Alice Cooper Opens Up on Crack Addiction That Nearly Killed Him and Nearly Ended His Marriage

Alice Cooper says a crack cocaine habit he picked up in the late 1970s and early 1980s came closer than anything else to killing him, and also brought his marriage to the brink of divorce. The 78-year-old shock-rock pioneer details the ordeal in his new memoir, ‘Devil on My Shoulder,’ and in a companion interview with The Telegraph.

• Cooper was told, wrongly, that smoking the drug meant it wasn’t addictive.
• He has been sober since 1983, a stretch some outlets put at more than 40 years and others at 43 years.
• ‘Devil on My Shoulder’ runs 445 pages and is Cooper’s third memoir, after ‘Me, Alice’ in 1976 and ‘Alice Cooper, Golf Monster’ in 2007.
• He marked 50 years of marriage to Sheryl Goddard earlier in 2026.

Alice Cooper on His Crack Cocaine Addiction and His Marriage to Sheryl Goddard

Cooper says he was introduced to crack after someone assured him that smoking the drug, rather than snorting it, would spare him from dependency. He pushed back on that idea bluntly in his Telegraph interview: “This was at the very beginning of crack, and crack is the most addictive drug there is, by far. That was really the thing that almost killed me.”

The habit also pushed his marriage to the edge. Cooper recalled how close he and Sheryl Goddard came to splitting up over it: “We were almost in [divorce] court, and I said, ‘This is wrong,’ and she said, ‘Yeah, I know.'”

How Alice Cooper Got Sober

Cooper’s recovery story stretches back further than the crack years. Louder reports he first checked into rehab in 1976 to deal with alcohol addiction, a four-week stay that became the inspiration for his album ‘From The Inside,’ though he fell back into drinking about a year later. Far Out’s account places that first rehab stay in 1977 and says he then stayed sober for roughly two years before relapsing.

Cooper says the turning point finally came in 1983, when Sheryl told him he needed to get clean and recommit to their Christian faith or she would end the marriage. He says that ultimatum, paired with returning to church, is what pulled him and his marriage back together. He has remained sober ever since, a run of sobriety Far Out specifies at 43 years.

What’s Inside Alice Cooper’s Memoir ‘Devil on My Shoulder’

‘Devil on My Shoulder,’ co-written with Daniel Richler, runs 445 pages and arrived in the United States on October 6, 2026 through Da Capo, with a UK release following on October 8 via Ebury Spotlight. It is Cooper’s third autobiography, coming after ‘Me, Alice’ in 1976 and ‘Alice Cooper, Golf Monster’ in 2007.

Cooper also reflected on how differently musicians behave on the road today compared with his own era of excess. “If you’re in a touring band, nobody gets high, nobody ever drinks, because now it’s a big business and you can’t afford to have a guy that’s doing that,” he said, adding that in the 1970s the opposite was true: “In the Seventies, you didn’t hire the guy unless he got high, so everybody was on the same level.”

Cooper, born Vincent Damon Furnier, turned 78 in February 2026. He says he and Sheryl Goddard, who has performed in his stage show since she was 18, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary earlier this year.

Alice Cooper Rules Out Retirement

Asked about stepping away from music, Cooper rejected the idea outright, grouping himself with other longtime rock veterans who keep performing well past typical retirement age. “I can’t think of a better job,” he said, naming Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood and Rod Stewart as fellow “lifers” who share his outlook on staying on the road.

Alice Cooper 2026 UK Book Tour Dates

• October 11: Cardiff New Theatre
• October 12: Cambridge Corn Exchange
• October 13: London Palladium
• October 14: Brighton Dome
• October 16: Manchester Opera House
• October 17: Stockton Globe
• October 19: Glasgow Pavilion Theatre
• October 20: Wolverhampton Civic Hall

Alice Cooper’s Alice’s Attic Tour Dates

• October 27: Clearwater, Florida, Ruth Eckerd Hall
• October 30: Richmond, Virginia, Altria Theater
• October 31: Atlantic City, New Jersey, Tropicana Casino & Resort
• November 1: Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, Wind Creek Bethlehem
• November 4: Hershey, Pennsylvania, Hershey Theatre
• November 6: Windsor, Ontario, Caesars Windsor, The Colosseum
• November 7: Kalamazoo, Michigan, Wings Event Center
• November 8: Waukegan, Illinois, Genesee Theatre
• November 10: St. Louis, Missouri, Stifel Theatre
• November 11: Park City, Kansas, Hartman Arena
• November 14: Indio, California, Fantasy Springs Casino
• November 15: Prescott Valley, Arizona, Findlay Toyota Center
• November 17: San Diego, California, Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre
• November 18: San Jose, California, San Jose Civic
• November 20: Wheatland, California, Hard Rock Live at Hard Rock Hotel + Casino
• November 21: Reno, Nevada, Grand Theatre at Grand Sierra Resort + Casino

Alice Cooper and Criss Angel’s Welcome to My Nightmare Las Vegas Residency

• November 27: Las Vegas, Criss Angel Theater at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino
• November 28: Las Vegas, Criss Angel Theater at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino
• November 29: Las Vegas, Criss Angel Theater at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino
• December 3: Las Vegas, Criss Angel Theater at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino
• December 4: Las Vegas, Criss Angel Theater at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino
• December 5: Las Vegas, Criss Angel Theater at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino
• December 6: Las Vegas, Criss Angel Theater at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino

More Info

• Alice Cooper says addiction nearly destroyed his life: “I knew how to keep that buzz going” | Guitar Player
• Alice Cooper Says Crack Cocaine Almost Killed Him Back in the Day | Consequence
• Alice Cooper says that addiction to crack cocaine almost killed him | Louder / Classic Rock
• With His New Memoir, Alice Cooper Is Finally Separating Fact From Fiction: I Want People to See | Billboard
• Alice Cooper reveals crack cocaine almost killed him in the early 1980s | Far Out Magazine
• How Alice Cooper’s New York nightmare left his guitarist on the brink | Guitar World
• 78-Year-Old ALICE COOPER Once Again Rules Out Retirement: I Cant Think Of A Better Job | Blabbermouth