Zach Bryan shared his thoughts on mental health Tuesday evening, in hopes that his message could help others who feel alone and are “struggling to find words when they’re down on their luck.”
His message arrived after a year of controversy including his messy, public breakup with BFFs podcaster Brianna “Chickenfry” LaPaglia that sparked intense fan scrutiny online, an altercation with Gavin Adcock after Bryan scaled a fence at the Born & Raised Festival to confront the singer, and criticism from MAGA and even the federal Department of Homeland Security over his song bashing ICE.
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In his note on social media, Bryan said that after 20 days of riding his motorcycle and camping across the country “looking for a solution,” he ended up in a Seattle parking lot and realized: “I really need some f***ing help.”
“Being in the military for a decade and then thrown into a spotlight that I hadn’t fully comprehended the scope of, had some subconscious effects on me as a person,” he wrote. “I was not content, but I also feared showing weakness because that’s not who I am or how I was raised. To charge forward and never settle was the motto.”
The singer said that he found himself stuck in “perpetual discontent” that led him to drinking “because there was a consistent black hole in me always needing its void filled.”
He then appeared to reference his recent controversies, while also revealing hardships within his inner circle: “I have been lied about and doxxed on the internet, I was helping a close friend through a severe mental break, one of my other best friends was put into a coma by a motorcycle accident, and I was touring the country playing five, sometimes six, nights a week.”
Bryan said that he began experiencing “earth-shattering panic attacks” and paralyzing anxiety. Eventually, he made the “conscious decision to do something about my toxic relationship with booze and how I cope with major life changes” and found a therapist. The musician shared that he hasn’t “touched alcohol” for almost two months,” which is something he had to do for his “personal clarity” in order to “see the world objectively.”
“My family supported every step I took,” he added, before mentioning his new girlfriend, Samantha Leonard. “Conversations about the future, kids one day, my health and Sammy’s happiness made me prioritize not only myself, but my entire family.”
Bryan ended his note by saying, “I feel great, I feel content, I feel whole.” He pointed out, “There is nothing to get me by anymore,” and said, “If you or any of your friends are too tough, too scared, or too stubborn to reach out, know that the most stubborn dumba** on the planet did and didn’t regret it.”
While he doesn’t believe in “absolutes,” Bryan said that maybe one day he’ll learn to “control” his habits, but for now, “I just want to say it is okay to be weak at times and need help.”
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