Phil Collins nearly died from drinking.
In a new interview with the Daily Mail, Collins says that the loss of his children through divorce and their relocation to Miami led to him drinking on a regular basis which led to a serious case of pancreatitis.
It all started in 2010 when he retired from music to be closer to his young children who lived with their mother in Switzerland. Collins admits that everything was great, he got along with his ex- and her new husband, but that husband wasn’t happy living in Europe and the family relocated to Miami.
Although he didn’t realize it at the time, Collins, who never drank that much alcohol during his music days, began drinking along with the mundane things he used to fill his days without his children. “I used to get up and I’d start drinking and watch the cricket. Red wine, white wine. And before long…”
The regular alcohol use led to a severe bout with pancreatitis, a inflammation of the pancreas that can lead to much more serious complications. “Anyway, one thing led to another and I found myself a great doctor here in America, and I went to a couple of specialists. And I don’t drink any more.”
Although he never considered himself an alcoholic, he nonetheless attended AA meetings and has put that part of his life behind him, now spending time between his homes in Switzerland and New York and a hotel in Miami so that he can see his children.
As far as a musical comeback, Collins is a bit ambivalent. He recently rehearsed with some old band members, including Jason Bonham, but time and his current schedule aren’t very conducive to a return. “It was great, but I don’t know if we’ll do anything. My voice…I haven’t sung really since 2007, so it’s a bit out of shape and frankly I’ve got a little groove going – going down to Miami every couple of weeks to see the kids. It’s very important to me. I’ve missed a lot of stuff with my three older kids. And I find that I’m involved in my younger kids’ lives a lot more.”
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