Elton John marked 36 years of sobriety by raising a celebratory glass containing no alcohol.
The 79-year-old musician shared the milestone on Instagram on July 29, posting a photograph of himself smiling at an outdoor restaurant while holding a glass of Elton John Zero Blanc de Blancs.
“36 years sober today,” he wrote. “Raising a 0% glass to life. Grateful for every single day.”
John Added ‘I’m Still Standing’ to the Celebration
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The photograph showed a bottle of John’s alcohol-free sparkling drink resting in an ice bucket beside him. He later shared the image through Instagram Stories with his 1983 hit “I’m Still Standing” playing in the background. The song, released on his album Too Low for Zero, has long been associated with resilience.
John and his husband, David Furnish, introduced Elton John Zero Blanc de Blancs in January. The 0.0% sparkling drink comes in a blue bottle bearing the musician’s E-star logo. John said the brand was created so people who do not drink alcohol could still participate fully in celebrations and social occasions. “You want to raise a toast to someone, toasting with water, it just doesn’t do it,” he said when announcing the product.
John Entered Treatment on July 29, 1990
John has recalled using cocaine for days at a time, experiencing chest pains and losing touch with the comparatively ordinary life he knew before becoming famous. John checked himself into Parkside Lutheran Hospital in Chicago on July 29, 1990. He has remained sober since completing treatment.
His relationship with Ryan White, an Indiana teenager who became a prominent AIDS educator after contracting HIV through contaminated blood products, helped force him to reconsider how he was living. John spent time with White and his family before the teenager’s death in April 1990. He later described their courage as the catalyst for confronting his own addiction and seeking help approximately six months later.
Sobriety Allowed John to Build the Family He Wanted
While promoting the Disney+ documentary Elton John: Never Too Late, he said sobriety made possible the personal life that fame and career success had failed to provide. “When I got sober, my whole life completely changed,” he told The Associated Press.
John said his husband and their sons, Zachary and Elijah, now rank above his music when he considers the most important parts of his life. “The greatest things in my life are my two kids and David,” he said. “And the music comes secondary to them.”
His Previous Anniversary Focused on His Family
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John marked 35 years of sobriety in 2025 by sharing photographs of flowers and handmade cards he received from Furnish and their sons. One family card congratulated him on his “35th Birthday” and told him how proud they were of him.
John thanked his family, friends and supporters for the messages surrounding what he calls his sobriety birthday. “Grateful for all the love on my sobriety birthday,” he wrote at the time.