Billy Joel's depression has been known to go hand-in-hand with alcoholism, but the singer claims that alcohol has never really been the problem, he said that 9/11 is what's really responsible for his struggles, he told The New York Times.
Joel has been involved in three car accidents over the past two years, but claims that none of them were alcohol related and swears he's never gotten a D.U.I. examiner.com reported.
Joel claims alcohol is simply a way to treat his depression, and it's not the root issue. Joel has struggled with depression from a very young age, he even tried to commit suicide by drinking furniture polish when he was only 21 years-old.
"I looked in my mother's closet and there was bleach, and it had the skull and crossbones, and then there was furniture polish." Joel told Details. "And at the time I thought, well, the furniture polish will probably taste better than the bleach, so I'll drink the furniture polish. And all I ended up doing was farting furniture polish for a couple of days and polishing my mother's chairs."
Joel didn't go to rehab for alcohol until his third wife, Katie Lee, told him he drank too much. Joel claims he used booze as a medicine to treat his depression.
The star claims that his latest struggles are related to the 9/11 attacks.
"I was kind of in a mental fog, and it had nothing to do with the booze. My mind wasn't right. I wasn't focused. I went into a deep, deep depression after 9/11." Joel said. "9/11 just knocked the wind out of me, and I don't know even now if I've recovered from it. It really, really hurt that man could do that to man. And then there was a breakup with somebody, and it took me a while to get me back on my feet again."
The star seems to be snapping out of his several-year battle with alcohol and depression. Joel claimed he drank so much vodka that he now gets sick from the smell of it. He tries to stick to a glass of wine with a meal every now and then.
