Silverchair frontman Daniel Johns charged with drunk driving; admits self to rehab

Silverchair frontman Daniel Johns charged with drunk driving; admits self to rehab
Martin Philbey/Redferns

Daniel Johns, frontman for the now-defunct Australian grunge band Silverchair, is admitting himself to rehab after being charged with drunk driving.

According to The Sydney Morning Herald, Johns crashed his SUV into a van carrying two people while driving down Australia’s Pacific Highway Wednesday night. Johns’ breathalyzer test reportedly returned a result of 0.157%, above Australia’s legal blood alcohol content limit of 0.05%.

The two people in the van were reportedly treated on the scene. One was admitted to the hospital but has since been released.

In an Instagram post following the incident, Johns wrote, “As you know, my mental health is a work in progress. I have good days and bad days bu it’s something I always have to manage.”

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

Johns added that he’d been “self-medicating with alcohol to deal with my PTSD, anxiety and depression.”

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

Silverchair released their RIAA double-Platinum debut Frogstomp in 1995 when Johns was only 15. The group released four more albums before going on hiatus in 2011.

More recently, Johns teamed up with fellow Australian Luke Steele of Empire of the Sun to form the band Dreams in 2018, and just last year, he launched a podcast called Who Is Daniel Johns? He also announced plans to release a new solo album, FutureNever, on April 22.

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