Keith Richards Admits He’s Done With Drinking: ‘It Was Time To Quit’

At 74 years old, and as one of the founding members of the iconic band The Rolling Stones, Keith Richards has seen and done a lot. We all know the stories. But Keith is, apparently, done with it all as he recently confessed that he has stopped drinking.

“It’s been about a year now,” the guitarist told Rolling Stone magazine during a recent interview. “I pulled the plug on it. I got fed up with it. It was time to quit. Just like all other stuff.” Keith also spoke about how life has been for him now that he is saying no to alcohol. “I don’t notice any difference really — except for I don’t drink,” Keith said. “I wasn’t feeling [right]. I’ve done it. I didn’t want that anymore.” And even though Keith seems to be done with his hard-partying days, he did admit that he still has a “glass of wine occasionally, and a beer.”

Ronnie Wood, one of Keith’s fellow band members, said he’s already noticed a change in his friend. “He’s a pleasure to work with,” Ronnie shared. “Much more mellow. He’s open to more ideas, whereas before I’d kind of grit my teeth and go, ‘He’s gonna give me some s–t for saying this.’ Now, he’ll say, ‘That’s cool, man.’”

Ron also revealed that when it comes to Keith’s drinking, it “just wasn’t working anymore, you know.” He continued, “I think the Keith that we used to know and love had this cut-off point where if he had one more, he’d go over the top and he’d be nasty. The cutoff point became shorter and shorter, you know, and he realized that.”

We’re happy to hear that Keith has cleaned up, especially now that the Rolling Stones are preparing to head out on a US tour beginning on April 20, 2019, in Florida.