Country music has always been about raw honesty, and few artists embody that spirit more than Cody Jinks. The “Loud and Heavy” singer opened up about his decades-long struggle with alcohol, the toll it took on his body as well as his family, and how he’s finally moving forward with a clean, fitter lifestyle.
On the latest episode of the “Like a Farmer” podcast, Jinks sat down for a wide-ranging conversation with host Pat Spinosa that spanned his Texas upbringing, the evolution of country music, and the personal battles that have shaped his career. He also went into great detail, however, about his battle with alcohol. He admits to being what he called a “functioning alcoholic” for nearly a quarter century.
“When I quit drinking, I’ve been drunk for 24 years,” Jinks, now more than two years sober, admitted. “I was always drinking and did not take days off. I was drunk for 24 years. So highly functioning. I wrote some of my best stuff, piss drunk.”
Jinks owns up to the heavy price that was paid for his lengthy battle with substance abuse. “It was not doing good things in my body, but mentally it was, it was taking more of a negative effect,” he says. “It was just dark.”
The turning point came when Jinks realized the slow, insidious damage alcohol was inflicting. “You get to a point in your life and it just starts, it wasn’t, it’s like, Dude, this is taking me down, real bad, real slow.”
Now, the goal is to not only make great music, but also the desire to be present for his family. At age 45, he wants to live long and healthy enough to not only see his kids grow up, but to be able to be an active participant in their lives. Doing that requires him to get back his high school football mentality. “I wanted to play safety,” he says. “But I was too small, but corner, I had the mentality of a safety. I just didn’t have the size.”
These days, Jinks, whose next stop on his tour will be at Asbury Park’s iconic Stone Pony Summer Stage is back on the road to health. He’s working out more in a quest to turn back the clock. “I want to see my kids have kids, and started doing my rowing machine,” he shared.
A new episode of Like a Farmer Podcast drops every Wednesday.