Zach Bryan’s Two Months Sober: Panic Attacks, Therapy and Truth

The Moment

Country star Zach Bryan, 29, just hit pause on the hard-living cowboy image and said he’s been sober for almost two months after what he calls “earth-shattering” mental health struggles.

In a late-night Instagram post, Bryan described a 20-day solo motorcycle trip across the country that ended with a blunt realization: he “really need[s] some f-king help.” That led him to therapy, putting down the bottle, and rethinking what toughness actually looks like.

The Navy veteran wrote that a decade in the military followed by sudden fame had “subconscious effects” on him. He says he lived in a “perpetual discontent” that pushed him toward alcohol, not for fun, but to fill a “consistent black hole” inside him.

Layer on being “lied about and doxxed on the internet,” helping two friends through serious medical issues, and nonstop touring, and he says he started having panic attacks so intense they felt “earth-shattering.” The guy who thought he could “tough anything out” finally called a therapist.

Now, Bryan says he hasn’t “touched” alcohol in nearly two months, feels “great,” “content” and “whole,” and is working through what he calls his “toxic relationship with booze.” He credits support from his family and conversations about the future – including kids someday and the happiness of his new girlfriend, Samantha Leonard – with helping him put sobriety and mental health first.

He ended his note by telling fans it’s okay to be “weak at times and need help,” stressing that he doesn’t see himself as better than anyone. He just hopes his story reaches someone who’s struggling in silence.

The Take

I’ll be honest: I rolled my eyes for half a second when I saw “rock bottom” and “redemption” attached to yet another male country star. We’ve seen that movie – whiskey-soaked chaos, public apology, cue the acoustic ballad about regret.

But this hits a little different because Bryan is not selling some polished, forever-sober fairy tale. He’s admitting to panic attacks, therapy, and the fact that he doesn’t “believe in absolutes” – meaning he’s not promising a lifetime of perfection, just owning where he is right now.

That’s actually what makes it land. This isn’t a glossy I’m fixed now! press release; it reads like a guy on the side of the road finally taking his keys away from himself.

There’s also the culture clash: country music still loves its barstool bravado. Shots on stage, drinking songs, the man who’s “too tough” to break. Bryan is poking straight at that stereotype, saying the thing most men – especially veterans – are taught never to say out loud: “I was scared, and I needed help.”

Is this also, in part, a reputation reset? Of course it is. In the last couple of years he’s been dragged into headlines for an arrest, a messy breakup, an ex accusing him of emotional abuse, and, more recently, that reported fence-climbing near-fight with another country singer. When the vibe around your name turns from poet of the people to walking red flag, a public reckoning with alcohol and mental health isn’t just healing – it’s smart.

But two things can be true at once. It can help his image and be real. The way he talks about a “black hole” and needing to see the world “objectively” without booze sounds less like spin and more like someone who finally got tired of waking up in the wreckage of his own life.

The best analogy? It’s like watching the loudest regular at your local bar quietly slide his drink back to the bartender, ask for water, and then admit, “I’m not okay.” You don’t need to canonize him – but you do have to respect the honesty.

Receipts

Zach Bryan announces his sobriety and opens up about his mental health. pic.twitter.com/ToAMgEjgIq

— Country Central (@CountryCentral) November 19, 2025

• Confirmed: In an Instagram post shared Nov. 18, 2025, Bryan says he has not “touched” alcohol in nearly two months and has started working with a therapist on his “toxic relationship with booze” and coping with major life changes.
• Confirmed: He writes that he spent about 10 years in the military (the Navy) before sudden fame, and that he was experiencing “earth-shattering” panic attacks while touring, helping sick friends, and dealing with online harassment.
• Confirmed: Bryan says his family and new girlfriend, Samantha Leonard, have supported his sobriety, and that conversations about their future (including kids someday and health) pushed him to prioritize change.
• Confirmed: He emphasizes that his message is not a “greater than thou sentiment,” calls himself “one of the luckiest men alive,” and says he hopes his openness helps others who feel alone in their mental health struggles.
• Reported / Unverified: His ex-girlfriend, podcaster Brianna “Chickenfry” LaPaglia, has accused him of emotional abuse following their 2024 breakup; Bryan has not publicly confirmed her account.
• Reported / Unverified: An entertainment report from September 2025 says Bryan was seen scaling a fence and attempting to fight fellow country artist Gavin Adcock; that description relies on eyewitness and media reporting, not Bryan’s own words.

Backstory (For Casual Readers)

If Zach Bryan’s name just started popping up in your world, here’s the quick catch-up. He’s an Oklahoma-born singer-songwriter and Navy veteran who began posting raw, emotional songs online while still in uniform. Those homemade tracks snowballed into a grassroots fan base, a major-label deal, and a breakout album, American Heartbreak, with songs like “Something in the Orange” turning him into the brooding face of a new, less-polished country.

Alongside the success came chaos. In 2023, he was arrested in Oklahoma after a traffic stop; according to widely reported court records at the time, he later pleaded guilty to obstruction, paid fines, and publicly apologized. His love life went public, too, including a short, very online relationship with podcaster Brianna “Chickenfry” LaPaglia, who later accused him of emotional abuse. Add intense touring and sudden celebrity, and you’ve got a guy whose life went from Navy barracks to sold-out arenas in just a few years.

What’s Next

Bryan isn’t promising sainthood. In his own words, he doesn’t “believe in absolutes” and says maybe one day he’ll “learn to control [his] habits.” For now, he’s choosing sobriety for “personal clarity” and seems more interested in staying grounded than in swearing eternal off alcohol.

The real test won’t be the Instagram caption – it’ll be what happens on the road, backstage, and in the songs. Do we start hearing more about anxiety and recovery than late-night whiskey runs? Does he keep letting fans see the messy middle instead of just the polished comeback?

What is clear is that he’s nudging country culture – and especially men who pride themselves on being “too tough” for therapy – toward a different definition of strength. When a guy whose brand is rugged heartbreak says, “I reached out for help, and you can, too,” that opens a door for a lot of people who’d never walk into a therapist’s office otherwise.

And if you strip away the noise, that’s the heart of his message: it’s okay to admit you’re not okay and ask for support. If you or someone close to you is struggling with alcohol or mental health, reach out to a trusted doctor, counselor, or a crisis hotline in your area – you don’t have to white-knuckle it alone.

Sources: Zach Bryan via public Instagram post on or about Nov. 18, 2025; entertainment news coverage published Nov. 19, 2025 summarizing his statements; widely reported Oklahoma court records and Bryan’s own apology video from Sept. 2023.

Your turn: Do you see Bryan’s sobriety and therapy talk as genuine growth, smart image cleanup, or a bit of both – and does it change how you hear his music?