James “Jay” James , former bassist for Bullet For My Valentine , opened up about leaving the band in 2015 after 12 years with the group.
The reasons behind the bassist's departure were not openly described by Bullet For My Valentine at the time, but it is believed that substance abuse was a significant factor.
When discussing the matter in a recent interview on the Drinks With Johnny podcast (via Blabbermouth ) , hosted by Johnny Christ of Avenged Sevenfold , Jay revealed that he is still uncomfortable with the topic.
“It’s difficult to talk about it, to be honest, after all the little things that happened. All I can say is that everyone was partying, everyone was drinking, and everyone liked to drink,” he said.
Even so, the bassist admits that he drank heavily. “And I recognize some of the problems I caused the band or myself, absolutely. But a lot of what I was doing, other people were doing too,” he continued. “It’s a rock band, things happen.”.
When he finally realized his colleagues' decision to move on without him, Jason "Jay" James's problems with alcoholism seemed to truly begin.
“I think my real problems, with alcohol and everything, came later, when the realization of everything hit. I couldn’t cope with [what had happened],” she confided. “I think my biggest problems with alcohol and other things came, I think, after I left, and I think it was kind of a loss that I felt, because they were family, and that hurt me. So I kind of wanted to hide from reality.”.
In the four months following his dismissal, James doubled his alcohol consumption and had great difficulty coping. “I kept hiding behind alcohol at home because I didn’t know what to do. All I had done for the last 10, 12 years was play guitar on stage, go on tour, be a manager, all that kind of thing. And then, suddenly, I felt like there was nothing; I didn’t know what to do. So the answer for me was my friend’s alcohol. So that’s what I did. And it got out of control, which led me to seek help and go to rehab and get sober, where I am now,” he concluded.
READ ALSO: Bullet For My Valentine is the “biggest British metal band since Iron Maiden”, says magazine.
