Billy Idol says he's "California sober" after battling a decades-long drug addiction.
The 68-year-old music legend and father of three said a serious motorcycle crash in 1990 triggered his desire "not be a drug addict anymore," he told PEOPLE.
"I really started to think I should try and go forward and not be a drug addict anymore and stuff like that," Idol told the outlet. "It took a long time, but gradually I did achieve some sort of discipline where I'm not really the same kind of guy I was in the '80s. I'm not the same drug addicted person."
"I mean, AA would say, 'You're always a drug addict.' And that may be true, but I don't do anything that much anymore," he explained. "I got over it somehow. I was really lucky that I could get over it because a lot of people can't."
"California sober" is a term used loosely to describe someone who abstains from using hard drugs and excessive alcohol consumption, and it's gained popularity over the years.
The "Dancing with Myself" singer said, "I can have a glass of wine every now and again. I don't have to do nothing. But at the same time, I'm not the drug addict that I was in the peak '70s, '80s."
"I'm, I suppose, 'California sober.' I just tell myself I can do what I want, but then I don't do it. If I tell myself I can't do anything, I want to do it. So I tell myself, 'You can do anything you like.' But I don't actually do it," he explained.
Idol claims the key to his California sobriety is surrounding himself with people who share a similar lifestyle.
"A lot of my friends from the old days are sober. [My guitarist] Steve Stevens is sober and [guitarist/singer] Billy Morrison in my band is sober. There are people around me who are sober. That helps a lot," he said.
