Phish‘s Trey Anastasio has opened an addiction recovery center, it has been revealed.
- READ MORE: U2 live in Las Vegas: a dazzling opening night at the $2 billion Sphere
Speaking to People magazine, Anastasio revealed that late last year, he co-founded and opened up the Divided Sky residential recovery center in Ludlow, Vermont. It comes 17 years after Anastasio first got sober after years of destructive drug addiction. In 2006, he was arrested for possession of heroin and driving under the influence. He soon began a court mandated meetings and community service.
After meeting his caseworker Melanie Gulde, his life took a turn for the better, and the two worked together to get the musician clean. He has been sober ever since. In his chat with People, Anastasio shared that opening up an addiction recovery center is a way for him to give back to the community.
He said: “We want to be available to everybody that needs help. It’s a place of healing. Everybody who works there is in recovery. Virtually everyone understands, and there’s no judgment.”
Anastasio also shared a message to families dealing with a loved one going through addiction: “This can end. Anyone can get off drugs and stop drinking. Your loved one is a sick person trying to get well, not a bad person trying to get good.”
Gilde added: “Divided Sky came about as Trey’s desire to give back on a bigger scale. I have had countless people tell me that Trey has been an inspiration for their own recovery. We must do the work, and that is exactly what he does.”
Most recently, Phish made headlines by becoming the second act to host a residency at the The Sphere in Las Vegas. They played a total of four shows at the $2.3billion (£1.8billion) dome with an 18,000 capacity and 160,000 speakers. It’s complete with an LED screen that completely wraps around inside the dome.
In other news, Drew Carey has said Phish at the Sphere makes U2 “look like a bar band”.
Currently, Dead & Company (Grateful Dead‘s Bob Weir and Mickey Hart alongside John Mayer, Oteil Burbridge, Jeff Chimenti and Jay Lane) are completing their residency at the venue, where they will perform until August this year. See all dates here and get your tickets here.