Jake Owen has been sober since 2021. The 43-year-old is grateful he quit drinking, and is now a proud spokesperson for living life without alcohol, hoping to inspire others to do the same.
“I quit drinking four years ago,” Owen tells Country Now. “No one talks about it enough. You don’t need to drink alcohol to have a good time. You can sing songs about it. You can have a fun time. You don’t need to not tell people not to, but I’m just saying, ‘Hey man, it’s good.’ If I could go back and tell myself a lot of mistakes I made along the way, a lot of things I said to people that I shouldn’t have said, decisions I made that I could take back, I would say that those are always things you can give little insights to people.”
When Owen announced his sobriety, it was after he went almost a year without having a drink.
“317 days ago I embarrassed myself after drinking too much alcohol one night. It wasn’t the first time either,” Owen shared. “The next day I told myself, ‘never again.’ I am better than that, and the people I love the most deserve better. My family, my little girls, and my friends.
“Just wanted to share my journey in case anyone woke up this morning and wants to make a change,” he continued. “None of us [are] perfect… I’m just trying to be the best version of myself these days.”
On the three-year anniversary of his sobriety, Owen opened up about why the date was such a milestone for him.
“I’m Jake Owen and I sing country music,” Owen shares. “And I decided, three years ago today, that I was not going to get on that alcohol anymore. I was not a good person. Knew in my heart I was a way better person than the guy I was when I drank or just being an idiot. So I said I’m not doing this anymore. I told my friends, I apologized to people that I said things to that I should have never said or done. And most importantly, I told myself that I wouldn’t do it anymore. And I did it!”
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His sobriety isn’t the only thing Owen is proud to have accomplished. More than 20 years ago, the Florida native moved to Nashville to pursue a career in country music. At the time, it seemed like a risky, and perhaps foolish, decision. But now, Owen is full of gratitude that he took the leap.
“I think a lot of people don’t trust, sometimes, their inner gut feeling and instinct,” Owen acknowledges. “And I just encourage anybody out there to follow that, follow your heart, follow your dreams.”
“No one will ever believe in you as much as you believe in yourself,” he continues. “So when I think back about the last 22 years, if there’s anything I’m proud of, I’m proud that I made that move. I’m proud that I got out of Florida and took the risk to make it because if I hadn’t have done that, I don’t know that this would’ve ever happened. So take a chance.”
Owen is also working on new music. The singer-songwriter, who last released Loose Cannon in 2023, says he has a lot of new music coming out in the near future.
“I’m going to put out a bunch of new music this year, so it’s going to be good,” he hints.
Find all of Owen’s music and upcoming shows at JakeOwen.net.
Photo Credit: Matt Paskert