Tim McGraw talks alcohol, growing up

Tim McGraw may be a country superstar, but in a new interview with ABC News, he reminds fans that he is only human. Tim McGraw revealed that he struggled with alcohol abuse until his wife, Faith Hill, influenced him to get sober and start dealing with his problems.

Tim McGraw grew up poor, so his rise to country superstardom led him into a life he was unfamiliar with. He explains that the same fame that led him to feel like a rock star, could have also become his demise if he had continued on the path that he says “feels like what you're supposed to do.”

Tim McGraw admits to having used alcohol to avoid dealing with issues in both his personal and professional life about five years ago. Though Tim McGraw, in keeping with his decision to keep his personal life private, doesn't mention what personal problems he may have been dealing with at the time, it's possible that the professional issues plaguing him may have been the beginning of trouble on the horizon with his former record label, Curb Records.

In 2011, Tim McGraw filed a countersuit against Curb Records when they accused him of breach of contract. The court battle that ensued would take over a year to sort out, and meanwhile left a frustrated Tim McGraw with a finished album, "Emotional Traffic", that couldn't be released to fans until two years after its completion. By the time that album was finally released, a judge had already decided that Tim McGraw was no longer bound to Curb Records.

With the lawsuit behind him and a new album produced under the Big Machine Records label, Tim McGraw is adding that trial, along with many others, to his list of life experiences. With the clarity of someone looking back, the 45 year old singer can now put some of his life experiences into perspective. He says that he is maturing and learning that he doesn't have to put on a persona to be accepted by fans. In fact, the same honesty that draws him to country music in the first place, is his new policy on songwriting. Tim McGraw says that rather than stay in a dark, brooding place, he intends to draw from his life experiences and put that honesty into his own music.

Tim McGraw's first offering under the new record label, "Two Lanes of Freedom", is on store shelves today. To watch the interview in its entirety, visit ABC News online.

Chat about this and other country music news on Facebook at Dirt Road Rendezvous or follow @JaelynJamik on Twitter! For even more news about your favorite country music stars, click here or receive spam-free email updates by clicking Subscribe at the top of this article.

This article may not be copied or reproduced in any form without the express written consent of the author, Jaelyn Jamik, or Clarity Digital Media. Any excerpt reproduced must provide a link back to the original article and Examiner.com.