MATT SORUM To JAMES HETFIELD: 'You Are Very Strong To Take The Steps Needed To Be Healthy And Happy'

Matt Sorum says that James Hetfield is "very strong to take the steps needed to be healthy and happy."

The former GUNS N' ROSES drummer made his comments after METALLICA's tour of Australia and New Zealand was called off so that Hetfield could enter rehab to battle his addictions. The trek was slated to kick off on October 17 in Perth and was to include over 10 dates, with SLIPKNOT in the support slot.

Sorum took to social media last night to address Hetfield's health issues and to commend the METALLICA guitarist/vocalist for confronting his struggles head-on.

"Sending my best to James Hetfield Of @Metallica", Matt wrote. "Take care of yourself my friend,You are a human being like everyone else that has real struggles. The disease of Alcoholism doesn't discriminate. You are very strong to take the steps needed to be healthy and happy.The rest can wait"

The 56-year-old Hetfield has been open about his addiction and alcoholism. His struggles were detailed in the 2004 documentary "Some Kind Of Monster".

A couple of years ago, Hetfield said "fear was a big motivator" in inspiring him to get clean. At that time, he said he was sober for 15 years.

A year and a half ago, Sorum revealed in an interview with the "2 Hours With Matt Pinfield" podcast that he was "a drug smuggler" before he was in a rock band. "I used to smuggle cocaine across borders," he claimed. "I'd fly on airplanes with two kilos strapped around my waist. Most of my deliveries were in Hawaii, because I had a big connection there. I thought about the title 'Rock 'N' Roll Smuggler.' Imagine the movie 'Blow', and then think about coming up in rock 'n' roll, before I got into bands that I was in. My way to pay my way was smuggling, and that's what I did."

Sorum added that "at least a chapter or two" in his upcoming autobiography will be dedicated to his "drug-dealing days."

Back in 2006, Sorum claimed in an interview that he lost two days of his life while he was touring with GUNS N' ROSES after he was driven into the Venezuelan jungle in search of cocaine.

The rocker got into a taxi cab in Caracas after one show and asked the driver to take him to a place where he could pick up great drugs.

He recalled: "We're on this dirt road going through the jungle... I hear monkeys and jungle sounds. We drive for 20 minutes on this crazy dirt road, and I'm like, `Amigo, where are we going?' Finally, we pull up in front of a shack made out of tin and sheets of plywood, and he blinks his lights 10 times. I gave him the money... a guy came out and threw 10 grams in straws. Then the guy handed me two bottles of pure Venezuelan rum. Two days later the tour manager found me on the balcony of my hotel with the bottles of rum and all these empty straws and said, `We have a show, Matt.' He put me in the shower and then put my clothes on, got me up and pushed me onstage."

Photo courtesy of DMK Publicity