Marcus King Says 'Addiction Partially Ran My Life' for Some Time: 'Had My First Drink Around Age 12'

Marcus King is looking back on his experiences with addiction — and how he's found clarity through sobriety.

In a new essay for Billboard, the Americana hitmaker, 28, wrote about his past struggles with drugs and alcohol, candidly admitting he "didn’t think I’d live to make another album" as of two years ago.

King explained he feels the genesis of his addiction was getting exposed to substances from a young age. "Addiction ran in my family and partially ran my life for quite some time. I had my first drink around age 12 or 13," he recalled, adding, "I was often the youngest one at the party."

"I drank in an effort to quiet down the demons from years of trauma and abandonment that I hadn’t learned how to cope with yet," noted King. "Drugs and alcohol helped to summon a muse and overcome my social anxiety."

The "Too Much Whiskey" creator "spent most of my teens and early 20s under the influence," he highlighted.

As a result, King admitted, he only semi-remembers some of his early career highlights. "There are many moments, incredible career-defining moments, like the first time I played with Eric Clapton, Little Feat and Lynyrd Skynyrd, that I simply cannot fully recall," he said.

Ultimately, per the essay, King "tried many times to quit drinking," but his "sense of self sunk even lower when I fell off the wagon."

"I’m certainly not the first to self-medicate," he added.

King wrote about how "the music industry can be isolating with grueling hours on the road, oftentimes away from loved ones and little time to focus on your health," noting he's made positive changes in the interest of his future.

"What I’ve learned in the past two years is that sobriety and mental health are a journey, not a final destination," he wrote. "Each day I just need to make progress and lend myself compassion when I don’t live up to it – when I fall off, I have to remind myself I am not a f--- up, I just f---ed up."

The star concluded his sobriety discussion by sharing, "Substance use disorders truly are an illness, so don’t cast blame. Judgment only shoves those of us trying to stay sober further into darkness. It erodes our sense of self and our connection to you — the very things that could be lifelines to sobriety."

In the past, King — who married Briley Hussey in February 2023 — has also been vocal about his journey with mental health.

"I struggled with that. Bipolar disorder ran in the family,” he told Premier Guitar in April. “I’ve had abandonment issues and poor attachment styles — all the things that I research now [while trying] to become the best partner that I can be."

“I would just get worked up,” he added at the time. “I’m still learning how to address those and recognize them.”

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, please contact the SAMHSA helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.