Steven Tyler credits a teary confrontation with his teenage son with helping him realise how bad his drug habit had become, because it forced him to deal with his addiction for the sake of his family.
- April 28, 2011
AceShowbiz - The Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler checked into rehab in late 2009 to address a problem with painkillers. It was his eighth stint in treatment and Tyler admits he had no idea how much his wild behaviour had affected his home life until Taj, now 19, broke down in front of him.
He tells People magazine, "When my son looked me in the eye, crying, and said, 'Dad, you were so high every night, and I was afraid', I needed that. My best thinking got me back into rehab, so I gotta keep my thinking in check and keep going to meetings."
Tyler has been clean since completing a 90-day treatment programme last year and he subsequently signed on as a judge on reality TV show "American Idol", alongside Jennifer Lopez and Randy Jackson.
The rocker insists the job on primetime TV is helping to keep him from slipping in his sobriety battle.
He says, "I'm on Idol now (and) the last thing I'd want the world to see is me slurring my words. I don't ever want to be a bad example again."
Tyler reveals he's undecided if he will continue with the "American Idol" stint for a second season, confessing, "I might, if the money's good", but regardless of his TV future, he's determined to stay focused on maintaining his renewed bond with his four children and daughter Liv Tyler's six-year-old son, Milo.
He adds, "I thought my band was my family, but the lesson of the last couple of years was I really need to nurture the family I really got."
"If there's one thing I am today, it's grateful. I'm happy as a clam!"
