Catching The Tune of Recovery with Griffin House

Griffin House is a talented singer-songwriter who draws from his personal journey through addiction and recovery to create music that inspires and uplifts others on their own path to healing. We were excited to talk with him and record his episode on the Recovery.com podcast, where you’ll hear how he initially pursued recovery, went back to drinking, and became sober again…and how he navigates a new life in recovery.

Listen to Griffin’s episode here, and hear stories from our past guests!

Initial Draw into Music

Griffin tried singing for the first time in a high school play and playing guitar with friends at his college dorm. Performing and turning his creativity into music others can enjoy altered his dreams and motivations. Griffin pursued a career in music instead of golf, which he played until college. He joined a band there and eventually made his own record, selling CDs out of his backpack and playing local shows. 

Griffin moved to Nashville 6 months after graduating college and caught “a big break,” leading to a record deal with Island Def Jam Records. Griffin reflects,

“…I was kind of a beginner with beginner’s luck. I just always loved music and could never imagine that I could do it for a living way back when I was playing golf in high school. But, sometimes life takes some crazy turns and I’ve been doing it for 20, 25 years now.”

…And The Pull of Alcohol

Griffin’s family drank often, incorporating alcohol into day-to-day life and normalizing drinking. Griffin notes, “…it seemed to always be around.” He noticed right away how he seemed to react to it differently. Soon, he began drinking heavily and felt the impacts on his life. Griffin says,

“By the time I was in my mid 20s I realized that it was causing problems in my life and I needed to do something about it.”

Griffin called a hotline for help and then attended his first Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meeting, attending regularly for about 3 months. Then Griffin spent more time on the road, playing music, and eventually starting drinking again for several years. He got married, had kids, but soon realized he wanted to be a different kind of dad.