alcohol, not for the taste, but because there was a consistent black hole in me that always needed its void filled.”
Zach Bryan says he feels much better without alcohol
The “Quittin’ Time” singer said he feels “great” now that he’s stopped drinking and has his family’s support “every step” of the way.
“I feel great. I feel content. I feel whole,” he said. “There’s nothing I need to get me by anymore.”
Zach Bryan’s year
The country music performer’s sobriety comes after his ex-girlfriend, Brianna “Chickenfry” LaPaglia, alleged last year that Bryan was emotionally abusive toward her.
“The last year of my life has been the hardest year of my life dealing with the abuse from this dude,” she said, according to People Magazine. “I’m still scared right now because I’m scared of him. My brain’s rewired and I’m scared to make him mad, and last week, I didn’t want to talk about it ’cause I was scared.”
In September, Bryan and country singer Gavin Adcock were seen getting into an intense argument at a music festival in Oklahoma.
In an Instagram video shared by Adcock, Bryan can be seen yelling, “Hey, want to fight like a man?” and banging on a chain-link fence toward Adcock and his team at the “Born & Raised Festival” in Pryor, Oklahoma.