What Billy Strings has said about Addiction and recovery

Strings said the friends he grew up with mostly left his life through overdose, suicide, or prison.

“I mean, it was always like overdose. You know, a couple friends that I was close to committed suicide, and then a lot of people were kind of hauled off to prison”

This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von: #676 - Billy Strings (Aug 20, 2026) · Listen from 31:27

Strings said he refused fentanyl at first because of his recovery, then accepted it on the paramedics' advice.

“we're going to give you some fentanyl. I was like, nah like I'm I was like nah like don't you know how far I've come”

This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von: #676 - Billy Strings (Aug 20, 2026) · Listen from 48:02

Strings said the smartest thing he did after the hospital was giving all his pain medication to his wife to dispense, because he knows he would escalate.

“probably the smartest thing that I did coming out of the hospital was I gave all my pain meds to my wife. And I said, you divvy these up”

This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von: #676 - Billy Strings (Aug 20, 2026) · Listen from 59:24

Strings characterized addiction as an illness and said he cannot drink moderately the way other people can.

“it's an illness. I mean, I think some people are lucky enough not to have it”

This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von: #676 - Billy Strings (Aug 20, 2026) · Listen from 1:05:15

Strings offered his impulse to save some of the drug that killed his mother as an illustration of how addiction works.

“this is literally the stuff that I'm holding in my hand killed my mom. And my first thought is I should take some and just hide it”

This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von: #676 - Billy Strings (Aug 20, 2026) · Listen from 1:08:15

Strings said he had smoked daily since age eleven and only stopped once before, during a year of probation after a DUI.

“Dude, I smoked every day since I was like 11”

This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von: #676 - Billy Strings (Aug 20, 2026) · Listen from 1:29:25

Strings concluded that drugs create more problems than they solve.

“I feel like drugs and shit cause a lot more problems than they medicate”

This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von: #676 - Billy Strings (Aug 20, 2026) · Listen from 1:31:07