On The Controversial Zach Top Quotes on Sobriety

Random Notes 14 Comments


If this is the worst “controversy” Zach Top has to deal with in his career, he will be sitting pretty. And that comes with the caveat if it should even be considered a controversy at all.

That’s not to let Zach Top off the hook, though. What he said was certainly inconsiderate, and an ill-advised opinion that comes from a rather uninformed perspective. But you can definitely run the risk of making too much of something said in passing on a comedian’s podcast, especially when it’s taken out-of-context and meme-ified to create shock value, as it was in this instance.

For those that might not be aware, Zach Top was trending on Wednesday (5-13) after appearing on comedian Bert Kreisher’s “Bertcast” podcast on May 12th. Just over halfway through the conversation, the topic turned to sobriety, with Zach Top saying at one point,

“Keep yourself healthy enough that you can drink all your life. I don’t want to be… sobriety is such a fad, trendy thing right now. The next person I hear say they got sober, I want to hit them in the head. We don’t need that. Just be a normal guy and drink a normal amount. You can do it your whole life. You’re fine.”

For many people, Zach Top is right. If you maintain a healthy balance with alcohol in your life, it is harmless, if not beneficial, helping to bring out the joy in life. But obviously, that’s not everybody. Many people can’t achieve that balance, and the only way to keep a healthy equilibrium with alcohol is to abstain completely.

Zach Top goes on to say about sobriety,

“There’s a little bit of attention seeking in it, a lot of times… just do it. If you actually feel that way, it’s a bit of a disease. People do stuff just to be recognized for it versus (doing it for themselves). There’s a difference between doing something just for the love of doing it, and then doing it so that you can post a video and get a bunch of affirmation and a bunch of likes. If you are doing it just for the love of doing it, you don’t have to talk about it as much.” 


Zach Top is not wrong to say that sobriety is currently a trendy thing. You can find dozens of news articles and studies that confirm this. And he’s probably not entirely incorrect when he says that some people are performative about their sobriety to garner attention for themselves. People are constantly pandering for attention on social media over a host of things, including touting their sobriety.

But there’s also people who publicly broadcast their sobriety and/or their milestones on their sobriety journey to inspire others who might be struggling with alcohol or substance abuse to find a better balance in their lives. Also, sobriety is a decision one makes that often affects social interactions and friend/family circles. Publicly broadcasting this information is a way for sober people to stay committed to themselves, and let people close to them know this is a decision they’ve made, and to respect it.

Zach Top shouldn’t have said what he said. He was jawing off with Bert Kreisher who’s known for being a drunk and shirtless yahoo, and said something that doesn’t take into account the serious, sometimes catastrophic, and sometimes outright deadly battles certain people wage with alcohol. I’m sure at some point someone who knows about these things that Zach respects will reach out to him, and give him some counsel about it. Zach doesn’t deserve to be canceled. He deserves to be informed.

It’s also fair to point out that what really drove the conversation was a meme from Country Chord, which kid of presented Zach’s words as if he was making a standalone proclamation for a podium as opposed to a conversational moment with a comedian.



As the top comment beneath the meme on X said, “Zach Top was not referring to alcoholics in his statement. He was referring to folks who choose to ‘go sober’ just because it’s trendy or healthy. He’s saying that if you have the privilege of being able to drink without it becoming an addiction, then do it. It’s a sentiment I share, but I agree it was a boneheaded way to say it.”

Can we all just be honest and say that Zach Top has never come across as an especially deep guy? That’s why his songs often don’t come with the gravity some desire from him. Unlike other songwriters, Zach doesn’t seem to have to wrestle with demons, including alcohol. And good for him. He’s a super talented musician, and thankfully doesn’t have to deal with the challenges many of this contemporaries, predecessors, and heroes had to.

But just because you don’t have to wage a battle with alcohol on a daily basis doesn’t mean others enjoy that same outcome. It’s a good thing that society is opening up to people finding sobriety, and celebrating it when it results in positive outcomes for individuals. Sure, some make a big, performative deal about sobriety, including many of your favorite musicians. But if that’s what helps keep them on the straight and narrow, so be it.

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