Florence Welch Talks Drugs, Alcohol, Being Sober And Lonely On Tour

In a recent interview with the Evening Standard, Florence and the Machine, also known as Florence Welch, has opened up about being two years sober and how she’s changed things up for herself.

The “What The Water Gave Me” songstress said she is grateful that she was able to sort her alcohol problem in private, away from the public eye but finds touring a lot lonelier now without it.

“I’m grateful that I was able to go and get sober away from the public eye. Most of the things in my life have got exponentially better from not drinking, but it’s lonely, being sober on big tours,” she explained.

“But really it’s the people at the shows that save me,” Welch continued.

She did, however, explain that being sober has helped her with her anxiety.

“I think I’ve probably had it low-level, and sometimes extreme, for as long as I can remember. As a nervous kid, I was overly imaginative and overly sensitive. Stopping drinking and taking drugs has had a hugely helpful effect. They’re not good for an anxious person.”

The 32-year-old got real when discussing how social media can make her feel. She expressed that she has to be “really careful” when using Instagram because the app can make her feel really low and “totally insane.”

Florence rose to fame in 2009 when she released her debut album, Lungs under the band name Florence and the Machine. The record topped the charts in the U.K. and reached No. 14 in the U.S. That same year, they were shortlisted for a Mercury Prize Award, while in 2010, they won the MasterCard British Album award at the Brit Awards. The era sparked a number of hit singles — “Dog Days Are Over,” “You’ve Got The Love,” and “Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)” — which enjoyed success around the globe.

Their second album, Ceremonials, matched the success of Lungs and contained her first U.K. No 1 single — “Spectrum (Say My Name).” The “What Kind Of Man” hitmakers’ first album to top the U.S. album chart was their third studio album — How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful. To date, Welch has achieved three No. 1 albums in the U.K. with Florence and the Machine.

For each album, she and her band have embarked on a headline tour to support them.

In total, Florence and the Machine have received six Grammy Award nominations. In 2010, “Dog Days Are Over” won Best Art Direction at the MTV Video Music Awards.

On Instagram, Florence’s personal Instagram account has over 1.7 million followers. On the band’s account, it has over 476,000 followers.