Steven Adler Signed an Agreement to Stop Taking Drugs Before He Was Fired From Guns N' Roses

Rock bands always have their fair share of ups and downs, with members coming and going; sometimes by choice, sometimes because they’re forced to. Guns N’ Roses drummer Steven Adler got the boot from the band after he couldn’t keep up his side of a bargain to stay clean. 

Steven Adler’s success with Guns N’ Roses was marred by his addiction to drugs and alcohol

Adler joined Guns N’ Roses in 1985, along with vocalist Axl Rose, lead guitarist Slash, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin, and bass player Duff McKagan. The group played Los Angeles nightclubs before getting signed to Geffen Records in 1986. 

Their debut album, Appetite for Destruction, was released the following year. It was a huge success and still sells copies today; to date, it has sold over 30 million copies worldwide, making it the best-selling debut album of all time in the U.S.

Guns N’ Roses continued to enjoy massive success and popularity, but Adler’s hard-partying ways soon got in the way of his ability to make music. He missed several shows on a 1987 tour after he punched a streetlight and broke his hand while intoxicated. 

In 1989, he missed the band’s performance at the American Music Awards, with the Eagles’ Don Henley filling in for him. While the original story was that Adler simply had the flu, it was later revealed that he was in a drug rehabilitation program at the time. 

After failing to keep up his end of a deal to stay sober, the rest of Guns N’ Roses kicked Steven Adler out of the band

Adler continued to struggle with addiction, going in and out of rehab facilities. By 1990, the rest of Guns N’ Roses had had enough and told Adler if he wanted to stay in the band, he had to be sober. The drummer signed a contract promising that he would stay off drugs in exchange for his continued membership in the band. 

Unfortunately, Adler soon fell off the wagon. By the time Guns N’ Roses took to the studio to start work on the Use Your Illusions album, he was back on drugs and it affected his ability to play the drums. 

“I went in there and tried to play [one of the album’s tracks] 20, maybe 30 times,” Adler told Classic Rock. “But I was so weak, my timing was like a rollercoaster.” A few weeks later, he was formally fired from the band. 

Steven Adler’s relationships with the rest of Guns N’ Roses was rocky, but he reunited with the group in 2016

Following his dismissal from the group, Adler sued the members of Guns N’ Roses, saying that he wasn’t able to play, not because he was on drugs, but because he was using an opiate-blocking drug as part of his detox program. The case was settled out of court. 

Adler continued to struggle with drug addiction, but still kept playing music. He worked with hard rock band BulletBoys before forming his own group, Adler’s Appetite. Adler also worked with former bandmate Slash on the guitarist’s debut solo album.

In 2016, Adler joined Guns N’ Roses for the Cincinnati date on their Not In This Lifetime…Tour. He performed two songs with the band. It was his first appearance with Guns N’ Roses since his firing in 1990. 

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