Backstreet Boy AJ McLean Admits His Battle With Alcohol Continues: ‘I Fell Off The Wagon’

It’s been just three weeks since he welcomed his first child but Backstreet Boy AJ MacLean has revealed that fatherhood hasn’t stopped him falling off the wagon in his lifelong battle with alcoholism.

AJ and his wife Rochelle welcomed daughter Ava on November 27 but just weeks later the 34-year-old has confessed he’s still on the road to recovery:

“A few weeks ago I had a really bad day, I was in a funk,” the pop star admits to In Touch. “I went out in Hollywood and had a couple of beers and maybe one or two shots.”

The singer admits that this isn’t the first time he’s had a lapse in willpower: “This happened two weeks ago, roughly,”

Before that, I was sober for almost a month. Before then, four months. It’s been sporadic.”

The star has famously battled with alcohol and drug addiction for more than a decade, his problems started when he was still part of 90’s chart-topping group Backstreet Boys. AJ has entered rehab three times (2001, 2002 and 2011) in a bid to beat the problem.

“I will forever be an alcoholic and an addict in recovery as long as I live. It’s an ongoing struggle, a daily thing.”

With his new responsibility though, AJ does say that he’s  “trying to be a good husband and a good father and deal with life on life’s terms,” adding, “There is a lot going on. It’s been overwhelming.”

“I can’t stress how much my daughter is an inspiration to stay sober,”

“When I come home and she opens those big blue eyes at me, it’s the most amazing feeling I could ever feel. I’m not looking for sympathy. It’s a constant struggle, and it’s not as easy as you think.”