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Sinead O’Connor to Enter Yearlong Trauma and Addiction Treatment Program

After being “briefly addicted to a drug other than weed,” singer says “recovery starts now”

Sinead O’Connor announced that she is postponing all her 2021 tour dates in order to enter a yearlong trauma and addiction program.

Donal Moloney*

Sinead O’Connor announced Wednesday that she is postponing her entire 2021 tour dates to enter a yearlong trauma and addiction program.

In a string of tweets, the Irish singer — who has publicly dealt with mental health issues over the past few years — said that the stress of 2020, as well as the death of an unspecified loved one, resulted in her “briefly addicted to a drug other than weed.”

“Message for folks who have tickets for next year’s shows: those shows are being postponed until 2022 so that I may go into a one year trauma and addiction treatment program because I had a very traumatic six years and this year was the end of it but now recovery starts,” O’Connor tweeted.

“I grew up with a lot of trauma and abuse. I then went straight into the music business. And never learned really how to make a normal life. Never took proper time to heal. Wasn’t ready to either.”

She continued, “The last year has been very traumatic also due to one of my kids being unwell and the child is thriving now thank god but the mom needs TLC. If I take this time to heal, I will be fit for a lifetime of touring. If I don’t, I won’t… Music business is a very unforgiving place for artists who need to postpone due to emotional or mental health issues. I would ask my agents and promoters to look into their souls regarding that and to support me in taking this step toward making a life I am happy in. So that we can all make some money !!!”

The singer apologized to inconvenienced fans — the U.S tour, her first in six years, had already been postponed from 2020 due to coronavirus — but promised that her memoir, due out in June 2021, will still arrive as scheduled.

In October, after O’Connor released her cover of Mahalia Jackson’s “Trouble of the World” to support Black Lives Matter, the singer told Rolling Stone of her upcoming 2022 album, “I’m writing more about personal matters, being a mother. The record is like letters to my children. The songs are very subconscious. I don’t know what the tone of the whole record will be, but that’s what it is so far.”

From Rolling Stone US