Alice Cooper has opened up about his long battle with addiction, recounting the harrowing experiences that nearly took his life after more than four decades of sobriety. In a recent interview with the Daily Telegraph, in anticipation of his new memoir, Devil on My Shoulder, Cooper shared that his struggles with narcotics began after his well-documented issues with alcohol, exacerbated by misleading assurances that smoking cocaine would not lead to dependency.
Confronting Addiction
“This was at the very beginning of crack, and crack is the most addictive drug there is, by far,” Cooper confessed. “That was really the thing that almost killed me.”
His initial foray into rehabilitation came in 1976 when he sought help for his alcohol issues, completing a four-week program that inspired his album From The Inside. Despite achieving sobriety for a time, Cooper relapsed a year later. His turning point came in 1983 when his wife, Sheryl, issued an ultimatum: he needed to get clean and reaffirm his Christian vows or face the end of their marriage. “So I did,” remarked Cooper. “And that put us back together, you know. And it was almost a relief to get back to church.”
The Shift in Music Culture
In the interview, Cooper also observed a significant shift in the music industry landscape. “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 explained. “In the Seventies, you didn’t hire the guy unless he got high, so everybody was on the same level.” This shift reflects how contemporary musicians prioritize professionalism over the reckless indulgence characteristic of the past.
Upcoming Book Tour and Performances
To promote his memoir Devil On My Shoulder, which will be published on October 8 via Ebury Spotlight in the UK and Da Capo in the US, Alice Cooper will embark on a book tour starting on October 11 in Cardiff, UK. Following this, he will launch the latest leg of his Alice Attic tour at Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater, FL, on October 27. He has also announced additional dates for his upcoming Welcome To My Nightmare residency in Las Vegas, featuring magician Criss Angel.
Devil On My Shoulder UK Book Tour 2026
Oct 11: Cardiff New Theatre
Oct 12: Cambridge Corn Exchange
Oct 13: London Palladium
Oct 14: Brighton Dome
Oct 16: Manchester Opera House
Oct 17: Stockton Globe
Oct 19: Glasgow Pavilion Theatre
Oct 20: Wolverhampton Civic Hall
Alice’s Attic Tour 2026
Oct 27: Clearwater Ruth Eckerd Hall, FL
Oct 30: Richmond Altria Theater, VA
Oct 31: Atlantic City Tropicana Casino & Resort, NJ
Nov 01: Bethlehem Wind Creek Bethlehem, PA
Nov 04: Hershey Theatre, PA
Nov 06: Windsor Caesars Windsor – The Colosseum, ON
Nov 07: Kalamazoo Wings Event Center, MI
Nov 08: Waukegan Genesee Theatre, IL
Nov 10: St. Louis Stifel Theatre, MO
Nov 11: Park City Hartman Arena, KS
Nov 14: Indio Fantasy Springs Casino, CA
Nov 15: Prescott Valley Findlay Toyota Center, AZ
Nov 17: San Diego Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre, CA
Nov 18: San Jose San Jose Civic, CA
Nov 20: Wheatland Hard Rock Live at Hard Rock Hotel + Casino, CA
Nov 21: Reno Grand Theatre at Grand Sierra Resort + Casino, NV
Alice Cooper and Criss Angel: Welcome To My Nightmare Residency
Nov 27: Las Vegas Criss Angel Theater at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino, NV
Nov 28: Las Vegas Criss Angel Theater at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino, NV
Nov 29: Las Vegas Criss Angel Theater at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino, NV
Dec 03: Las Vegas Criss Angel Theater at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino, NV
Dec 04: Las Vegas Criss Angel Theater at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino, NV
Dec 05: Las Vegas Criss Angel Theater at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino, NV
Dec 06: Las Vegas Criss Angel Theater at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino
