Madness star Suggs reveals he’s quit drinking after struggling with alcoholism
MADNESS frontman Suggs has quit drinking after admitting he’s struggling with alcoholism.
Singer Suggs, 64, real name Graham McPherson, confessed he’d been boozing for 40-odd years but realised he needed to stop.
Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live yesterday, he said: “I’ve been a bit sort of jocular about it, but no, it did get a bit serious.
“I mean, it was alcoholism, and there’s no way in this horrible thing to admit to yourself, because I was a drunk.
“I was a good drinker, I was a bad drinker.”
He added to Nihal Arthanayake on the Headliners show: “When you’re drinking too much, it just becomes your sole raison d’etre.
“I’m just [not] interested, basically, in anything other than myself and sitting there getting drunk.
“And then my family started to suggest I was getting a bit…”
Suggs, who has 17 Top Ten hits with Madness, continued: “I went to see an addiction therapist, and he just said, ‘You’ve got to stop,’ basically.”
“It’s just that thin line between drinking socially and drinking unsocially and, you know, kind of ruining your life, which is where I’m sort of headed.”
He went on to say getting older had affected how much alcohol he could tolerate, admitting: “It was physiology.
“You can’t cope with probably the amounts that I used to drink when I was younger anyway.
“And the hangovers were…like two days sort of wiped out of your life.”
Suggs added: “I didn’t really get into any really negative or destructive kind of elements of life.
“But it’s just when the drink becomes more important than anybody or anything else, that’s what was happening.”
Revealing he had been sober for a couple of months, Suggs joked about the reaction from his friends and said it had “caused shockwaves” among those who live close to his home in London.
He said: “There was actually a day of mourning with all the off licenses and local pubs.
“They had a procession dressed in black, and they had a big beer bottle in a hearse with RIP. It went past my house. It was very sad.”
He also revealed that drinking had impacted his mental health, explaining: “If you don’t stop drinking, you will never find out what’s really going on in his conscious or subconscious.”
Suggs is preparing to head out on tour with Madness – with the It Must Be Love hitmakers starting their run in Sacramento on May 14.
They will then spend June and July playing shows and festivals across Europe and the UK.
When asked about going back on stage now he is sober, Suggs said: “This will be the first tour so that’s kind of intriguing.
“Most of the boys know and in fact, a couple of the others packed up a little while ago.
What to do if you think are an alcoholic
IF you’re struggling with alcohol addiction, the most important thing is to recognise the problem and seek support – You don’t have to face it alone.
Seek Professional Help
- GP or Doctor – A medical professional can assess your situation and provide advice on treatment options.
- Therapists or Counsellors – Talking to an addiction specialist can help address underlying causes and develop coping strategies.
- Rehab or Detox Programmes – If physical dependence is severe, medically supervised detox may be necessary.
Consider Support Groups
- Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) – A well-known 12-step programme that provides peer support.
- SMART Recovery – A science-based alternative to AA, focusing on self-empowerment.
- Local Support Groups – Many communities have groups tailored to different needs.
“I think at 63 and so many of my friends, without naming names, about my age in this industry, I mean, I could tell you loads, all packed up around being 60.
“I’m lucky to tell the tale, really.
“It’s funny, it’s just like a kind of new beginning, without being sort of getting too righteous about it.”
Who are Madness?
Madness, formed in Camden in 1976, became one of the most successful British bands of their era, with their blend of ska, pop and new wave defining a generation.
They scored huge hits in the late ’70s and ’80s with tracks like Our House, House of Fun, and One Step Beyond, and remain a festival favourite to this day.
Suggs has been the face of the band for nearly 50 years, guiding them through multiple breakups and reunions.
Their 2023 album, Theatre of the Absurd Presents C’est La Vie, became their 11th Top 10 LP, proving their enduring popularity.
Why is he called Suggs?
Suggs was born in Hastings, Sussex, on 13 January 1961.
He got the name from a jazz singer called Pete Suggs, who discovered after reading his mother’s jazz encyclopedia.
He said: “Mum had a good singing voice, but I knew I wasn’t a natural. Mum always had lots of records and good books lying around and I got the name Suggs from a jazz singer called Pete Suggs, who I found in her jazz encyclopaedia.”