Eddie Van Halen Said He Was Catatonic for a Year After a Rapid Klonopin Detox Meant To Help Him Stop Drinking

Eddie Van Halen said he spent about a year in a catatonic state after coming off Klonopin, which doctors had prescribed during his attempt to stop drinking. In a 2012 interview that has resurfaced online, the guitarist described being unable to communicate and spending much of the period watching television before slowly recovering with medical help.

The account appeared in an Esquire profile published in April 2012, as Van Halen promoted A Different Kind of Truth, which had been released in February that year.

A Difficult Attempt To Stop Drinking

Van Halen said that around 2006, after several stays in rehabilitation, he wanted to stop drinking. He was prescribed Klonopin, the brand name for clonazepam, a benzodiazepine used for conditions including panic disorder and certain seizure disorders. He said the medication became a problem of its own, and that he later went to rehabilitation to come off it.

In the Esquire profile, Van Halen said he became catatonic after coming off Klonopin and being put on antidepressants. He described the episode as lasting about a year, although the interview did not establish its medical cause. He said he spent much of 2008 on a sofa watching episodes of Law & Order, rather than working in the studio.

What He Told Esquire

Van Halen told Esquire: 'All I wanted to do was stop drinking. But instead I literally could not communicate.' He said being able to speak again became a significant milestone.

As he began to recover, Van Halen recalled trying to pick up a guitar and finding that his hand was clenched into a fist. He said doctors helped him with what he remembered as an 'amino-acid treatment', but the interview did not identify the treatment.

Klonopin is a benzodiazepine, a class of medicines that can cause physical dependence. Abruptly stopping benzodiazepines after regular use can lead to potentially serious withdrawal symptoms, and discontinuation is generally managed with medical guidance.

Van Halen's story should not be treated as a guide to detoxification or proof that others will have the same experience. Anyone taking benzodiazepines should seek medical advice before changing or stopping treatment.

Recovery and a Return to Music

By the 2012 interview, Van Halen said he had stopped drinking and described the band's new album as his first record made sober. The line-up included his brother Alex on drums, son Wolfgang on bass and singer David Lee Roth, returning to the band for the album.

He said he began drinking as a child after his father offered him alcohol to ease his nerves before performing. He later explained that drinking lowered his inhibitions, though he came to recognise the cost. In the 2012 profile, he spoke about sobriety while promoting the band's first studio album with Roth since 1984.

The guitarist, whose innovative two-handed tapping helped shape hard rock guitar, died aged 65 on 6 October 2020 after a battle with cancer, his son Wolfgang announced.

The account remains a recollection of a frightening period in Van Halen's life: an attempt to stop drinking that, by his description, was followed by months of isolation and a slow return to the instrument that defined his career.