The musician and songwriter went on to reveal how his struggle with alcohol started as a coping mechanism. “I was misdiagnosed with a lot of things,” he said. “I didn’t know what I had, so I didn’t know how to deal with it and the only thing I found that worked was alcohol, so I was drinking alcohol to keep that at bay but it didn’t.”
What was plaguing Johns was actually anxiety, he said. “I got diagnosed with this … I don’t want to say what it is, but this anxiety disorder, and now I’m a perfect specimen,” he said with sardonic humour.
While things haven’t always been easy for Johns, he told Denton that his family has been a constant. “I’ve got great friends, a great girl, a great family … I’ve got a lot of supportive people around me who have been through everything with me,” he said. “Yeah, I have got a really great group of people, so I really shouldn’t be bitching and moaning on television.”
'Interview with Andrew Denton' airs Tuesdays at 8.45 PM on Seven.
For crisis support, call Lifeline at 13 11 14
