By John Morgan

With medical adviser Stephen A. Shoop, M.D.

A Doctor In Your House.com

Oct. 30, 2000

C.C. DeVille, center, and the rest of Samantha7. During its tumultuous heyday, the glam-metal band Poison pushed the limits of rock'n'roll excess perhaps as far as humanly possible. Chronicled on VH-1's Behind the Music, Poison fell lower than the heights they once soared. And no one crashed harder than the band's guitarist C.C. DeVille.

"The cocaine had me. I was an alcohol and drug addict from 20 to 32," recalls DeVille candidly from the road. "All those years I'm supposed to be enjoying myself, and I was numb. I was so out of it."

To hear him now, you would never know DeVille had come close to death because of his drinking and cocaine addiction. He's now been sober five years, in the best shape of his life, and rocking harder than ever with his new band Samantha 7.

"I didn't feel normal for two years. But now I've never felt better in my life," says the 38-year-old multi-platinum musician. "I feel like a miracle child. God was watching over me in my darkest times." And also his mom and dad.

Struggling to kick the drugs and alcohol, DeVille was at a loss as to how get sober. So he tried a radical therapy. He moved back in with his parents.

"I knew if I went back to mom and dad I couldn't cheat," explains DeVille, who appears Halloween night in Jacksonville, Fla. "A lot of times when people get sober they fall back. They say they're sober, but they're not. I wanted to get it right."

It took eight months under his parent's roof to kick his habits.

For DeVille the most painful thing about his dependency problems is that his parents never did anything to drive him to drugs. "They've always sacrificed everything for me," says DeVille. "It's painful for me that they feel they screwed up. They didn't. I did."

DeVille says his parents were nothing short of "amazing" and never made him feel ashamed.

But they did know all his angles. "I'd tell them I was going to the store, and mom would say 'your father will go with you.'"

According to DeVille, he didn't need a lot of supervision. After moving home, he was "extremely motivated" to get sober and wage his "moral war." Contrary to medical opinions, DeVille believes addiction is a character issue caused by selfishness not a disease.

"Calling my coke addiction a disease is a slap in the face to true diseases," says DeVille. "People with ALS didn't choose to get their illness. I chose to do drugs."

Dr. Charles J. Burstin, a consultant in addictionology at Daniel Freeman Marina Hospital in Marina Del Rey, Calif., disagrees. "Addiction is considered a disease. We just don't have a cure for it. You can get treatment, but you have to go to a 12-step program like Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)."

Open up and say Ahh!

But the bleach-blonde DeVille beat drugs and alcohol without going to a 12-step program. Instead he was on a 12-meal program.

"My mom fed me 24 hours a day. We're talking canolis like you wouldn't believe," marvels DeVille. "I gained over 70 pounds."

The 5'7" DeVille weighed 135 pounds when he joined Poison. His weight peaked during his personal rehabilitation at 220 pounds.

According to DeVille his mom's theory was, "Better to be chunky than a junky!"

So DeVille started walking. Four months later he was able to run his first mile. Now half a decade later, DeVille is running eight miles a day even on tour. And he's back to a healthy 140 pounds.

"Running is like my medicine my religion," reports DeVille fresh from a workout. "It gets rid of all the toxins. It helps me maintain my weight because I am like Jaws around brownies and sweets."

DeVille runs so religiously that the road crew calls him Forrest Gump. But despite his love affair with his Nike Air Max's, DeVille stresses that before attempting a running program people should see their doctor first.

"One to two hours of daily exercise is actually part of our in-patient rehabilitation program," says Burstin, who is also a board-certified specialist in internal medicine. "Exercise increases metabolism and speeds removal of the residual chemicals in the body, so it has a very positive influence on recovery."

Another benefit of moderate exercise is it helps strengthen the immune system and helps a person physically feel better. "People who get sick and feel badly are more tempted to self-medicate again," adds Burstin.

Something to believe in

Burstin also explains that for ex-cocaine addicts like DeVille, proper diet and nutrition are important because cocaine often cannibalizes the body's muscles. Burstin typically puts crystal meth and cocaine addicts on high-protein diets. He often prescribes lactose-free high protein drinks like Ensure or Jevity.

And because drugs and alcohol can damage the liver, Burstin advises that people get a lipid panel done. "Cholesterol can often be too high or too low," states Burstin. "It is not uncommon for addicts to go on statin drugs to control their high cholesterol."

High cholesterol was one of DeVille's problems. But statin medications can be hard on the liver, and DeVille was wary of taking more drugs and pills. So he lowered his cholesterol with exercise and a health food diet.

While eating healthy food on tour is extremely difficult, DeVille swears by it as one of the essential ingredients to better health on the road. According to DeVille, he eats lots of fruits and vegetables and shops at Whole Foods markets whenever he can.

"I try to avoid non-thinking eating," he advises. "I also avoid milk products because they are so bad for you. I hate dairy."

DeVille says staying clean and sober on a rock tour is particularly challenging for all the obvious reasons. "You have to be disciplined and really want to stay sober," he shares. "I'll tell you, I'm having a lot more fun on tour now."

Among DeVille's other health tips for touring musicians are:

Drink bottled water - "I drink as much as I can because hydration is critical."

Wash your hands regularly, especially before eating, to avoid colds.

Always practice safe sex.

Don't smoke. "I hate smoking. Here I am an alcoholic judging smoking!"

Get enough sleep and take 2-4 hour power naps.

Try to avoid the M&Ms.

With a show Halloween night, DeVille may have trouble avoiding the sweets. But at least the really scary part of his drug and alcohol addiction seems to be dead and buried.

"I'm never going to be able to drink or party again. I know I had some of the most abominable disgusting behavior. I wish I had never done that," concludes DeVille. "I know I'm judged. How can anyone believe I'm really sober? I brought it on. But if I can't give back to people who are like me, then I went through all this for nothing."