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LOS ANGELES - Keith Urban has thanked his wife, Nicole Kidman, for staying "extraordinarily strong and loving" through his three month stint in rehab.
In an emotional four minute video message released on his website today, Urban also thanked his family, friends and fans for their support while he battled alcohol abuse at the Betty Ford clinic in Palm Springs, California.
The 39-year-old Australian country music star detailed how initially he planned to spend just 30 days in the rehab facility, but extended it to 90 days.
Urban, who has also battled drug addiction in the past, dismissed speculation his decision to enter rehab came after one major incident where he went off the rails.
"There was no big cataclysmic event that happened right before I went in," Urban, looking into the camera, said in the video message.
"But, what it was was a lot of small things that were happening in my life and a lot of small moments that were starting to accumulate that were telling me very loud and clear that I was a long way from my program of recovery and they were making my life unmanageable.
"I got to the point where I wanted to go in for treatment."
Urban detailed how he entered rehab on October 26.
It was four months after his romantic wedding to Kidman in Sydney and on the eve of the release of his ironically named new album, Love, Pain & the Whole Crazy Thing.
"It was far from an ideal time to go into treatment, let me say that much, too," Urban said.
"While I was in there of course I had my birthday on October 26. My record was released. I missed Thanksgiving and all the holidays, so it was a time that had a lot of consequences -- that particular three months."
Urban also refuted media reports of marriage trouble with Kidman while he was in rehab.
"My wife stayed extraordinarily strong and loving," Urban said. "My friends and family were there. Man, it's just been really overwhelming.
"I feel so much gratitude and it feels really good to have gone through it and be where I am right now, because where I am right now is starting on that road to getting back to doing what I love which is playing music."
Once in rehab, Urban said he began to learn new things about himself. He decided to extend his stay in the facility.
"The reason why it was so long, too, was just what I was learning as I stayed in there," Urban said.
"That first 30 days I learned what they say in there that 'Abstinence is the ticket into the movie, it's not the movie'. So, learning about abstinence was one thing, but there was all this other area of my life to start learning about.
"So 30 days became 60 days and 60 days became 90 and with each week that passed I found myself really learning to surrender."
It was announced last week Urban would return to the stage with a short run of club shows in the United Kingdom and Germany in April.
He is expected to play large arenas in Australia in May and in the US and Canada in June.
"I felt very, very loved and I felt very supported and it made the time go by," said Urban, thanking his fans for sticking by him while he was in rehab. I never felt alone.
"As I said, during that time I started to learn a lot about myself and how I got to be in this position that I'm in right now. It's hard to quantify what I learned in 90 days, but suffice to say it's been one of the most impactful times in my life.
"I wanted to take this opportunity to thank everybody out there that's watching this right now for your support. I got cards, I got letters, I got emails. ... There was hundreds of emails. I just didn't expect that kind of support.
"I truly didn't and it helped so much especially through a lot of the lonely days, of which there was plenty."
- AAP
