After garnering national recognition on American Idol and Broadway, Constantine Maroulis has a new milestone to celebrate: 20 months of sobriety. As the resident rocker in season 4 of the singing competition show, most people assumed that Idol's Constantine always lived a party lifestyle. However, that wasn't necessarily the case until the summer before COVID-19. Constantine recently opened up about how he noticed an increase in bad habits like drinking and vaping, and immediately took steps to get back on track.
Constantine won the hearts of millions in 2005 when he became one of the first rockers to appear on American Idol. He wowed audiences with powerful renditions of songs like "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen and finished in sixth place. In the years that followed, Constantine made a name for himself on Broadway, where he originated the role of Drew in Rock of Ages. His work on stage earned him a Tony nomination and the title of "Star of the Year" by Broadway.com. In his personal life, Idol's Constantine enjoyed hookups with some famous faces, including The Real Housewives of New York City's Tinsley Mortimer, Luann de Lesseps and Ramona Singer.
However, in summer 2019, Constantine began to find his schedule emptier than usual. He shared with OK! that, following multiple callbacks that resulted in rejections, he was in a negative mental space. Long nights of heavy drinking in New York City became the norm, much to the concern of his friends. "People around me were like, 'You're not a big drinker,' and I said, 'I'm concerned because I'm not someone that normally does that,'" he reflected. "And now at my age, I'm like, 'Why am I doing that?'" The American Idol star was able to recognize this behavior before it got out of hand. "It started off like, I'm just gonna put this pen down, the vape, the drinks and just chill. And then it was a few months, and then it was six months, and then it was a year, then it was now almost two years," he said. Currently, the only thing Constantine is addicted to is pizza.
The American Idol alum admitted that, had he not gotten clean before the COVID-19 quarantine, it "could have been ugly." Instead of "sitting around in my robe all day, hitting the vape or something like that," which Constantine said is "not sexy in your 40's," he worked on getting back to his old self. The 45-year-old plans to continue his sobriety as he embarks on a summer tour to promote his new album Until I'm Wanted and hosts the radio program Constantine Maroulis Show 'Cuz Saturday Nights Rock! on 77 WABC. "Certainly, it's nice to get back to work," he said.
Props must be given to American Idol's Constantine for taking action on his substance abuse before it spiraled out of his control. Many other reality TV stars, including Jersey Shore's Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino and Here Comes Honey Boo Boo matriarch Mama June Shannon and her boyfriend Geno Doak, weren't so lucky and had to undergo addiction treatment. Regardless, he seems to now be happy and healthy, which is the most important thing.
Source: OK!