For some people, sobriety is maintained by sponsors, meetings, inspirational books and more. For Brantley Gilbert, it’s his tattoos that he says remind him about the importance of staying sober.

“The one on my left side is really the story of my life, and goes through my addiction and the tribulations and trials,” Brantley shared with his record label. “I got the devil trying to get on my shoulder over here, and I got two angels – I got one chubby angel with a spear keeping him from getting up here.

“It’s just little things like that that I remember the struggle every time I look at my arm,” he continues. “That’s one of the things, people ask me, ‘How are you staying sober?’ And honest to God, this has a lot to do with it. Every time I look down, I see flames and skulls and the fact that I put myself and everybody that works for me through hell.”

The Georgia native is, finally, starting to get in the Christmas spirit — something that escaped him for years until he became a father.

“Christmas has never really been my deal,” Brantley acknowledged. “I like Christmas ’cause it’s Jesus’ birthday. But outside of that, I’m all about it for the kids. My wife [Amber] is huge on Christmas. My son loves The Grinch, man, just fell in love with The Grinch, and we watch that movie even when it’s not Christmastime.

“Christmas is big at my house,” he continues. “Amber starts decorating really early. I’m not as big of a Scrooge as I used to be, but I think I still got a little ways to go. I’m not quite as over the top about it as they are. But it is fun and it warms my heart and it means the world to me to see them getting excited.”