Why James Hetfield Went To REHAB

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Metallica began working on St Anger in April 2001. However, production would get delayed when James Hetfield checked himself in to rehab to address his addiction to alcohol.

Known for their willingness to indulge while on tour, guitarist Kirk Hammett described what it was like when he joined the band:

"When I first met these guys, they were drinking vodka like it was water. I would start drinking about twelve in the afternoon, we would arrive at the club and go straight to the bar and see how much booze we could consume for free, and by the time we went out onstage we were almost always sauced.

It became part of our legend. People would know when we were coming into town to stock their bars and make sure there was always a lot of booze for us to drink." - Hammett, Metallica's James Hetfield Expounds On Addiction..., Conor Bezane, The Bipolar Addict (Mar 10, 2015)

As the years went on, members of the band matured, and many of them gradually toned down their drinking and partying. Not James, however.

Following the departure of bassist Jason Newsted, who left the band in no small part due to creative differences with Hetfield, James began to reflect on his own abusive behavior. As James has often admit that he was quite controlling of the band and often "suffocated" many of Jason's ideas out of fear of surrendering any semblence of control of this monstrous behemoth that had become Metallica.

Was Jason Newsted's departure the straw that broke the Hetfield's back and forced him to dive deep within himself to address the inner-demons that caused him to drive a beloved band member away? Perhaps. I mean, I'm sure that it was a piece of the complex puzzle that makes up a person like James Hetfield.

As drummer Lars Ulrich confessed:

“Jason is the only member of Metallica who has ever left willingly... That in itself is a statistic. And the resentment from James and I was just so…You can’t do that. You can only leave if we want you to leave. And then we weren’t equipped at the time to do a deep dive into why he was leaving...

You can see 20 years later, it makes complete sense. We write the songs. We make the decisions. We do all of it. You have no creative outlet in this band. You have no creative voice. Then when you go and do something that gives you satisfaction in a way for you to express yourself to the rest of the world, then we get p***ed at you. Then that resentment then goes to you leaving the band.” - Ulrich, Metallica: 40th Anniversary Special..., Zane Lowe, Apple Music (Oct 6, 2021)

James Hetfield himself has also explained that the initial writing sessions without Jason Newsted in the band were not as fruitful as they had been in years prior. After a few motnhs of working on the album and not going anywhere, James Hetfield made the tough decision to check himself in to treatment. He would return to the studio in May 2002.

Following what would be the first of many trips to rehab, James Hetfield had this to say:

"Recovery is the most difficult and challenging thing I've ever attempted (along with parenting)... [It's] also the most grounding and gratifying gift I've ever received (along with parenting)...

My music and lyrics have always been a therapy for me... Without this God-given gift, I don't know where I'd be. Now I truly feel the impact and connection [they have] made with others. Struggle to struggle. Pain to pain. Human to human, not idol to fan, fan to idol. Clarity has put me in a humble and serene place to receive this connection in return and feel it helping heal me...

Every breath I take becomes deeper, and [I become] more confident of myself without my crutches. The lies I've filled my body and soul with aren't needed anymore. They're not welcome. I choose to live, not just exist." - Hetfield, Metallica's James Hetfield Calls Rehab Challenging, Gratifying, Jon Weiderhorn, MTV (Feb 21, 2002)