Country singer reveals he was forced to attend Alcoholics Anonymous at age 14

Country icon Jelly Roll revealed he was court-ordered to attend Alcoholics Anonymous at age 14.

The 39-year-old, best known for singing Wild Ones, Save Me and All My Life, has been open about his troubled past – having previously spoken about being in and out of prison as a young adult and growing up with a mother who suffered from illness mental health and dependence.

In a new interview, the star was asked about her experiences with Alcoholics Anonymous, which inspired her song I Am Not Okay and was a key influence behind her new album, Beautifully Broken.

The star said: ‘Oh my God. I don’t fully remember my first real date because I got a court order when I was 14, so I don’t remember as much as I should.

“But, I definitely remember the first time I found solace in those rooms, or the first time I was introduced to the concept of it.

“And how many things I took out of those rooms,” he said during SiriusXM’s The Highway.

The singer then commented that he has ‘never felt as inspired as leaving an Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous meeting’.

He then commented: ‘I think everyone should try one if you’ve never had one in your life.’

“I still think there’s something about it that, you know, the good ones are like good theater. They will make you listen, you will learn, you will laugh and you will cry.

In an interview with the New York Times earlier this year, the singer reflected on his narrative in his lyrics, especially for the song Winning Streak, which describes someone going to an AA meeting in a church basement.

‘I was writing from the perspective of a story that I actually saw happen. So I’m attending an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting and my deal is: I’ll have a cocktail every now and then, and I’m a known pot smoker, but I’ve stayed away from drugs that I knew would kill me.

He explained: ‘It was very difficult for me to get off these drugs. Something I do to maintain my relationship with these drugs is I still attend meetings, but I never share.

“I just sit in silence and appreciate the message and the meaning.”

In the interview held in August this year, he added: ‘It’s the first time I’ve spoken about this publicly. I don’t tell people I’m going to meetings.

He also talked about being in and out of prison from the age of 14 to 25. ‘I was caught accused of marijuana in Antioquia and with a pack of cigarettes when I was a teenager. They cited me, and the officer trusted me to take the citation to my family and go to court. (Laughter) Which, of course, I didn’t do.

‘Then the police had to turn up and take me to prison. That was when I was 13. At 14, I think it was a fight in the school yard.

He added that he is learning to forgive himself for mistakes he made in his youth. ‘I’m learning to forgive myself for the decisions I made when I was so young. They were wrong and I knew they were wrong, and I was doing it with pride and enthusiasm.

‘But I’m learning to have the grace to look back and say, “I was 15. I don’t know what could have helped me, to be honest.

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