Alex Lloyd Opens Up About Opiate Addiction In New ‘Australian Story’

Alex Lloyd has appeared on a revealing new episode of ABC TV’s long-running docuseries Australian Story, in which he reveals a battle with addiction that lead to the downfall of both his personal and professional life. The episode, titled Dark Star, aired last night (August 18th) as the 26th episode of the show’s 2025 season. The episode can be viewed in full on ABC iView by clicking here.

The ARIA Award-winning singer-songwriter was joined by the Australian Story film crew over a 12-month period of his life from mid-2024 up to now, which simultaneously documented him working on his first new album in almost 12 years as well as revealing the true nature of his extensive absence from the music industry. “I’m not saying I’m not lucky, but there’s been some fucking heavy shit as well,” Lloyd says in one of his first pieces to camera in the episode.

Following the success of his 2001 single ‘Amazing’ and his second album Watching Angels Mend, Lloyd notes that he “masked anxiety with alcohol”. Although his issues subsided following the birth of his children, he relapsed following a 2009 court case over the ownership of ‘Amazing’, in which he was sued by truck driver Mark O’Keefe – who claimed that he co-wrote the song in 1991, when Lloyd was 16 years old. “I was the happiest guy on the planet before that,” Lloyd said. Although Lloyd won the court case, having to revisit his past trauma, as well as paying $300,000 in legal fees and the eventual breakdown of his marriage, put him in “a place where no-one could really help [him]”.

Alex Lloyd – ‘Amazing’

Lloyd returned to drinking, gained a considerable amount of weight and developed chronic pain – which ultimately found himself in the throes of addiction following a prescription to oxycodone went south. “I had no idea what I was getting into with that drug,” Lloyd said. “I didn’t know how addictive it was.” Now in recovery, Lloyd has resumed touring – including recent supports with James Reyne.

Lloyd is the first musician to be profiled on Australian Story since Nick Cave in 2024, which came following the release of the Bad Seeds’ most recent studio album Wild God. That episode followed on from episodes of the program dedicated to both Cold Chisel and AC/DC‘s late vocalist Bon Scott earlier that year, as well as episodes on Silverchair‘s Ben Gilles and Chris Joannou (a two-part episode) and on the rise of Parkway Drive that aired during 2023 and 2022 respectively.