Daniel Johns checks into rehab after car accident

The Silverchair frontman has checked into a rehabilitation facility following a car accident after he got “lost” while behind the wheel.

Silverchair frontman Daniel Johns has checked himself into a rehabilitation centre, revealing that he’s been “self-medicating” with alcohol to deal with his mental health issues.

The musician, 42, shared a statement to Instagram on Thursday morning where he explained that he’d been in a car accident the day before after becoming “lost” while on the road, and that he’d been suffering from “panic attacks” recently.

“As you know, my mental health is a work in progress. I have good days and bad days but it’s something I always have to manage,” Johns wrote.

“Over the last week I began to experience panic attacks. Last night I got lost while driving and I was in an accident. I am OK, everyone is OK.

“Alongside my therapy, I’ve been self-medicating with alcohol to deal with my anxiety and depression. I know this is not sustainable or healthy.

“I have to step back now as I’m self-admitting to a rehabilitation centre and I don’t know how long I’ll be there. Appreciate your love and support as always.”

Johns’ industry friends, including his ex-wife Natalie Imbruglia, showed their support in the comments section of his post.

“Love you so much. You’ve got this,” Imbruglia said.

The Veronicas’ Jessica Origliasso wrote simply: “Love you D.”

“Always here for you Dan,” added singer-songwriter Amy Shark.

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Silverchair frontman Daniel Johns is in rehab.

Johns catapulted to fame at just 15 when Silverchair’s single Tomorrow was released in 1992. The band split up in 2011 and Johns debuted as a solo artist in 2015.

Johns bluntly confirmed the band would never reform with him at the helm last year in the first episode of the highly successful podcast Who is Daniel Johns?.

“I wouldn’t even get Silverchair back together for a million dollars with a gun to my head,” he said.

Promoting the podcast on The Project, Johns candidly addressed his battle with mental health, describing himself as “a pretty fragile person”.

“It took me years and years and years of really heavy, heavy therapy,” he said of finally finding himself in a place where he’s happy.

“I gave up millions and millions and possibilities endlessly just to be internally happy,” he added of quitting his band at the height of their fame.

He says he’ll never perform with the band again.

Earlier this month, Johns opened up about one of his “dark” days while in Silverchair, revealing in a lengthy Facebook post that he’d begun experiencing “unbearable joint pain” at the 2002 Big Day Out festival.

Sharing a video of the band’s performance, Johns pointed out that it’s clear he was “struggling to move”.

“Looking back I think the anxiety of how the record would be received as well as the toll that my battle with anorexia had previously taken on my immune system combined to attack me. I was later diagnosed with reactive arthritis,” he said.

“A specialist advised me to said goodbye to my family every night before bed because he thought I might die.”

Johns went on to explain that it was then that he realised “much of the Silverchair machine was more of a business than a family” – and that he’d felt guilt at the people in their crew losing money due to his illness.

“While I was undergoing exhaustive treatment both here and abroad, I learned very quickly who loved me as a human being and who needed me a ‘performer’,” he wrote.

“I really needed a friend back then, instead I had disgruntled colleagues. When my phone did ring it was usually someone asking if I was ready to tour again.

“Someone in the team even questioned whether I was sick at all and that maybe I just didn’t want to promote the album and I should be forced to tour instead of being ‘mollycoddled’ at home.”

The singer and guitarist then revealed that he’d been advised to keep quiet about the turbulent period, but that he felt he needed to speak up.

“I’m not resentful, I understand everyone was under pressure and the band was putting food on many tables but this was too much to put on me. I was 22.”

Originally published as Daniel Johns checks into rehab after car accident