Recovering Drug Addict DEEN CASTRONOVO Says He Was On Opiates For Over A Year While Waiting For Surgery During Pandemic

March 22, 2021

Former JOURNEY drummer Deen Castronovo says that he was on opiates for over a year while waiting to get his back surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 56-year-old musician, who had been sober for nearly five years after being fired from JOURNEY, revealed his latest ordeal in an Instagram post earlier today.

He wrote: "Quick update my friends.. Day 4 of detox and finally feeling better. The 1st 3 days were torture. After being on opiates for over a year due to Covid restrictions and not being able to get my back surgery this is something I never want to go thru again. Opiates are evil and the withdrawals are murder. Don't go it alone!"

Deen was dismissed from JOURNEY in 2015 following years of alcohol and drug abuse that led to him being sentenced to four years' probation for a variety of charges involving his now-wife (including physical abuse, coercion, and unlawful use of a weapon).

Castronovo had been arrested after a 24-day methamphetamine binge, and later publicly accepted responsibility for his actions, saying, "Domestic violence is a choice."

In a 2016 interview with Ultimate Classic Rock, Deen said that his heart sinks when he hears of musicians' deaths as the result of drug addiction.

"Every time I see one of those, the first thing that comes to mind is, 'That could have been me,'" he said. "The way I was using and drinking would have killed a rhinoceros.

"It hurts — you see these guys and they're so talented. It could be me. The next time, it will be me. If I do this again, it's just a matter of time. I've done the jail, I've done the institutions. What's next?"

Castronovo recently announced his exit from THE DEAD DAISIES in order to prepare for his back surgery. He has since been replaced by Tommy Clufetos, who has previously played with BLACK SABBATH, Ozzy Osbourne, Rob Zombie, Ted Nugent and Alice Cooper, among others. Clufetos previously toured with THE DEAD DAISIES in 2015.

Find more on Journey
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • reddit
  • email

Comments Disclaimer And Information

BLABBERMOUTH.NET uses the Facebook Comments plugin to let people comment on content on the site using their Facebook account. The comments reside on Facebook servers and are not stored on BLABBERMOUTH.NET. To comment on a BLABBERMOUTH.NET story or review, you must be logged in to an active personal account on Facebook. Once you're logged in, you will be able to comment. User comments or postings do not reflect the viewpoint of BLABBERMOUTH.NET and BLABBERMOUTH.NET does not endorse, or guarantee the accuracy of, any user comment. To report spam or any abusive, obscene, defamatory, racist, homophobic or threatening comments, or anything that may violate any applicable laws, use the "Report to Facebook" and "Mark as spam" links that appear next to the comments themselves. To do so, click the downward arrow on the top-right corner of the Facebook comment (the arrow is invisible until you roll over it) and select the appropriate action. You can also send an e-mail to blabbermouthinbox(@)gmail.com with pertinent details. BLABBERMOUTH.NET reserves the right to "hide" comments that may be considered offensive, illegal or inappropriate and to "ban" users that violate the site's Terms Of Service. Hidden comments will still appear to the user and to the user's Facebook friends. If a new comment is published from a "banned" user or contains a blacklisted word, this comment will automatically have limited visibility (the "banned" user's comments will only be visible to the user and the user's Facebook friends).