While more Americans than ever have given up drinking entirely, thousands more are starting off 2026 sober by participating in Dry January. To highlight the role community support plays in wellness, Stand Together community partners Darryl “DMC” McDaniels of RUN DMC and Patrick Hallahan of My Morning Jacket have shared details about their recovery and mental health journeys.
The musicians also highlighted their involvement in 1 Million Strong, an impact initiative that is uniting music, sports, and entertainment to change how we think about addiction recovery and mental health, making it something we build together, not alone. At a time when nearly 50 million Americans are struggling with substance use, these perspectives are uniquely powerful.
“It’s one thing telling people you could get sober and you could stay clean, and there’s a whole community, a whole universe of people just like you,” hip hop pioneer and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member Darryl “DMC” McDaniels told People. “It’s another to show them, because you think it doesn't exist in entertainment, sports and music and stuff like that.”
Artists Turning Platform into Purpose
At the height of his fame, Darryl quietly battled substance use and depression. Today, he uses his platform as a music legend to offer a path to hope and healing.
Why? As he told Parade, historically, music, sports, and entertainment figures have driven social and cultural change.
“[T]he beauty of 1 Million Strong is they’re making sobriety … and recovery and mental health cool,” Darryl told Parade.
Despite record levels of awareness, mental health is getting worse, especially for younger generations. Gen Z is the most likely generation to report their mental health as “fair” or “poor”. At the same time, many studies show Gen Zers say the thing they crave most to cope with mental health challenges are opportunities for social connection.
Finding spaces that feel welcoming and real can be difficult. However, 1 Million Strong offers them. Just ask Patrick Hallahan, drummer of Grammy-nominated My Morning Jacket, who just celebrated five years of sobriety this January. He attributes the improvement of his mental, physical, and social wellbeing to eliminating alcohol.
“I can’t say enough about 1 Million Strong,” Patrick told Relix. “When I found out about them, it ticked so many boxes for me. … [W]e were trying to think of something for our last festival, One Big Holiday. I went down there to see the site, and people were making plans for bars, signature cocktails, and all this stuff. I was like, ‘Well, what about the people that don’t drink?’”
1 Million Strong partnered with One Big Holiday festival to create a zero-spirit wellness oasis in the middle of the festival. It gave people who did not want to drink, or who just wanted to clear their heads, a place to go and connect with others.
Patrick told Relix he believes 1 Million Strong has “really tapped into something special and meaningful.”
How Community Is Connected to Lasting Recovery and Mental Wellness
1 Million Strong believes opportunities to improve mental health exist in everyday life – not just in therapy or clinic settings.
“Because if you’re doing what everybody’s doing, you still feel like you have a place somewhere,” Darryl told People about the need to build support systems into daily systems and structures. “And that’s why I like 1 Million Strong, because they’re creating community for you to belong to."
Darryl and Patrick both believe authentic connections are essential to mental wellness. There is, they say, power in true belonging.
Knowing he was not alone helped Darryl start his sobriety journey. He told Parade that one of the factors that led to his substance abuse was finding out, at age 35, that he was adopted. A friend introduced him to a fellow adoptee. “That was the thing that gave me the courage to go get help and rehab,” he said. “And when I got to rehab, I found out there’s a billion alcoholics … so the thing that I would say to somebody who’s going through anything is, ‘You are not alone in this place. [There are] people, places, and things you can do to help prove that to you.’”
Patrick agreed.
“A lot of the aspects of mental health go back to feeling alone,” he told Relix. “[Y]ou’re on this crazy rock together with a bunch of other people. I think that getting out, getting fresh air, getting sunlight, getting exercise, those are the first easy steps to a path to mental wellness. Those are free and they’re right there in front of you.”
For more information on 1 Million Strong or resources, follow @join1millionstrong on Instagram.
Read the full People Magazine interview with Darryl here.
Read the Relix feature on Patrick’s journey here.
Check out the Parade Q&A with Darry here.
