Shannon Noll has confirmed the Australian music industry's worst kept secret, admitting he was addicted to drugs and alcohol.
The 32-year-old Idol contestant said his problem with drugs and alcohol spiralled out of control after the death of his father Neil in an accident on the family's farm in rural NSW.
Noll told The Sunday Telegraph he drank to avoid dealing with his grief.
"You can live well, do everything right, and still be killed.
"So I thought I'd have a crack at everything. I didn't let myself think about him (his father) when I was smashed. Consequently, I found myself getting smashed a lot."
Noll said he gave up drugs when they started affecting his lifestyle and his relationship with his kids.
"I got to a stage where I had to own up to it."
"I'd turned into a zombie on the lounge. I wasn't doing anything useful."
Last week Noll told The Sunday Telegraph that when his father, who never drank or smoked, died in an accident he decided he would no longer worry about being cautious with his health.
"He worked his fingers to the bone. You can be a good man and, still, things can go wrong. You can wrap yourself in cotton wool and get hit by a truck.
"So I thought, bugger it, I'm going to live life, try things, have a bit of fun and not live in the closet. I don't want to live my life worrying about what might go wrong.
"I am a normal Australian bloke. I do love a beer.
"But I'm no different to any young bloke you'll meet who's playing football, or surfing, or working. I want to enjoy my life and have a good time."
Noll came under fire in March after a drunken performance at the CMC Rocks The Snowys Festival in Thredbo.
Noll outraged fans as he stumbled, rambled and slurred his way through the set. He blamed his behaviour on mixing antibiotics he was taking for a throat infection with alcohol.