Tommy Lee Reflects On The Moment He Knew His Addiction Had Gone Too Far

Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee has shared one of the most confronting stories from his decades long battle with addiction, revealing the moment he realised his drug use had spiralled to a life threatening point.

***CONTENT WARNING: This article discusses drug use***

Speaking on the latest episode of Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard, Lee reflected on the band’s excess during the late 1980s and described a night that forced him to confront just how dangerous things had become (per Billboard).

After running out of heroin in the early hours of the morning while spending time with the band’s bassist, Lee recalled the pair making a shocking decision:

“‘What are we gonna do,'” Lee remembered thinking after they realised they had no drugs left.

Instead of stopping, the musicians filled syringes with Jack Daniel’s whiskey and injected it.

“We were shooting Jack Daniels.”

Immediate wake up call

For Lee, the experience became an immediate wake-up call;

“It was at that moment where I went, ‘OK! We could just drink this, but we’re shooting it.'”

“‘This is f–king wrong, and somebody’s gonna die.”

That realisation would ultimately contribute to the band’s decision to seek professional help before recording their landmark 1989 album, Dr. Feelgood.

Reflecting on that period, Lee explained the entire band recognised the severity of their addictions:

“We all decided we needed to go to rehab or someone was going to die.”

He also described just how normalised dangerous behaviour had become within the group:

“People were eating handfuls of [sleeping pills] and then go out for the night. We were zombies and people weren’t waking up. We’re like, ‘Someone’s going to die soon.'”

As the band relocated to Vancouver to record Dr. Feelgood, they simultaneously committed to rehab and group therapy, an experience Lee said transformed not only their health but also their relationships with one another.

Despite decades having passed since that chapter of his life, Lee admitted sobriety remains an ongoing challenge:

“I think three years is the longest I’ve done.”

Lee’s candid interview offers another deeply personal insight into one of rock music’s most infamous eras, reinforcing that recovery is rarely a straight path. While Mötley Crüe’s excess has become part of rock folklore, Lee’s reflections serve as a reminder of the very real consequences that came with it.

If you or someone you love needs support with drug or alcohol addiction, you can get in contact with Beyond Blue on 1300 22 46 36.