Ringo Starr Makes a Rare Comment on Staying Sober for 37 Years

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Ringo Starr Makes a Rare Comment on Staying Sober for 37 Years originally appeared on Parade.

On Monday, July 7, former Beatle Ringo Starr turned 85 years old, and now, he's looking back on one of the more difficult parts of his journey.

According to PEOPLE, Starr made some rare comments on his journey to sobriety while talking to reporters at Ringo Starr’s Annual “Peace & Love” Birthday Celebration in Beverly Hills this week, 37 years after he made the decision to get sober.

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"Well, I ended up in a rehab because I was not treating myself or anyone around me with any respect," he said. "It was all about me, and I came out, and I haven't had a drink since. Thank the Lord."

Though it's not often that Starr has opened up about his sobriety, it's not the first time he's addressed the topic publicly.

In July 2019, Starr told Parade that getting sober meant that suddenly, he "had all this time and more energy," which led him to creating the All Starr Band, which still lives on today.

"I just couldn’t really move without alcohol. And without drugs. I was not a purist in any way!" Starr said of his life before sobriety. "So in the end, I said to Barbara [Bach], 'You’ve got to get us into one of those [rehab] places.' I didn’t know where they were.But she called some friends of ours in L.A. who knew, and I went to Arizona, where I found myself with 88 mad people in this place.

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He added that being sober "makes life so much easier."

Nearly four decades later, Starr is still sober and celebrating another birthday. Seems like things are going pretty well so far!

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Ringo Starr Makes a Rare Comment on Staying Sober for 37 Years first appeared on Parade on Jul 9, 2025

This story was originally reported by Parade on Jul 9, 2025, where it first appeared.