Phil Collins Says He’s Been Sober for Three Years After “Dark Times” With Alcohol Addiction

Phil Collins has revealed he has not had a drink in three years following a relapse into alcoholism in the 2020s that led to organ failure and hospitalization. In a new interview with Prog magazine, the former Genesis singer and drummer says he now feels physically better than he has in years.

Collins describes the relapse as involving steady daily drinking rather than visible drunkenness. “I was never ‘falling over’ drunk,” he said. “That wasn’t it. It was just drinking ‘normally’, as one would drink water. I’d wake up, have a glass of wine. Watch TV, read a book, have a glass of wine.” He called the period “pretty dark times.”

The drinking caused his kidneys and liver to fail. “Kidneys and liver were waving the white flag,” Collins said. “I was close to dying, and I hadn’t realised. I just thought I was sick.” He says he was hospitalised in 2024 and placed on life support, and that his manager, Tony, called his children to Switzerland for a meeting about his future.

Collins was admitted to hospital in November 2023, briefly discharged, then returned weeks later and spent seven months needing treatment, with his condition becoming critical in April 2024.

He now says he has come through the ordeal in good shape. “Physically now, I reckon I’m A1, 100 per cent,” Collins said. “I’ve worked at it. Haven’t drunk for three years. I do physio three times a week, to bring me up to speed. All is good!”

What Other Health Issues Has Phil Collins Dealt With?

Beyond the effects of alcohol, Collins has had five operations on his knee and suffers from drop foot, a nerve-damage condition that affects walking and is why he now uses crutches. He has also dealt with severe nerve damage stemming from a 2007 spinal injury.

Will Phil Collins Release New Music?

Asked whether he might record again, Collins did not rule it out. “I’m never gonna say no now,” he said. “I’ve got my little studio still, and I’d like to get down there and just mess about and see what happens. There are some things I could finish. And other things which are finished. So, it’s not beyond the realms of possibility.” His last solo release was the 2010 covers album Going Back.

Phil Collins’s Face Value Reissue and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction

Collins’s 1981 debut solo album, Face Value, is being reissued as an expanded 4LP 45th-anniversary box set titled Face Value (Full Value), featuring half-speed versions, demos, outtakes and unreleased live recordings. The set is scheduled for release on September 18.

• Collins will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist in November 2026, having previously been inducted as a member of Genesis in 2010
• Other 2026 inductees include Oasis, Iron Maiden, Billy Idol, Sade, Luther Vandross, Wu-Tang Clan and Joy Division/New Order