July 24th 2024.
Danny O'Donoghue, the lead singer of The Script, recently opened up about his decision to go sober after the holiday season in 2023. He shared that the passing of his bandmate Mark Sheehan in April of that year was a turning point for him. The Irish musician had originally planned to stay "stone-cold sober" for the entire Christmas period, but upon returning to Dublin from the UK, he found himself drinking again.
In an interview with the How To Fail With Elizabeth Day podcast, the 43-year-old revealed that he was already drunk by the time he got off the plane. Despite his initial intentions to stay sober, he found himself ordering whiskey on the flight. "Bang," he said, "and then I just hammered the whiskeys, got home and I pretty much spent Christmas just pissed."
However, Danny has a tradition on Christmas Day that he has been doing for 14 years now. He visits Temple Street Children's Hospital from nine in the morning until three in the afternoon, spending time with the kids and nurses. He shared that this year, he was grieving and not fully present due to his drinking.
"It's a beautiful, beautiful morning," he recalled. "I wasn't drunk Christmas Eve. After the hospital, I just went straight out to my sister's, had dinner, straight on the Guinness again and I went like, the 25th, 26th, 27th drunk, the whole time."
Realizing that staying in Dublin longer would only worsen his alcohol consumption, Danny decided to cut his trip short and return to the UK where his girlfriend and studio were located. "I said that's it, that's it, I'm finished. I'm finished drinking, I'm finished smoking, everything from December 27," he shared.
He also opened up about his struggles with substance abuse since his school days. "I was very experimental as a kid, as you would be as a musician," he said. "I'd go sober for a few years and then have a few drinks, this, that and the other, so I was always dabbling, never to the extent where it's gotten too out of hand where I've had to go anywhere."
Danny's music career began in the Irish boyband Mytown with Mark Sheehan before they formed The Script in 2008. The band achieved great success with four UK number one singles and seven top 10 albums. However, Danny shared that he had failed music in school, which shocked him as he had always prided himself on it. It wasn't until he was diagnosed as dyslexic as an adult that he understood why.
"I failed music and it was shocking for me, because I went to the school for that," he said. "I'd prided myself on it. I was so nonchalant sitting in the back of the class like I can do whatever I want, and it was clear that I couldn't."
He continued, "I left in the fourth year because I wasn't getting on well in the school and my mum just thought, let's go for a change. We went to another place where there were less rules, no uniforms, you could smoke, not in class but outside. There were a lot less rules which I think suited me. I went there, and I spent a year there. It kind of just got a little worse for me."
Despite his struggles with school, Danny's passion for music only grew stronger. He shared that the reason he failed all of his classes was because of his dyslexia, something he only discovered later in life.
For anyone struggling with alcohol addiction, the NHS recommends Drinkline, a national alcohol helpline. They also suggest reaching out to Alcoholics Anonymous, a free self-help group with a 12-step program. Remember, there is always help available, and you don't have to go through it alone.
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