The one thing Stevie Nicks regrets more than her cocaine addiction
At the age of 27, Stevie Nicks ascended to the role of the definitive figure in the British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac, earning her the title of the ‘Queen Bee’.
Before this juncture, her creative endeavours revolved around songwriting and harmonising alongside her enduring partner, Lindsey Buckingham. During this period, she had refrained from indulging in drugs; however, the course of her life was on the cusp of a dramatic shift.
Swiftly, she found herself ensnared in the depths of drug dependency, succumbing to the allure of cocaine, alcohol, Quaaludes for sleep, and cigarettes. These substances initiated a cascade of detrimental effects, causing her health to deteriorate. Nosebleeds, on-stage falls, blackouts, and perilous semi-overdoses plagued her existence. The intoxicating descent had begun.
“There was no way to get off the white horse, and I didn’t want to,” the singer said. The train was running so fast that there seemed to be no end in sight. Before the inaugural night of the Rumours world tour, Nicks participated in a party with her bandmates—a soirée that, even by their exuberant standards, was an epitome of wildness. The revelry was a celebratory response to the news that their album had reached platinum status.
Lasting almost 48 continuous hours, this celebratory marathon brought about an unfortunate situation where Nicks forgot to remove her contact lenses. The prolonged wear of the lenses led to the erosion of her cornea, placing her vision in jeopardy. Thankfully, the band’s tour manager intervened just in time, but still: on the eve of their first tour date, she found herself receiving urgent medical attention, with bandaged eyes to prevent blindness.
Her pace of drug consumption decelerated only when her doctor’s grave caution resonated — the enduring irreversible mental and physical harm, coupled with the ominous prospect of a brain haemorrhage or untimely demise, was undeniable.
However, soon Nicks became romantically involved with Eagles’ Joe Walsh, culminating in a relationship that would become heavily dependent on cocaine once again. She became consumed so intensely by the drug that weeks went by without sleep, and ultimately, Walsh walked out the door in an attempt to stop the situation from getting worse.
A turning point arrived when her bandmates orchestrated a crucial intervention. Their collective efforts proved instrumental in safeguarding her existence, and the urgency to seek transformation became clear, leading her to the doors of the Betty Ford Center — a decision that unequivocally saved her life.
She embarked on a journey to rehabilitation, surmounting the clutches of one addiction and stepping into a realm of therapy. Nevertheless, the subsequent nine years introduced a new chapter, defined by dependency on an anxiety-prescribed drug. This transition triggered a profound struggle, enveloping her in an extended period of despondency and weight gain.
Years later, Nicks would reflect on her addiction, saying that the only thing that she regretted more was not stopping to have a baby.
