The drummer for the world-famous rock band Aerosmith is releasing a new book about his struggles with addiction and depression. Joey Kramer's book, HIT HARD: A Story of Hitting Rock Bottom at the Top, recalls his battles with drug use, alcohol abuse, depression, and other self-destructive habits.

Word of Joey's troubles first reached the media and fans in 1997 during Aerosmith's sold-out world tour. A member of the band since it was founded in 1970, Kramer had experienced all the highs and lows of a rock-star lifestyle. He relates in the introduction to his book how he finally arrived at the beginning of recovery:

"I'd played my drums in front of eighty thousand screaming fans and passed out in my own puke. I'd toured in private jets, rode in limos. I also lived in rat-infested, shithole apartments, got caught in a burning car where I sustained third-degree burns all over my body, racked up hundreds of thousands of dollars of debt, and watched my father die a slow, agonizing death. But I had never felt anything like this depression that brought me to Steps. This time, there was only me and my pain, and I didn't see any way out."

(Sources: examiner.com, amazon.com)

Labels: addiction, depression